THIS WEEK IN DOVER: GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADJOURNS NEXT WEEK

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.