General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., March 25, 2026
A productive day in Dover, but with work on the bill I was most interested in left undone. The bill? This one. The bill ‘prohibits the State, a unit of local government, or any agency, officer, employee, or agent thereof, from doing the following with respect to a detention facility owned, managed, or operated by a private entity: (1) Enter into an agreement of any kind for the detention of an individual with; (2) Pay, reimburse, subsidize, or defray in any way any cost related to the sale, purchase, construction, development, ownership, management, or operation of; (3) Receive per diem, per detainee, or any other payment related to the detention of an individual in; (4) Give any financial incentive or benefit to any private entity or person in connection with the sale, purchase, construction, development, ownership, management, or operation of.’
I wasn’t following the session yesterday, so I’d appreciate a report on what happened here.
Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.
The Senate was in and out in less than an hour, as it passed three non-controversial bills and adjourned.
Lotsa committee meetings today. Today’s House Committee highlights:
HB 322 (Gorman) ‘permits employees of, or security personnel working for, a health-care, medical, or dental facility, to take any person presenting a security or safety risk at such premises into custody and detain the person in a reasonable manner on the premises for a reasonable time, for the purpose of summoning a law-enforcement officer.’ Just curious–did a particular incident inspire this bill? Judiciary.
HB 324 (Neal) ‘requires tattoo parlors to post signs raising awareness about human trafficking’. OK, I’ll bite–uh, why? Health & Human Development.
Section 1 of this Act prohibits Department of Finance employees from disclosing any information about the citizenship or immigration status of any person that is contained in a tax return, tax document, or Department of Finance document, without Attorney General approval or court order associated with a felony criminal investigation or as otherwise provided by law. It also makes such disclosure a misdemeanor.
Section 2 of this Act prohibits the Department of Labor employees from disclosing information about the citizenship or immigration status of any person that is contained in or attached to any Department of Labor document or database without Attorney General approval or court order associated with a felony criminal investigation or as otherwise provided by law. It also makes such disclosure a misdemeanor.
Great bill. I like how Delaware continues to fight back against the darkest demands of Trump and his flunkies. Revenue & Finance.
HB 310 (Heffernan) ‘excludes large energy use facilities from the definition of a qualified facility for purposes of determining eligibility for a tax credit or license fee reduction for the creation of employment and qualified investment in business facilities.’ Good bill. Does this mean that the quasi-governmental body that gifts public dollars to private businesses can’t do that for the companies specified in the bill? Revenue & Finance.
We have a couple of Rethug ‘education’ bills, ‘brochure bills’ basically, that look to straitjacket public school tax rates. HB 245 (Michael Smith) and HB 246 (Shupe), for those of you into collecting Rethug brochure bills.
HB 234 (Burns) is the first leg of a constitutional amendment that ‘would establish a fundamental right for all employees to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work.’ Administration.
Today’s Senate Committee highlights:
SB 262 (Hoffner) ‘makes it unlawful to manufacture, distribute, sell, offer to sell, or possess with intent to sell a Kratom Product. The Act creates a new § 4761C, which makes manufacturing, processing, packaging, labeling, selling, delivering, distributing, offering, or sale, or possession with intent to sell, deliver, or distribute Kratom Products unlawful…’ Health & Social Services.
SB 219 (Buckson) ‘phases in, over 3 years, an increased exemption for military pensions from state income taxation, regardless of age, which is currently $12,500, so that in taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2029, the exemption will be $25,000 for all military pensioners.’ Executive.
SB 192 (Walsh) ‘imposes certain requirements upon a public utility if it intends to relocate a call center outside the service territory of the public utility or contract call center work outside of the service territory of the public utility. The requirements include providing notice to the Public Service Commission, current and prospective employees at the call center, and the union leadership of any current or prospective employees at the call center. Elections & Government Affairs.
Today’s Senate Agenda looks every bit as non-controversial as yesterday’s Senate Agenda. It concludes with votes on several nominations and renominations.
I’m concluding early. Real early. As in Tuesday night. Have to run an early morning mission today.
