Welcome to The Press Room, a semi-regular weekly roundup of the major stories and happenings of the 2023 Delaware legislative year.
This week’s edition focuses on a new package of long-term care bills, the final month of this year’s legislative session and continued speculation about 2024.
As always, send story tips, feedback, ideas or gossip to me at mnewman@delawareonline.com.
Follow me on Twitter at @MereNewman.
Can lawmakers improve dementia care in Delaware?
Lawmakers last week introduced a package of bills aimed to better regulate long-term care facilities, particularly those that offer dementia care.
The bills were a product of the legislative long-term care task force, which concluded in late May. Unlike nursing homes, assisted living facilities (many of which offer dementia care) are solely regulated by the state.
A Delaware Online/News Journal investigation previously found that Delaware’s Division of Health Care Quality struggles to provide oversight of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The package includes:
- SB 150: Defines dementia care in state code. It would also require facilities providing dementia care to have “a sufficient number of dedicated staff to meet the individual needs of each resident.” The bill doesn’t provide specific numbers. All staff working with these residents would be required to complete “12 hours of initial dementia care services training.”
- SB 151: Require facilities that market dementia care services to complete a “written notice” which would, among several things, show it is certified to provide dementia care.
- HB 199: Gives the health department the authority to have oversight of temporary staffing agencies, which many facilities have relied on since the onset of the pandemic. The agencies would be required to show that the nurses they employ are qualified, as well as report to the health department annually, particularly on “employee placements, costs charged to long-term care facilities and wages paid to temporary nurses.”
The General Assembly enters the final month of this year’s session
The Delaware legislature is officially less than a month away until the end of the first year of the session. This means lawmakers are going to try to push their bills and priorities before June 30.
Here’s what bills I’m keeping my eye on:
The budget + bond bill: These are the two most important legislative priorities for the Delaware General Assembly. The budget focuses on funding agencies and state employees’ salaries, among other things. The bond bill revolves around construction projects and infrastructure improvements in Delaware.
Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 2: The only major gun bill of the year (so far), this legislation would require Delawareans to complete a firearm training course in the last five years in order to purchase a handgun. Current and retired law enforcement officers and those allowed to carry a concealed deadly weapon, since these groups have already been required to take a firearm course.
The bill passed in the Senate in May, but it’s yet to be heard in the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee. Previous versions of this legislation have stalled in the House.
Mental health bills: House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst in April led the introduction of a slew of bills that would help teens in crisis, particularly by funding more mental health professionals in high schools and allowing students three excused absences for mental health reasons. A majority of the bills are still making their way through various committees.
Climate change bills: Similarly, the bills a part of the ambitious climate change package introduced, last month, are also in the early stages of the legislative process. The primary bill looks to reduce greenhouse gas net emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach a 100% net reduction by 2050.
2024 speculation continues
When I spoke with Democratic campaign consultants, organizers and party observers, many reiterated the same thought about the 2024 election: The idea of Delaware politicians “waiting their turn” is ending.
“These new people are like, I’m not waiting, I’m running. This is why I think I’m the right person. And the voters will decide,” Erik Raser-Schramm, the former state Democratic Party chair, told me.
For years, Raser-Schramm said, the state Democratic Party was an “incumbency protection machine.” The election will likely feature several competitive primaries.
DELAWARE POLITICS:Delaware Democrats eye a ‘generational shift’ in 2024 in wake of Tom Carper’s retirement
A number of these young Democrats have been backed by the Delaware Working Families Party. Many of its progressive candidates have primaried and defeated established Democrats in the General Assembly.
This upcoming election will be a big test to see if the party can help elect a progressive Delaware Democrat into Congress.
While no one, as of now, has publicly announced: Eugene Young, director of the Delaware State Housing Authority, announced his intention to run for U.S. House of Representatives if U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester decides to run for U.S. Senate.
Politico reported that Blunt Rochester is expected to launch her Senate campaign this month. When she does, it will likely open the floodgates of announcements throughout Delaware.
