Welcome to The Press Room, a weekly roundup of the major stories and happenings of the 2023 Delaware legislative year.
My name is Meredith Newman and I’ve been a reporter with The News Journal for more than 5 years. I began covering the legislature last spring. The hope of this roundup is to give Delawareans digestible information about legislation and how policy could affect their everyday lives. I also hope to give some behind-the-scenes insights and analysis.
This format will evolve as the session wades on. Send story tips, feedback, ideas or good gossip to me at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow me on Twitter at @MereNewman.
This week’s roundup includes what you might have missed from the State of the State, the ongoing fight to legalize marijuana, a task force focusing on long-term care and why retirees are upset with a bill passed by the Senate.
The state of the State of the State
Gov. John Carney gave his sixth State of the State address this week, in which he laid out his priorities for the upcoming year. Education appears to be a major focus for both the governor and lawmakers.
Here are the most noteworthy things from the speech:
- Carney’s budget recommendation will include a 9% pay increase for teachers, many of whom are leaving the state due to burnout or higher pay elsewhere.
- Opportunity funding, which goes to low-income students and English learners at Delaware public schools, will increase to more than $50 million. More state money will go toward early childhood education.
- More affordable housing investments will be announced in his budget presentation. There will be a focus on rehabilitating blighted homes in Wilmington’s East Side.
- Federal funding will go to building an infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles.
READ THE COVERAGE:Here are 5 takeaways from Delaware Gov. John Carney’s 2023 State of the State address
Puff, puff … could recreational marijuana finally pass?
House lawmakers introduced two bills Friday to legalize and create a recreational marijuana industry in Delaware, setting up a likely fight within the Democratic Party this legislative session.
The fight to legalize recreational marijuana has been going on for a decade now, with efforts reaching a climax last year. The General Assembly passed a bill to legalize one ounce or less of weed for people ages 21 and older – but it was then vetoed by Carney. Democrats failed to overturn it.
HERE WE GO AGAIN:Could this be the year Delaware legalizes recreational marijuana? What you need to know
The strategy, once again led by Rep. Ed Osienski of Newark, remains the same. One bill aims to legalize small amounts of recreational marijuana for personal use and another seeks to create and regulate the industry.
The regulation bill will be heard in the House Revenue & Finance Committee at noon Tuesday. The legalization bill will be heard at the House Health & Human Development Committee at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
An important task force you will want to keep an eye on
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic showed how understaffed nursing homes and assisted living facilities are in Delaware. Recent state numbers showed that residents in assisted living facilities now outnumber those in nursing homes.
Unlike nursing homes, there are no regulations for specific staffing ratios for Delaware assisted living facilities. Last session, a bill was introduced to create ratios for these facilities. But that legislation was dropped and this taskforce was created instead.
Many Delaware caregivers have expressed serious concern about the state of dementia care in Delaware, particularly in assisted living facilities. They are imploring the state to update regulations to require better training and care for these vulnerable residents.
The group, which mostly consists of lawmakers and people from the healthcare industry, has been meeting for a few months now. The next meeting is 2 p.m. Friday. To listen in or share your own experience, here’s the meeting link.
‘We might be old but we’re not stupid’
The Senate passed a bill this week that has caught the ire of many state retirees.
This summer, state retirees fought back against Delaware’s plan to change their insurance to a Medicare Advantage plan. Many feared they would be forced to sign up for health insurance that could deny or delay care.
Retirees filed a lawsuit and a judge temporarily blocked the change. A trial is pending. It resulted in state retirees keeping their current health care plan in 2023.
BACKGROUND:Judge temporarily blocks Delaware from changing state retirees’ health care plan
The Senate bill adds a state retiree and a union representative to the State Employee Benefits Committee, which initially made the decision to change insurance plans. It also creates a subcommittee (that includes retirees) to provide recommendations by May 1 on how to move forward.
But retirees are not happy with this. Karen Peterson, a former state senator who was a plaintiff in the lawsuit, succinctly articulated retirees’ concerns during public comment this week:
“The subcommittee created by this bill is loaded with the people who are hell-bent on shoving Medicare Advantage down our throats. It’s the same cast of characters as last year. So we know what their recommendation is going to be. But this way you can all pat yourselves on the back, and say: ‘There we fixed that. These old folks want a seat at the table, so we gave them a seat at the table.’ But actually, it’s more like a couple of deck chairs on the Titanic.
“We might be old but we’re not stupid. This bill attempts to placate us, to keep us busy, to distract us, while this administration works to ram Medicare Advantage through yet again. In my opinion, a vote for this bill is a vote against state retirees.”
The bill passed with large bipartisan support in the Senate. It will be heard in the House Administration committee at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
What else to look for this week
- The governor will present his recommended budget on Thursday, showing in better detail what his financial priorities are for fiscal year 2024.
- The Senate health committee will have a meeting on Tuesday focused on the lead poisoning issue in schools, which my colleague Amanda Fries has extensively reported on.
- The House overwhelmingly passed legislation last week increasing the maximum unemployment weekly benefits from $400 to $450. It will be heard on the Senate Labor committee on Wednesday, with a possible vote this week. The state, as of now, has the lowest unemployment benefits in the region.
