After 26 proposed amendments and about nine hours of discussion, the permit to purchase bill has passed both the House and Senate and is on its way to Gov. John Carney for signature to become law. Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 2, sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, D-Wilmington, would require most Delawareans to obtain a permit …
Bill adding asexuality, pansexuality into law moves to House
A move to add asexuality and pansexuality to the state definition of sexual orientation led to conversations about what those terms mean — and a warning that adding them could one day lead to adding pedophiles, too. Rep. Eric Morrison, D-Newark/Bear, said the idea for House Bill 275 came from a member of Delaware’s LBGTQ+ community who identifies as pansexual. …
Bipartisan bill would see Inspector General at work by 2025
A much-debated Office of Inspector General would be up and running by early 2025, if a new bill passes the Delaware Assembly by the end of June. Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Hockessin, would create the Office of Inspector General, an independent watchdog agency empowered to investigate waste, fraud,and abuse in the executive and legislative branches of state government with Senate Bill …
Neal strikes gender-affirming care bill; will introduce new one
A Delaware legislator who identifies as nonbinary on Tuesday asked to strike a proposed bill that would protect medical professionals who provide general-affirming medical care. Rep. DeShanna Neal, D-Elsmere/Newport, introduced House Bill 230 in June 2023 and asked on Tuesday for the bill to be dropped from consideration. Neal didn’t give a reason during the session. Efforts were unsuccessful to …
GOP senators: Hecklers, smirking legislators ’embarrassment’
Republican senators said Tuesday they were disappointed at the hecklers interrupting Gov. John Carney’s last State of the State speech — and even more disappointed in the members of the legislature smirking during the heckling. A video shows the first heckler, a woman in the gallery wearing a pink hajib, start shouting and asking for a moment of silence. As …
Carney’s State of State, despite hecklers, focuses forward
Gov. John Carney’s last State of the State speech, meant to be a review of his administration’s achievements and a push for the state to tackle thorny issues, was interrupted four times by hecklers who seemed to be referencing the Israeli invasion of Gaza. The first heckler started shortly into the speech and was removed, and a few minutes later …
Retirees to health insurance committee: Thank you.
A joint meeting of the House and Senate health committees only needed half the time it had allotted to listen to a proposal about changing state employee healthcare. Apparently mindful of the deluge of retirees who reacted angrily to news in 2022 that the state was moving retirees to a Medicare Advantage plan, the joint meeting planned to run from …
Victims’ Rights task force to hear updating, funding ideas
A task evaluating the Delaware’s Victims’ Bill of Rights for the first time since it was established in 1992 will hear recommendations about how to improve it Monday, Feb. 12. The current document is an unwieldy, jumbled mess because of all the hands that have been in the code since then, said Scott Goss, communications director for the Senate Democrats. …
Bill would block insurance companies from using genetic tests
For decades, public health officials have fretted about insurance companies having access to genetic testing and using the results to deny coverage or set higher rates for people likely to get certain diseases. That was true even before people could casually send in a swab to a company like 23andme, AncestryDNA or Family TreeDNA, to be tested. Those results end …
Carney’s State of the State address rescheduled for March 5
The annual State of the State Address has been rescheduled after Gov. John Carney had to cancel last week’s originally planned event due to illness. Carney now will deliver his 2024 address from the House of Representatives Chamber in Legislative Hall on Tuesday, March 5, at 2 p.m. The event will be livestreamed on de.gov/sots and on the governor’s YouTube …