Election Center 8

Who’s running? Full list of candidates in Delaware

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

This report has been updated for the Nov. 8 general election. Click here for the most up-to-date information. With just days to go before the first votes are cast in Delaware’s 2022 primary elections, every seat has at least one person running. Some have numerous candidates. The 151st General Assembly comes to an end in November, meaning all 21 Senate …

Leg Hall

General Assembly passes largest bond bill in history

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The Delaware Senate on Wednesday voted to pass the largest bond bill in state history, weighing in at a whopping $1.4 billion.  The House of Representatives passed the spending package unanimously Tuesday afternoon. The bill allocates $1.4 billion toward roadway enhancements, school construction, courthouse expansion, state building renovations, library upgrades, state park improvements and clean water investments. “For the second …

Senate bills and votes

Senate sends gun, abortion bills to Carney

Jarek RutzGovernment, Headlines

Delaware’s Democrat-majority Senate on Tuesday sent several controversial bills to Gov. John Carney for his signature. Most of the topics seemed ripped from headlines. The gun bill would bar anyone under 21 from buying or owning a gun, as well as controlling a firearm or ammunition. The abortion bill will increase the number of health professionals who can perform an …

Syrofoam

Senate votes to ban styrofoam to-go boxes, cups

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The Delaware Senate on Thursday passed a bill to effectively ban restaurants from offering single-use plastic straws and styrofoam food and beverage containers.  Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 134, sponsored by Sen. Trey Paradee, D-Dover, also prohibits food establishments from providing customers with plastic coffee stirrers, cocktail picks and sandwich picks. Under the bill, food establishments would only be …

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Fort DuPont bill raises questions about transparency

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that will put Sen. Nicole Poore on the board of directors of the Fort DuPont Redevelopment and Preservation Corp. Poore – who represents Delaware City, where Fort DuPont is located – also serves as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Capital Improvements, commonly referred to as the Bond Committee.  The Bond …

Nicole Poore State Senator et al. posing for the camera

Paid family and medical leave ‘the law of the land’ in Delaware

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Rep. Debra Heffernan, the bill’s House sponsor, holds SS1 for SB 1 after it was signed by Gov. John Carney Tuesday. (Charlie Megginson/Delaware LIVE News) Delaware has become the 11th state to offer a paid family and medical leave program to new parents, caregivers, and those with serious illnesses. Flanked by lawmakers and activists, Gov. John Carney on Tuesday signed …

a dining room table

3 bills filed to protect students from sexual predators

Jarek RutzEducation, Headlines

Photo/Pixabay In response to recent cases of sexual misconduct by faculty and staff in Delaware schools, state lawmakers filed three bills Monday to keep students safe from sexual predators. A virtual press conference was held Monday where several legislators, Attorney General Kathy Jennings and representatives from the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children spoke about the need for …

Election Center 3

Six months from election, most candidates have yet to file

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

With just six months to go before the first votes are cast in the 2022 General Assembly elections, most incumbent state representatives and senators have yet to file for re-election. The current legislative session comes to an end in November, meaning all 21 Senate seats and 41 House seats will be up for grabs. Candidates must file by July 12 …

a man wearing a suit and tie

Smyrna’s Sen. Bruce Ennis will retire after current term

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Photo/senatorbrucecennis.com State Sen. Bruce Ennis will retire at the end of his term in November after spending forty years in the General Assembly. Ennis, a Democrat from Smyrna, said he would be stepping down in order to spend more time with his family. “Serving in the Delaware General Assembly has been a great privilege and honor that I will cherish,” …

Leg Hall Lights 1

State grants for non-profits now require formal application

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The General Assembly’s budget-writing committee has launched a formal application process for non-profit community groups seeking capital grants through the Community Reinvestment Fund.  The lack of a formal application process last year ignited debate amongst legislators, some of whom said the process lacked transparency, resulting in gentlemen’s agreements and pork-barrel spending. The Community Reinvestment Fund is a capital grant program …