Tag: Delaware Legislature

Delaware lawmakers elect first female House speaker and wrap up session with flurry of bills

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Delaware lawmakers wrapped up this year's legislative session on Friday with a flurry of votes and the election of the first female House speaker in state history. House members chose Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst to succeed fellow Democrat Pete Schwartzkopf as speaker. Schwartzkopf told lawmakers he is stepping down from the leadership post after 11 years to spend more time with his family, but that he […]

07/05/2023 33

Events

Amendment allowing no-excuse absentee voting clears Senate

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Democratic-controlled state Senate has voted along party lines for a proposed constitutional amendment allowing no-excuse absentee voting in Delaware. The amendment was approved Thursday and now goes to the House. It was introduced earlier this year after Delaware's Supreme Court upheld a judge's ruling that a universal vote-by-mail bill was unconstitutional. The constitution currently states that people are allowed to vote absentee if they are […]

05/05/2023 30

Events

Handgun permit requirement clears Senate on party-line vote

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Democrat-controlled state Senate voted along party lines Tuesday to pass a bill requiring anyone in Delaware wanting to buy a handgun to first be fingerprinted, undergo training and obtain permission from the state. The vote came after more than two hours of debate in which gun-control advocates argued that the proposal will help reduce the number of homicides and suicides in Delaware. Opponents argued that […]

05/03/2023 51

Events

Bill requiring permits to buy handguns clears first hurdle

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A proposal to require anyone in Delaware wanting to buy a handgun to first be fingerprinted, undergo training and obtain permission from the state cleared its first legislative hurdle Wednesday after a public hearing in a Democrat-led Senate committee. The bill was released by the Senate Judiciary Committee with no Republican support. It now heads to the Finance Committee for consideration of the estimated costs involved […]

04/27/2023 42

Events

Effort to legalize recreational weed in Delaware begins anew

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A bill authorizing the creation of a state-licensed recreational marijuana industry in Delaware has cleared a Democrat-led House committee. The measure discussed Tuesday is one piece of a renewed effort by Democratic lawmakers to legalize recreational marijuana use by adults 21 and older and to build a cannabis industry like those in some neighboring states. The proposal does not allow individuals to grow their own plants. […]

01/25/2023 41

Events

DE Senate vote on Auditor criticized as “political theater”

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Senate Democrats have voted to seek to remove Delaware's state auditor from office. Senators voted 13-7 Monday for a resolution to hold a joint session of the legislature regarding the removal of Auditor Kathy McGuiness, a Democrat. The resolution must also be approved by the House, but Democratic House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf said he has no plans to call a special session. He criticized the Senate […]

07/27/2022 49

Events

Delaware lawmakers wrap up this year’s legislative session

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Delaware lawmakers have wrapped up legislative session with action on secondary bills after a successful push by Democrats to enact higher-profile measures tightening gun ownership laws and expanding access to abortions. Gov. John Carney put an exclamation point on Thursday's session end, signing a package of gun control measures that fellow Democrats rammed through the General Assembly in the wake of recent mass shootings in other […]

07/01/2022 39

Events

Delaware Senate OKs bill limiting firearm magazine capacity

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A bill outlawing firearm magazines capable of holding more than 17 rounds has passed Delaware's Democrat-led Senate with no Republican support. The legislation was approved on a 13-7 vote Tuesday and sent to the House. Sen. Bruce Ennis of Smyrna, a retired state trooper, was the lone Democrat to join GOP lawmakers in opposition. The measure is part of a package of gun-control bills that Democrats […]

06/08/2022 53

Events

Constitutional amendment on bail clears first hurdle

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Delaware State Senate has given initial approval to a proposed constitutional amendment under which criminal offenders other than those charged with murder could be held without bail. The measure passed the Senate unanimously on Thursday and now goes to the House. It is the first leg of a constitutional amendment that must receive two-thirds approval by both chambers in two consecutive General Assemblies. The amendment […]

05/06/2022 54