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 …
An outgoing Democratic member of the Delaware House of Representatives says House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf blocked his bill to create an office of the inspector general. Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark, said the move was typical of Schwartzkopf’s leadership style. That leadership style can be characterized by “coercion, intimidation, incentivizing and reward,” Kowalko said, and the inspector general bill is just …
The State of Delaware rested its case against State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness Tuesday after eight and a half days of testimony. McGuiness’ defense team began presenting its case and hopes to wrap it up by Wednesday afternoon. Defense attorney Steve Wood asked Superior Court Judge William Carpenter to issue a judgment of acquittal on each of the five charges against …
Prosecutors in the criminal corruption trial of State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness say they plan to rest their case Monday, assuming everything goes according to plan. The trial entered its seventh day Friday and featured two former auditors and two former accountants. That testimony was about as exciting as it sounds. The real fireworks happened not on the witness stand, but …
A bill to establish an “independent and nonpartisan” inspector general’s office moved forward Wednesday in a Delaware House committee. The House Administration Committee also moved along a bill to encourage filming in the state by offering tax credits. The committee started discussion to create a constitutional right of a clean environment, but, citing time, continued discussion to Thursday’s committee meeting, …
Lawmakers, activists and citizens gathered in front of Legislative Hall Tuesday to encourage the General Assembly to override Gov. John Carney’s veto of House Bill 371, the bill to legalize marijuana possession. Carney vetoed the bill in May citing questions about the long-term health and economic impacts of recreational marijuana use. “I respect the Legislative Branch’s role in this process, …
Two bills set to be filed in the General Assembly would create an inspector general’s office in Delaware to investigate claims of waste, fraud, abuse and corruption within state government. Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, said while Delaware already has a state auditor and attorney general, the inspector general’s office would “fill a gap in their coverage.” “The inspector general …
A bill to legalize the cultivation, sale and possession of marijuana in Delaware was released from the House Health and Human Development Committee Wednesday by a margin of 10 to four. All 10 Democrats on the committee voted in favor of the bill’s release. Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, was the lone Republican to support the bill. The bill will …
State legislators will be back in session in a little more than a month. Photo by Aimintang/Getty Images Signature In five weeks, Delaware’s 151st General Assembly will kick off its 2022 legislative session with many Democratic legislators looking to advance progressive causes that have previously struggled to gain traction. Democrats control both chambers of the General Assembly by wide margins. …
Those who support creating a state office of inspector general say it will help weed out fraud, abuse and mismanagement. As calls mount for the creation of a statewide inspector general’s office in Delaware, one Newark lawmaker is drafting legislation to do just that. Rep. John Kowalko, a Democrat, will introduce legislation in early 2022 to set the framework for …
