Editor’s note: This report has been updated to reflect that Medicaid is not overseen by Public Health The Delaware Division of Public Health wants a 2025 budget of $167.4 million, but about $3.5 million of that is not in the governor’s recommended budget. That puzzled the chair of the state Joint Finance Committee, which writes the state budget. It’s in …
Educator pay raise proposals to get joint hearing Jan. 11
Delaware’s General Assembly will have its first public look and discussion about proposed educator pay raise recommendations next week. At 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, the House and Senate education committees will come together to listen to a presentation on the final report from the Public Education Compensation Committee. Watch the meeting here. The 15-person compensation committee – made of …
Democrats may elect a new speaker, GOP reps believe
A few Republicans have heard there’s a possibility that Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, plans on stepping down by the end of the week. Rep. Kevin Hensley, R-Odessa, said during a Zoom meeting with the Delaware GOP that there is speculation that a new speaker will be elected by Friday. “So the speculation, just keep in …
Paid leave hasn’t started, but changes already suggested
Proposed laws shifting who deals with appeals to the state’s new paid leave program, which starts in 2026 drew little comment in Wednesday’s Senate Health and Social Services Committee meeting. Senate Bill 178, sponsored by Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington and committee chair, makes technical changes to private plans under the Family and Medical Leave Program. The new program requires Delaware …
Morrison again calls for senior tax break means testing
Seniors in Delaware may save an additional $350 in school property taxes next year under a bill that drew lots of discussion in the House Education Committee Wednesday. House Bill 29, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Hensley, R-Odessa, increases the Senior Real Property Tax credit to $750 from $400. That’s will counter a raise put in place by the Appropriations Bill …
3 property tax bills up for hearing Wednesday
Three bills that would raise real estate tax credits are on the docket for the Delaware House of Representatives Education Committee. With the state now projected to have a surplus of nearly $1 billion – the third year in a row for such extraordinary income – a Democrat and a Republic representative are moving to give older residents a bigger …
Town Square LIVE Weekly Review – September 22, 2022
Click on the image below to view the PDF This Week’s Top Headlines Include: Community Wilmington launches police cadet apprenticeship Food Beach’s iconic Summer House sold to Nalu’s owner Government Will this Republican in solid blue district win again? Mail-in voting ruling on hold pending Supreme Court appeal Is DeSantis sending immigrants to Sussex County? Wilmington gun violence report: Pay …
Will this Republican in solid blue district win again?
Delaware’s 9th Representative District is one of New Castle County’s last remaining Republican holdouts, and Democrat Terrell Williams, an attorney, hopes to flip the seat blue in Delaware’s Nov. 8 general election. Rep. Kevin Hensley, a Republican, has represented the district where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two-to-one since 2015. The district runs along the Delaware Bayshore from the Chesapeake …
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 …