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 …
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 …
Two laws restricting the presence of guns in school zones and election polling places passed the House and are headed to a Senate committee for debate. House Bill 201, sponsored by Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, aims to enable a police officer to act immediately when they see or suspect a person with a gun in …
Two Republican bills that would stop DNREC from implementing an unpopular electric vehicle mandate failed in House and Senate committees. Senate Bill 96, sponsored by Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, would forbid the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control DNREC from making any rules or regulations that would restrict the sale of gas-powered vehicles. House Bill 123, sponsored by …
Three bills unanimously flew through the Delaware House of Representatives Tuesday. The first one, House Bill 83, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, D-Marshallton, requires every public school to provide kindergarten students an oral health screening by the last day of each school year. “Oral health care is so vital for our children’s health, not just physically but mentally and socially,” …
A bill that would create a special license plate for the Delaware State Police to celebrate the division’s 100th anniversary was sent to the House floor Wednesday. House Bill 100, deliberately named for the anniversary, unanimously passed the House Administration Committee. The plates would be granted only to active Delaware State Police officers at the discretion of the Col. Melissa …
Calls to consider means testing before granting veteran and senior housing tax breaks shocked a legislative committee last month. Delaware’s secretary of finance doesn’t think an income-based means test for property tax breaks is likely. Even so, Rick Geisenberger did say that a means test based on property values not only could happen, but should. “Seniors get a lot of …
Generally praising Delaware’s investments in early childhood education, a state panel also said “a tremendous number” of underserved children don’t have access to it because of a lack of teachers and the cost of childcare. That puts them at a disadvantage when they go to kindergarten, said the final report from the Delaware Early Childhood Advisory Committee. The teacher shortage …
As the Delaware General Assembly prepares to reconvene Tuesday for the start of its 152nd session, livestreaming of meetings seems set to stay. Nobody seems sure yet whether members of the House or Senate will be able to continue to vote remotely. After fighting the livestreaming of meetings for years, the General Assembly started doing that when the COVID-19 …
This story was originally published in October 2022 A suburban New Castle County race for state House is turning into one of most hotly-contested battles of this year’s general election. Incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Ramone, who has been in office since 2009, faces Democrat Dr. Frank Burns for the South Pike Creek seat — one of the last held by Republicans in the …
