Weekly Report: 5/6/2024
The legislature is back in session again for three weeks before heading into budget markup in late May. We are now under two months away from the end of this session, so this is officially crunch time for important legislation. However, this week we don’t have as many explicit WFP priorities apart from one.
The Service Worker Protection Action, SB233, will be in the House Labor Committee. This would be a major advancement in protections for building workers like janitors and security guards, requiring that when a building changes owners, the workers are guaranteed a certain level of security. For a group of workers who are too often set aside when corporate real estate changes hands, this would be an absolute lifesaver.
Make Your Voice Heard
See below for some of the most notable bills in committee this week and how to give public comment. For length and clarity, we are only putting bills that need the most public input below. Bills in green are bills we generally support, bills in red are bills we generally oppose, and bills in yellow are neutral or unknown.
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.
Bills coming up the week of 5/6/24:
| Bill # | Sponsor | Summary/Description | Committee Meeting Info | Give Public Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB 233 | Walsh | Provides protections for service employees during changes of ownership. Requires providing notice to affected service employees before terminating a contract, alerting them of who the new awardee is and what their rights are. Requires the retention of employees under the new contractor for a 90 day transition period and that the new employer provides an offer of employment. This is a huge priority for our SEIU workers in Delaware. | House Labor Tuesday, 5/7 at 12:30 PM |
In person: House Majority Hearing Room 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Virtual: Register for meeting |
| HB 382 | Heffernan | Requires public school students to receive vision screenings in K-12 at appropriate intervals. | House Education Wednesday, 5/8 at 3:00 PM |
In person: House Chamber 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Virtual: Register for meeting |
| HB 313 | Neal | Ensures that all female inmates in DDOC custody, at level IV or V, receive annual or biennial screening mammograms as recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force | Senate Health Wednesday, 5/8 at 10:00 AM |
In person: Senate Chamber 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Virtual: Register for meeting |
Knock Doors for Monica Shockley Porter
One of our most important races of the cycle is Monica Shockley Porter, who is running against a corporate Democrat in the 29th district. Stretching from Smyrna and Clayton down west of Dover, this is a diversifying working and middle class district that has been trending left for the last several years and deserves a candidate like Monica who is committed to helping all Delawareans.
We’ll be having our first canvass for Monica this Saturday, May 11th at 11am. This will be our first canvassing event hosted after our launch, so we would love to see as many people there as possible! There will be water and snacks, and we will be training and pairing up canvassers so you can join whether you're experienced or just canvassing for the first time.
We’ll have lots of other opportunities to support our endorsed candidates over the coming weeks and months, so make sure to keep an eye out.