Delaware lawmakers talk priorities ahead of second leg of legislative session
DELAWARE – “It’s the second leg of it. The first leg when you come in January is a blank slate. There are bill now that have been worked on already and ready to be voted on. There are also tons of ideas in the pipeline,” Sen. Townsend said.
Delaware lawmakers are now gearing up for the second leg of the 152nd legislative session starting January 9th.
Representative Bryan Shupe said wins in education reform were a big highlight in 2023. He told 47ABC he’s keeping his eyes in that area as he’s the primary sponsor of a bill that will support children who are attending single-digit proficiency schools. “It would allow them to have an education passport to allow them to go to any other school within their county at the expense of the state and also to private school if they choose to do so,” Rep. Shupe said.
Rep. Shupe is also working on legislation that would allow schools to decide what kind of funding they would like to use when it comes to construction and rehabilitation of school buildings. He anticipates more discussion on getting school resources officers throughout every school in Delaware.
Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend said his caucus was happy to see Senate Bill 1 make to the finish line which establishes the right to representation for Delawareans facing eviction or other legal proceedings. He told us they’re now focused of a variety of issues that include the buildup educator salaries, additional housing support, criminal justice reform. “If you’re out on terms of probation and trying to work and get back on your feet, the system should be set up to help you succeed in that endeavor and it shouldn’t be a game of gotcha,” Sen. Townsend said.
Senator Townsend also praised the passing of several environmental bills including the preservation of Cape Henlopen State Park.
Lawmakers also anticipate marijuana legalization to be a hot button issue which was passed last year without Governor John Carney’s signature. That’s anticipated to hit retail stores by the fall. “There’s a lot of things that hat are going to have to be looked at including where it can be sold, who it can be sold to. That can be changed within municipalities,” Rep. Shupe said.
Senator Townsend said the legalization efforts have also sparked a renewed interest on working on some of the medical marijuana framework that had been put on pause.
Representative Shupe tells us the federal government’s projected revenue loss will make things difficult for lawmakers without increasing taxes. He said his plan to tackle that is by lowering personal income taxes.
Governor Carney will also be giving his final state of the state speech. That will set his agenda out for the final six months of session under his governorship.
