Case workers for the Division of Family Services could soon be getting a reduced workload. The Delaware Senate voted Tuesday to approve a recommendation made by the Child Protection Accountability Commission to drop the number of families that case workers follow from 18 to 12. Senate Bill 33, sponsored by Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Arden, would act on the commission’s …
General Assembly passes largest bond bill in history
The Delaware Senate on Wednesday voted to pass the largest bond bill in state history, weighing in at a whopping $1.4 billion. The House of Representatives passed the spending package unanimously Tuesday afternoon. The bill allocates $1.4 billion toward roadway enhancements, school construction, courthouse expansion, state building renovations, library upgrades, state park improvements and clean water investments. “For the second …
Senate votes to ban styrofoam to-go boxes, cups
The Delaware Senate on Thursday passed a bill to effectively ban restaurants from offering single-use plastic straws and styrofoam food and beverage containers. Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 134, sponsored by Sen. Trey Paradee, D-Dover, also prohibits food establishments from providing customers with plastic coffee stirrers, cocktail picks and sandwich picks. Under the bill, food establishments would only be …
Fort DuPont bill raises questions about transparency
The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that will put Sen. Nicole Poore on the board of directors of the Fort DuPont Redevelopment and Preservation Corp. Poore – who represents Delaware City, where Fort DuPont is located – also serves as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Capital Improvements, commonly referred to as the Bond Committee. The Bond …
3 bills filed to protect students from sexual predators
Photo/Pixabay In response to recent cases of sexual misconduct by faculty and staff in Delaware schools, state lawmakers filed three bills Monday to keep students safe from sexual predators. A virtual press conference was held Monday where several legislators, Attorney General Kathy Jennings and representatives from the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children spoke about the need for …
State grants for non-profits now require formal application
The General Assembly’s budget-writing committee has launched a formal application process for non-profit community groups seeking capital grants through the Community Reinvestment Fund. The lack of a formal application process last year ignited debate amongst legislators, some of whom said the process lacked transparency, resulting in gentlemen’s agreements and pork-barrel spending. The Community Reinvestment Fund is a capital grant program …
Wells among concerns at first clean water committee hearing
A new committee focused on improving water quality in Delaware offered a glimpse into some of the projects it hopes to tackle during the first of three public meetings Tuesday. The Delaware Clean Water Trust Oversight Committee has a broad list of objectives, including improving flood resilience, repairing failing sewer pipes, improving drinking water quality, removing pollution from Delaware’s waterways …
Darius Brown follows other legislators into job partly funded by state
State Sen. Darius Brown State Sen. Darius Brown seems to be the latest in a line of Delaware legislators who take jobs with organizations that receive state funds voted on by the General Assembly. Brown, D-Wilmington, has been hired as executive director of a group focused on reducing recidivism in Wilmington. He is expected to go to trial in …