Delaware to Drop Mask Mandate on May 21st
-- Governor Renews State of Emergency for a 15th Time --
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MAY 14, 2021 -- As of next Friday (May 21), Gov. John Carney is lifting Delaware's face covering mandate.
Presently, the governor's State of Emergency orders require Delawareans and visitors to wear face coverings anytime they are indoors with other people that are not members of their households.
The governor's modification follows new masking guidance issued on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC guidance advises that fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most places indoors and outdoors, except in crowded settings, including on public transit, planes, in schools, health care facilities and congregate settings like prison facilities and homeless shelters.
On Friday, May 21, Governor Carney also will lift all remaining mask requirements outdoors.
Those who are not fully vaccinated, including children not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, are urged by the CDC to continue to wear masks when around others who are outside their immediate households. To find a vaccination site, use this link: de.gov/getmyvaccine
Governor Carney also formally extended his State of Emergency declaration another 30 days -- the 15th occasion on which he has renewed it. Delaware has been under a State of Emergency since March 12, 2020 (428 days).
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House Committee Releases
"Permit to Purchase" Bill
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MAY 14, 2021 -- The House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee has released a bill seeking to require Delawareans to obtain “qualified purchaser card” before they could buy a handgun.
Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 3, sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth Lockman (D-Wilmington West), would require an individual to be fingerprinted, undergo a criminal background check, and successfully complete a firearms training course to acquire a card. The permit would be valid for six months, during which holders would be able to make handgun purchases. Once the card expires, citizens would need to begin the process anew.
Supporters of the bill maintain it will help to reduce gun violence. However, a report by the state's Criminal Justice Council Statistical Analysis Center seemingly casts some doubt on this claim.
The report, Delaware Shootings 2019, released last November, reveals that 173 shooting incidents took place in the state that year. Of the 101 unique suspects that could be connected to these shootings, 62.8% had at least one felony weapons-related arrest and 84% had previously been arrested for a violent felony. Fewer than 7% of the suspects had no arrest history in Delaware.
If Senate Bill 6 were to become law, the state would confiscate non-compliant magazines, paying citizens $10 for each magazine surrendered to authorities. Under the legislation, citizens found in possession of barred magazines would face a Class B misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class E felony for a subsequent offense.
Both bills are currently on the House Ready List and are eligible to be acted on by the chamber. Should either be approved, they will go to the governor for his consideration.
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House Democrats Block Minimum Wage Study, Pass Bill to Repeal Earlier Compromise |
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MAY 14, 2021 -- On a party-line vote, House Democrats voted on Thursday to repeal a minimum wage compromise to which they agreed less than three years ago.
House Bill 88 cleared the chamber, 26 to 15. It seeks to eliminate Delaware's "youth wage" and "training wage." Under existing law, Delaware employers can pay minors, and those working the first 90-days of a new job, an hourly rate 50-cents under what would otherwise be the state's minimum wage.
Both the youth wage and training wage were created in a settlement that ended an impasse that closed out the last session day of the 149th General Assembly.
The incident occurred after House and Senate Democrats attempted to push a one-dollar minimum wage hike through the legislature in the wee hours of July 1, 2018. The measure was brought to the House floor for a vote, without the required committee hearing or public notice, at 3:30 a.m. After hours of negotiations, the measure was ultimately approved, but not before Republicans secured the modest training wage and youth wage modifications.
House Democrats initially introduced a bill to repeal both modifications in January 2019 -- just weeks after they had been implemented. That attempt failed.
House Bill 147 would have required the Controller General and other state agencies to cooperate on preparing an analysis of the positive and negative economic impacts of increasing the state's minimum wage more than 62% over the next three-and-a-half years.
The minimum wage hike proposal has already been approved by the Senate and is pending action in the House Appropriations Committee.
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Bill Seeking to Protect Political Beliefs Released from Committee |
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A bill to protect Delawareans from persecution based on their political perspective cleared a House committee earlier this week.
House Bill 154, sponsored by State Rep. Mike Smith (R-Pike Creek Valley), in photo, would make it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against any individual because of his or her political affiliation or beliefs.
"Sixty-two percent of Americans won't discuss their political beliefs because others might find it offensive," Rep. Smith told members of the House Judiciary Committee during a virtual hearing. He added that the measure is an attempt to curtail politically motivated animosity.
Rep. Smith said while there were some issues expressed by the Department of Labor and the Attorney General's Office regarding the language of the bill, he was willing to work with both agencies to refine the measure before it is considered on the House floor.
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General Assembly Schedule for Next Week |
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Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Click here for more. NOTE: The committee notice states that "the purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the mental health crisis facing Delaware's youth."
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
(Committee Day, no House Session)
Thursday, May 20, 2021
2 p.m. - House Session/Voting Day (No agenda posted as of publication)
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