Today wraps up the last day before the final week of session for the 152nd General Assembly. They were off on Wednesday in observance of Juneteenth, so it was a shorter week than normal. However, a couple bills which the State Chamber is following saw movement this week,  including:

HB 433 (Unemployment Insurance): Revises the experience rating methodology for assigning unemployment assessment rates to employers under the Unemployment Insurance Code in Delaware, replacing the current benefit wage ratio methodology with the benefit ratio methodology used by 19 other states. The new methodology is meant to be more responsive to changes in the economy over time, to better sustain the solvency of the Unemployment Trust Fund, and to be easier to administer.

• Status: Passed the House and moves to the Senate for consideration. | Position: Support

HB 439 (Housing Status Discrimination In Housing and Property): Delaware law prohibits discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics in housing and property transactions. This Act would add "housing status" as a protected characteristic.

• Status: Passed the House and moves to the Senate for consideration. | Position: Engaged and gathering feedback.

 
HB 440 (Housing Status Discrimination In Employment and Professional Activities): Delaware law prohibits discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics in employment and professional activities. This Act would add "housing status" as a protected characteristic.

• Status: Passed the House and moves to the Senate for consideration. | Position: Engaged and gathering feedback.

 
Other bills which may see movement next week include HS 1 for HB 248 and HB 422, among others. HS 1 for HB 248 is currently on the House Ready List and HB 422 has been assigned to the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee. At the time of writing, the House Natural Resources & Energy’s meeting agenda for next week has not yet been posted. However, we expect HB 422 to be placed on the agenda and heard in Committee. The State Chamber is strongly opposed to the bill and sent this letter to the sponsor on June 12th.
 
The State Chamber will send out an End-of-Session policy recap after the General Assembly gavels out for the year on June 30th. 

By Tyler Micik

Time is winding down for the 152nd Delaware General Assembly with only six session days remaining. Despite the number of days, several important bills that will impact the business community saw movement this week and one was introduced.
 
Bills that saw movement included:

HS 1 for HB 248 (Pre-Permit Outreach in Underserved Communities): Establishes a pre-permit community outreach process for any qualified project, as defined in DNREC Regulations, that wishes to apply for a permit within 3 months, in an underserved community.

• Status: Released from House Natural Resources & Energy Committee and has been placed on the House Ready List | Position: Opposed and seeking amendments

HB 433 (Unemployment Insurance): Revises the experience rating methodology for assigning unemployment assessment rates to employers under the Unemployment Insurance Code in Delaware, replacing the current benefit wage ratio methodology with the benefit ratio methodology used by 19 other states. The new methodology is meant to be more responsive to changes in the economy over time, to better sustain the solvency of the Unemployment Trust Fund, and to be easier to administer.

• Status: Released from House Labor Committee and has been placed on the House Ready List | Position: Support

HB 317 (Notice Involving Gift Cards): Creates a requirement for all sellers of third-party gift cards to display a notice of potential scams involving gift cards.

• Status: Released from Senate Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee and has been placed on the Senate Ready List | Position: Support based on amended language (HA1)

HB 435 (STAR Program): Creates a new chapter in Title 30 and establishes the STEM Talent Advancement and Retention Program (STAR Program) and the STEM Talent Advancement and Retention Fund (STAR Fund). The purpose of the STAR Program is to incentivize and attract individuals graduating with an associate, bachelor’s, graduate, or post-graduate degree in STEM to stay and work in Delaware.

• Status: Released from House Revenue & Finance Committee and has been placed on the House Ready List | Position: Engaged and gathering feedback

 
Also, HB 127 (Fire Protection Fees) passed the Senate and moves to the Governor for signature, and SS1 for SB 258 (Autonomous Vehicles) and SB 313 (General Corporation Law) passed the Senate and head to the House for consideration.
 
A bill that was introduced this week, which we’re gathering feedback on, is SB 324. The Act amends provisions in Title 19 and Title 29 of the Delaware Code relating to the Department of Labor’s enforcement procedures and wage and hour enforcement.
 
The General Assembly will return to session on Tuesday, June 18th. They’ll have off on Wednesday for Juneteenth and return that Thursday. Please contact me at [email protected] if you have questions or concerns with any of these bills.