Legislative Report: Week of 3/6/2023
Delaware’s legislature goes back into session this week after a 5-week break for budget hearings. The House will vote on HB 1 on Tuesday, which would legalize recreational cannabis for those 21 and older. House and Senate committees will meet this week as well.
Bills In Committee This Week
For the sake of length and clarity, we will only be sharing notable bills in these reports. Click on the committee name under the Committee Meeting Info column for a link to the meeting agenda, in-person or virtual public comment info, and livestream link.
You can also check here for the full list of committee meetings and click “view” next to each meeting for the full agenda and additional information.
| Bill # | Sponsor | Summary/Description | Committee Meeting Info | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB 41 | Briggs King | Right to Repair bill that would require electronics manufacturers make parts and repair manuals available to the public. HA1 inserts language excluding motor vehicle manufacturers, manufacturers of motor vehicle equipment, and motor vehicle dealers from the bill. | House Economic Development Committee | Tuesday, 3/7/23 | 12:30pm |
| SB 58 | McBride | Removes copays from DHSS offices for families up to 200% of the poverty line and reimburses purchase of care providers for 15 absent days per child per month. This codifies a COVID era policy shift that got rid of copays for families in need. | Senate Health Committee | Wednesday,3/8/23 | 10am |
| SB 33 | Gay | Reduces DFS caseloads from 18 to 12 families per worker. Seems good in theory, but could be questions about how they'll be able to cover cases when they are already short of caseworkers. | Senate Judiciary Committee | Wednesday,3/8/23 | 2pm |
New Bills Introduced
| Bill # | Sponsor | Summary/Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB 4 | Pinkney | This criminal justice reform bill would comprehensively reform Delaware’s probation system. |
| HB 80 | Minor-Brown | Requires Medicaid to cover birth doulas. |
| HB 62 | Wilson-Anton | Requires that each county conduct property tax reassessments at least once every 5 years. |
| SB 52 | Pinkney | Updates the sterile needle/syringe exchange program to eliminate the 1-for-1 exchange, and instead provide sterile needles/syringes to those who need them. |
| HB 59 | Shupe | Enables people who don't have a central water provider and who meet income eligibility standards to receive water purification systems. |
| SB 44 | Brown | Creates the Office of New Americans to assist new Americans who come to Delaware. Would be good to add immigrant representation to the advisory board membership, however. |
| SB 45 | Brown | Expands the rights of workers to collect unemployment in a lockout if the boss was responsible for breaking an agreement or hires replacements |
| HB 67 | Shupe | Exempts the realty transfer tax if you buy a second house in less than a year |