A law that would put Delaware in a class with seven other states offering a unique burial method passed the Senate Thursday. House Bill 162, sponsored by Rep. Sean Lynn, D-Dover, opens the doors for cemeteries to begin offering increasingly-popular natural organic reduction after death. Natural organic reduction is the gentle, respectful process that accelerates the decomposition of human remains …
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 …
A proposed law in Delaware would provide free breakfast and lunch to all students â with a price tag of $120 million over the next three years â moves on after debate. House Bill 125, sponsored by Rep. Sheraeâa Moore, D-Middletown, sparked a healthy discussion in the House Education Committee meeting Wednesday. The bill points out that during the pandemic, …
A task force charged with updating the stateâs definition of âfirearmâ plans to take one more look next week at the new proposed language. If approved, a bill would be introduced this year proposing the change. One reason for a new definition is because Delaware has a uniquely general and large definition of a âfirearm,â in which any device that …
Education â what one legislator called the most important investment by the state â consumed Wednesdayâs Joint Finance Committee hearing for a category that makes up about one-third of the stateâs $6 billion budget. Appearing in the morning before the committee that decided how and where the stateâs budget will be spent was The Redding Consortium and the Wilmington Learning …
This story has been updated to correct tax and licensing information. Marijuana â and the implications of its legalization in Delaware on certain state agencies â was part of the discussion in Wednesdayâs Joint Finance Committee hearings. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security is set to receive a little over $5 million of the total request is specifically in …
Itâs 8 oâclock somewhere! Thatâs what state senator Laura Sturgeon, D-Hockessin, said with exuberance after a law expanding the hours of alcohol sales in Delaware garnered approval from her fellow legislators. House Bill 235, sponsored by Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, allows any individual or business with an alcoholic liquor license to sell at 8 a.m., an hour earlier than …
Delawareâs 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 â made of …
A law establishing a statewide program that provides advocates to students and families facing educational inequity drew discussion in the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. House Bill 188, sponsored by Rep. Sheraeâa Moore, D-Middletown, codifies the Equity Ombudsman program, which provides non-lawyer advocates to assist families. âIn 2018 there was litigation against the state ⊠brought by the NAACP and …
The most recent plan to attract teachers to Delaware schools was applauded in the Senate Education Committee Wednesday. House Bill 138, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, D-Marshallton and chair of the House Education Committee, addresses the ongoing national teacher shortage. The legislation establishes a new tool to recruit and retain educators through an apprenticeship pilot program. This model will build …
