Hospitals deal hospital

Hospital bill passes Senate on party lines, heads back to House

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

The bill to create a Delaware hospital budget review board, as expected, passed the Senate today after nearly one hour of comments by Republicans opposed to the state stepping into private businesses. House Bill 350 will now return to the House, which must vote on a Senate amendment that changed several points in the original bill. If it passes there, …

primary

Delaware won’t have a presidential primary this year.

Katie KazimirHeadlines, Government

A bill to eliminate the 2024 Delaware presidential primary on Tuesday passed both the House and Senate with little opposition and was signed into law by Gov. John Carney, all in a matter of hours. Since Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the sole candidates for their parties, there was no need for a primary, said Senate Bill 241 sponsor …

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 …

Housing and homelessness

Hearing on housing, homeless leads to promise of attention

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

A joint legislative hearing held by Delaware Senate and Housing committees Wednesday started picking threads out of the tangled wad of factors affecting affordable housing and homelessness in Delaware. The convening of the joint session was clearly a shot across the bow of the state political ship and a forerunner to more state, local and community action on the topics. …

8 bills are ready to be signed into law after passing through the Senate Thursday.

8 bills pass Senate, ready to become Delaware law

Jarek RutzGovernment, Headlines

Eight bills were discussed and passed through the Senate Thursday and are heading to Gov. John Carney’s desk for signature in what is the last week of the legislative session. Here’s what is set to become law: House Bill 65, also sponsored by  Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred South, provides state employees who suffer a miscarriage, stillbirth or other loss, …

Doctor in healthcare

Benefits subcommittees examine rising costs of health care

Sam HautGovernment, Headlines

Two state health subcommittees focused Monday on the rising cost and utilization of health care. Those costs are the basis of predictions about how many healthcare services employees and retirees will use and are used to determine insurance premiums and more. At a joint SEBC Financial and Health Policy & Planning Subcommittee meeting Monday,  Chris Giovannello of Willis Towers Watson …