Leg Hall

Early House leadership discourse is conciliatory as liberal politics takes further hold

Bradley VasoliHeadlines, Government, Government & Politics

By Bradley Vasoli Liberal politics are on a steady march in the Delaware House of Representatives. The shift reached a milestone in September when progressive Kamela Smith defeated Speaker Valerie Longhurst (D-Bear) in their state House primary. The trend continued with the Democrats boosting their chamber majority by one seat in the general election earlier this month. And the leftward …

Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner

Giltner sworn in as sole Republican woman in Assembly

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

Safety and security on many fronts will be some of the main issues that Valerie Jones Giltner, R-Georgetown, will be paying attention to during her first session of the Delaware General Assembly. Giltner, who was sworn in Tuesday as the Delaware General Assembly’s sole Republican woman, won a special election in December to replace Ruth Briggs King. She resigned before …

Legislative hall livestreaming

2022 Rewind: Legislative Hall expansion far from a done deal

Charlie MegginsonHeadlines, Government

This story was originally published in August 2022. A committee assembled to draft plans for a potential expansion of Delaware’s state capitol building spent much of its Thursday meeting reiterating the tentative nature of its work.  The committee was established after the General Assembly unanimously voted in 2021 to study and recommend a plan to address Legislative Hall’s technological, security …

Legislative hall livestreaming

Legislative Hall expansion far from a done deal

Charlie MegginsonHeadlines, Government

A committee assembled to draft plans for a potential expansion of Delaware’s state capitol building spent much of its Thursday meeting reiterating the tentative nature of its work.  The committee was established after the General Assembly unanimously voted in 2021 to study and recommend a plan to address Legislative Hall’s technological, security and space needs. The group appears to have …

Gun Debate

House committee OKs semi-automatic, under 21 purchase ban

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Bills to ban semi-automatic firearms and restrict the purchase of guns by Delawareans 21 and older were released from a House committee Wednesday and will advance to the House floor for a vote. The hearing attracted a crowd of well over 100 concerned citizens on both sides of the issue, many of whom filled lawmakers’ seats in the House chamber. …

Medical

Medical privacy bill threatens parental rights, GOP reps say

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

All 15 Republican state representatives have taken a stand against a bill they say is designed to usurp parental authority. House Bill 400, sponsored by Rep. Krista Griffith, D-Fairfax, would allow dependents on insurance policies – adults and children – to receive “confidential sensitive health care services” without notifying the policyholder. The bill has been dubbed the “Delaware Patient Privacy …

Legislative Hall to reopen to the public

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The leaders of the Delaware House of Representatives and Senate plan to open Legislative Hall to the public effective immediately, they said during a committee meeting Thursday. Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf and Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Dave Sokola plan to announce the building’s opening later Thursday or Friday.  “My intent is open to building up, get …

GOP legislators file bill to ban transgender girls on women’s teams

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines, Sports

Two Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to prohibit Delaware students from playing on sports teams that do not correspond with the gender they were assigned at birth. Senate Bill 227, sponsored by Sen. Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford, and Rep. Tim Dukes, R-Laurel, would require students to play according to the biological gender indicated on their birth certificate or other government record …

Republican lawmakers to Carney: ‘End the mandates, restore normality’

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Twelve Republican state representatives on Tuesday sent an open letter to Gov. John Carney asking that he reconsider mask mandates in state buildings and schools and stop advocating for COVID-19 booster shots. They encouraged the Democratic governor to promptly end all pandemic-related restrictions, return state workers to their normal places of employment, and “restore normality” for all Delawareans. The legislators …

Republicans give Carney’s $5 billion budget proposal a C+

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Left to right: Senate Minority Leader Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View, Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, House Minority Whip Tim Dukes, R-Laurel, Rep. Ruth Briggs King, R-Georgetown. House and Senate Republicans are generally pleased with Gov. John Carney’s $5 billion proposed state budget but argue more should be done to return money to taxpayers given the state’s rosy economic outlook. …