this week in dover

By James DeChene, Armitage DeChene & Associates

This week the Delaware Senate passed SB15, which increases Delaware’s minimum wage starting in 2022. As previously reported, the increases are as follows:

• January 1, 2022 - $10.50
• January 1, 2023 - $11.75 
• January 1, 2024 - $13.25 
• January 1, 2025 - $15.00

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​The bill now goes to the House to be assigned to committee. More to come on that.
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The updated version of HB150, a bill that would legalize marijuana was introduced this week. We will be reviewing the bill for any changes from prior versions and update you. In the meantime, if you have not yet registered for next week’s Manufacturing & Policy Conference, a reminder that there will be a marijuana roundtable to explore the impacts on employers. We also expect to hold another in-depth seminar on the issue soon. More info to come.

Also this week, the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC) met and revised upwards revenues for FY2021 and FY2022 for a total of $322 million. The revision is largely due to strong performance in Personal Income Tax (PIT), Corporate Income Tax (CIT), and the Franchise Tax. In fact, year over year incorporation numbers rose from 12,000 to 15,000 new entities formed. The gains in PIT should largely negate argument this year on HB64, which would create new PIT levels for high earners.

Lastly, with the passage of the American Rescue Plan, Delaware should see another $1.4 billion to help with coronavirus relief efforts. Cities and towns are also expected to receive significant monies that can be allocated towards lost revenues along with water, sewer and broadband improvement projects.