Democratic lawmakers filed legislation Thursday they say will improve the availability of abortions and protect patients and providers from facing legal action under other states’ abortion laws. Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown, D-New Castle, Rep. Valerie Longhurst, D-Bear, and Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Talleyville, announced the legislation in the wake of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the United States Supreme Court may …
House overwhelmingly approves $300 relief rebate bill
The Delaware Relief Rebate Program, which will use state surplus funds to offer every Delaware resident taxpayer a one-time direct payment of $300, passed in the House of Representatives Thursday. House Bill 360 will result in the issuance of a one-time payment to every Delaware resident taxpayer who filed personal income tax returns for tax year 2020. It also …
House OKs bill allowing PAs to prescribe abortion medication
The Delaware House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to allow physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe abortion medications in Delaware. House Bill 320 passed along party lines. Under federal regulations, physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses are authorized to prescribe Mifepristone, Misoprostol, or Mifeprex for use within ten weeks of pregnancy. Health care …
Republican bill would increase senior property tax credit to $750
A Republican-backed bill to nearly double the tax break for senior citizen homeowners is pending action in the Delaware House of Representatives. House Bill 287, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Hensley, R-Odessa, would increase the Senior School Property Tax Credit to a maximum of $750 annually. Currently, homeowners ages 65 and older are eligible for a 50 percent tax credit against …
Proposed House redistricting offers more changes than Senate
Sussex County House districts will change a lot if proposed plan goes forward. House Democratic leadership has released their proposed redistricting maps and Sussex County will pick up a seat — that of embattled Representative Gerald Brady, a Democrat from Wilmington. The House of Representatives will convene in a special session on Nov. 1 to finalize the maps that …
Delaware moves closer to near-total plastic bag ban
Legislators say people are not reusing the new thicker plastic bags given away at grocery stores. Dismayed that people don’t seem to be reusing the thicker plastic bags now allowed for retail stores, the Delaware House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to ban retail establishments from providing plastic bags. It will update the new bag rule that went …
House passes gun magazine bill with amendments; it goes back to Senate
Glock and its magazine. Photo by Timothy Dykes of Unsplash A bill aimed at restricting firearm magazine capacity in Delaware passed in the House of Representatives Thursday along party lines. Senate Bill 6, which was given the green light by the Senate in April of this year, bans the possession, sale, purchasing, receiving or transferring of magazines whose capacity exceeds …
Minimum wage bill sponsor condemns last-minute amendments to bill
The bill to raise Delaware’s minimum wage is set for its final stop on the General Assembly roller coaster Thursday before being sent to the governor. And when it comes up in the House of Representatives, so will nine amendments filed since June 10, most by Republicans opposed to raising minimum wage to $15 by 2025. They would …
Bill to lower income tax fails in committee, but one to cut real estate tax passes
A bill to lower the state’s real estate transfer tax will go to the House of Representatives passed a committee Wednesday. Two Republican bills designed to take advantage of Delaware’s flush revenues found different fates Wednesday in the House Revenue and Finance Committee, with one failing to gain traction and the other earning unanimous support. The first was House Bill …
Dems retaliate for Republican no votes by adjourning before GOP bills hit House floor
After Republican members of Delaware’s House of Representatives voted Thursday against a bill that would allow people to vote absentee for any reason, the Democratic leadership responded by ending the session before three Republican bills came to the House floor. “Those bills were not considered because of and in retribution for the Republican vote against House Bill 75,” said …