A typically commonplace measure that would have added 17 projects to this year’s Bond and Capital Improvements funding got mired in controversy Tuesday over wording that required union and minority participation in four bids. That requirement in a four-project pilot program would mean that some minorities, including Hispanics, would be left out, Senate Republicans maintained. Rep. Jack Walsh, D-Newport/Stanton, sponsor …
Heeeeeeeeeee’ssss back. Rep. Ed Osienski, D-Newark, filed new versions Friday of his bills to legalize the sale of marijuana and to create a marijuana industry in Delaware. He said during a press conference that he believes the new legislators elected to the General Assembly — which includes many progressives — will help him get the votes he needs to pass …
Despite vehement opposition from a state retirees’ group, a bill that would add retirees to committees that help determine health care options overwhelmingly passed the Senate Wednesday, just moments after it had cleared a committee hearing. Voting against it were three Republican senators. Senate Bill 29, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, would give retirees a voice by …
A proposed bill that would allow tenants to stop paying rent when life- or safety-threatening issues had not been repaired failed to pass out of committee Tuesday. House Bill 37, sponsored by Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker, D-Wilmington, drew praise from both sides of the aisle as well as from apartment associations and others who deal with renters for wanting to …
The Delaware House of Representatives majority leader started the second day of the 152nd General Assembly Wednesday by apologizing to the new minority leader for the way she phrased a description of her. On Tuesday, Rep. Valerie Longhurst, D-Bear, had introduced Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown as “the first colored woman in leadership in the House of Representatives.” They hugged after …
Delaware’s 152nd General Assembly officially began Tuesday, as Delaware’s 62 representatives and senators were sworn into office in what is the most diverse legislature yet. “We’re finally looking like Delaware’s population,” said Rep. DeShanna Neal, D-Wilmington. The first nonbinary and first Buddhist to serve in Delaware’s legislature, they are starting their first year in office. “One of the most amazing …
A right-to-repair bill filed in the Delaware General Assembly would require companies such as Apple and John Deere to provide manufacturer parts to fix their products outside of their own stores. House Bill 41, filed by Ruth Briggs King, R-Georgetown and Long Neck, would give individuals and small businesses access to technical parts needed to repair digital devices. That will …
As the Delaware General Assembly prepares to reconvene Tuesday for the start of its 152nd session, livestreaming of meetings seems set to stay. Nobody seems sure yet whether members of the House or Senate will be able to continue to vote remotely. After fighting the livestreaming of meetings for years, the General Assembly started doing that when the COVID-19 …
The Delaware House of Representatives has announced committee assignments for the 152nd General Assembly, with the Democrats crowing that its slate of chairs and vice-chairs reflect the diversity of the chamber. More than half of the committees will be chaired by women, while a person of color will serve as chair and/or vice-chair of 13 different committees. In addition, five …
This story was originally published in November 2022. Republicans did not fare well in Delaware’s Nov. 8 election. Democrats widened their majority in the state Senate, maintained the balance of power in the House, and won every election for statewide elected offices. In the wake of the Republican wallop, some party leaders are hoping the party will begin to move …
