Issue 10.15

April 19, 2024

THIS WEEK IN DOVER

Several significant bills which will have an impact on businesses throughout the state saw movement this week. Here’s a summary of those bills and others:

HS 1 for HB 17: Paid Sick and Safety Leave

HB 127 w/ HA 1 & HA 2: Fire Protection Fees

HS 1 for HB 350: Hospital Cost Review Board

SB 233: Service Worker Protection Act

HS 2 for HB 55: Homeless Bill of Rights

SB 263: Plastic Beverage Container Rings & Shrink Wrap

SB 255: Wage Payment and Collection Act

CREATING A SYSTEMS APPROACH

NAVIGATING DELAWARE PATHWAYS CONFERENCE

The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s workforce development affiliate, The Partnership, hosted "Navigating Delaware Pathways: An Education and Workforce Development Summit" earlier this week.

Held in partnership with the Delaware Department of Education, Rodel, United Way of Delaware, Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware Workforce Development Board, the Office of Work-Based Learning and Delaware SHRM, this sold-out event aimed to bring together educators, higher education professionals, and employers to explore the connection between education and the private sector in Delaware. Read more >

THE VOICE OF CHILDREN & EDUCATION

JOHN H. TAYLOR, JR. EDUCATION LEADERSHIP AWARD

In 1974, Jea Street was fresh out of college when he was put in charge of the Parent Educational Resource Center and a federal judge told him to be the voice of the children. More than 50 years later, he’s still speaking for them.

“His signature is definitely being passionate about education and kids,” says Janet Kilpatrick who serves with Street on the New Castle County Council, where he’s represented the Tenth District since 2004. “We can be talking about sewers and he can somehow relate it back to education.”

For his passion and the countless number of children he’s helped, Street is the 2024 recipient of the John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award. Read more >

"If we as a state can be first in banking and first in chemistry, there’s no excuse to be almost last in education." - Jea Street

DSCC SEES STAFFING CHANGES

NOT A GOODBYE,

BUT A SEE YOU LATER

After nearly 40 years serving the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, Fred Miller is retiring. “My years at the Chamber allowed me to work and learn from many talented people who took the time to share their knowledge with me. I hope over the years that I was able to pass some of that forward. I want to thank the Chamber and all my coworkers for putting up with my whistling, terrible singing, bad jokes, and crazy stories. I was truly blessed to be a part of this wonderful organization.” Read more >

WELCOME TO OUR

NEWEST TEAMMATE

The Delaware State Chamber is excited to welcome our newest team member, Damon Howard, who will serve as the print and digital advertising manager. In this role, Damon's talent and energy will help align businesses' marketing needs with the State Chamber's products—Delaware Business magazine, www.DSCC.com, the Legislative Roster, Conversations with Kelly podcast, and email campaigns. Read more about Damon >

President's Message

Retail is central to all Delawareans—even those not employed in the retail sector. I was struck by a headline this morning on CNBC that flagged the troubles dollar stores are presently experiencing. I must admit, I have a Dollar General not far from my home in the City of New Castle, and I grab things from there regularly. In a story titled, “The American Dollar Store has fallen on hard times,” I was surprised to learn that “Family Dollar has announced the closing of 1,000 underperforming stores, Dollar General’s growth has slowed from earlier projections." Read more >