tunnel

State committee endorses pricey, private garage tunnel

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

A state building committee voted Friday to build a private tunnel from a planned parking deck into Legislative Hall to allow elected officials to safely walk from secured parking spots into the building without interaction with the public. Right now, the legislators park in marked parking spots with their names clearly marked on them around the capital building. The tunnel …

inspector

Bipartisan bill would see Inspector General at work by 2025

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

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 …

School safety, and competing resolutions that would create task forces to improve it, sparked debate in the Senate Tuesday.

2 senators battle over dueling school safety resolutions

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Government

On the day Gov. John Carney preached the impact of working together in his State of the State address, the Senate watched a tense interaction divided by party lines that one legislator called “childish behavior.” The interaction between Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Dover, and Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark/Glasgow, and their similar education task force resolutions were enough to cause comment from …

senators hecklers Gov. John Carney State of the State

GOP senators: Hecklers, smirking legislators ’embarrassment’

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

Republican senators said Tuesday they were disappointed at the hecklers interrupting Gov. John Carney’s last State of the State speech  — and even more disappointed in the members of the legislature smirking during the heckling. A video shows the first heckler, a woman in the gallery wearing a pink hajib, start shouting and asking for a moment of silence. As …

teacher sick leave

Bill giving teachers 1-for-1 sick day donation heads to House

Jarek RutzGovernment, Headlines

A buy-one-get-two deal is a bargain at a grocery store, but not so ideal for teachers looking to exchange days off.  A new law could even the scales. Senate Bill 20, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, removes the requirement that a public school district employee who donates leave to another employee must donate two days of leave …

victims

Victims’ rights task force given dozens of updating ideas

Katie KazimirGovernment, Headlines

Making sure crime victims have access to police body camera footage is one of the recommendations made Monday for revising Delaware’s Victims’ Bill of Rights. Other recommendations include an amendment to allow people to submit an impact statement during sentencing whether or not they make a statement during an investigation; eliminating the current $6 million rollover cap on compensation fund; …

victims

Victims’ Rights task force to hear updating, funding ideas

Katie KazimirGovernment, Headlines

A task evaluating the Delaware’s Victims’ Bill of Rights for the first time since it was established in 1992 will hear recommendations about how to improve it Monday, Feb. 12. The current document is an unwieldy, jumbled mess because of all the hands that have been in the code since then, said Scott Goss, communications director for the Senate Democrats. …

The proposed Bill of Rights would help protect and assist the nearly 130,000 student loan borrowers in Delaware. (Photo by designer491/Getty Images)

Student loan borrowers could get Bill of Rights

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Government

Laws that would establish a Bill of Rights for student loan borrowers and adjust the transfer of leave days for educators garnered support in a Senate Education Committee hearing Wednesday.  Senate Bill 132, sponsored by Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington, would make Delaware the 19th state to have a Bill of Rights for student loan burrowers.  Of the 18 states who …

Rep. Mike Smith's bill would establish the Office of Legislative Ethics for the General Assembly.

Republicans push bill to allow Delawareans to file ethics complaints

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Government

A proposed law that intends to hold state legislators accountable for unethical behavior was showcased in the second of a series of press conferences each Wednesday by the Republican Party. House Bill 261, sponsored by Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, would establish the Office of Legislative Ethics for the General Assembly to ensure that valid allegations of wrongdoing by state …

The PECC has been working over the past year on recommendations for pay adjustments for Delaware educators.

Educator pay raise proposals to get joint hearing Jan. 11

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

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 …