Legislature may declare National Atheist Day

House resolution would declare Atheist Day in Delaware

Sam Haut Government, Headlines

  A recently circulated General Assembly resolution would designate March 23 as National Atheist Day in Delaware. Sponsored by Rep. Eric Morrison, D-Glasgow and Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Hockessin, the resolution doesn’t yet have a bill number. Efforts were not successful to reach Morrison for comment. Sturgeon said she grew up and remains Catholic, but believes in philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s leap …

Child care 6

Kent, Sussex child care centers may get higher Del. payments

Sam Haut Government, Headlines

A bill that would force the state to pay Kent and Sussex County child care programs the same fees that it pays New Castle ones seems headed to the Senate floor. No one spoke against Senate Bill 59, sponsored by Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Arden, when it came up Wednesday in the Senate Health & Social Services Committee. Gay said …

Osienski marijuana

Marijuana legalization bill passes House, sent to Senate

Sam Haut Government, Headlines

The Delaware House of Representatives on Tuesday once again sent a bill to legalize the use of marijuana in the First State to the Senate, this time on a 28 to 13 vote. House Bill 1 is sponsored yet again by Rep. Edward Osienski, D-Newark, who managed to get a similar bill passed last year, only to see it vetoed …

bar exam Delaware bar exam

State bar exam to be twice a year; passing grade dropped

Betsy Price Government, Headlines

Delaware will begin offering the bar exam for lawyers twice a year and will drop the passing score by two points as well as reduce the number of essays, length of clerkships and number of proceedings a candidate must attend before testing. The changes were adopted after a two-year study by the Delaware Board of Examiners and recommendations for reform …

Delaware will close its COVID-19 call centers Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Public Health to close COVID-19 call centers Tuesday

Betsy Price Headlines, Health

In another sign that COVID-19 is becoming a part of ordinary life, the Delaware Division of Public Health will close its COVID-19 call center and vaccine call center Tuesday because the number of calls has dwindled. It’s one more indication that the state and the federal government are starting to consider how to handle the ebbing of the pandemic as …

Delaware mini-Bond bill

Construction exec: Mini-Bond will hurt non-union, minorities

Shannon C. Keith Headlines, Government

A Delaware construction executive says that Senate Bill 35, scheduled to be heard today in the House  will effectively block non-union contractors from state contracts. Edward J. Capodanno, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors Delaware says a bill to add 17 projects to this year’s Bond and Capital Improvements funding, will hurt the more than 500 members ABC represents. …

A bill headed to the governor would raise unemployment rates $50 a week.

Rise in unemployment pay heads to Carney’s desk

Shannon C. Keith Government, Headlines

A bill that would increase unemployment payments by $50 a week is headed to Gov. John Carney’s desk after essentially skating through the General Assembly. The Delaware Senate passed House Bill 49 Thursday.  It also will allow the state to use the Delaware Unemployment Trust Fund to pay employer shares of that raise, but only for 2023. The rise will …

Richard J. “Rick” Geisenberger Delaware Secretary of Finance. Gov. John Carney 2024 budget

Carney budget cuts income tax, focuses on education, workers

Betsy Price Government, Headlines

Cutting straight to the “what does it mean to me” point: Gov. John Carney’s $5.5 billion budget proposal for 2024 will let Delawareans keep more of their hard-earned cash. The budget, which the governor detailed in an 11 a.m speech Thursday, will increase the standard deduction on Delaware income tax by 75% to $5,700 ($11,400 filing jointly) from $3,250 ($6,500 …

Osienski refiles marijuana bills

Once more unto the breach: Osienski refiles marijuana bills

Betsy Price Government, Headlines

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 …

State Sen. Eric Buckson bills moving too quickly through Assembly

Bill to stop school boards hiking property tax is tabled

Jarek Rutz Headlines, Education

A bill that would ban a local school tax increase after the statewide property reassessment is completed was tabled Wednesday in the House Educaiton Committee after a lengthy discussion. House Bill 42, sponsored by Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, would remove the up-to-10% increase in school property taxes that current law would allow schools boards to levy. Rep. Rich Collins, …