ARTICLES IN THIS EDITION

• NEWS: Special Election Set for the 20th Representative District
• NEWS: Battle Over Local Control, Offshore Wind Farm Fought on Last Day of Session 
• NEWS: Recapping the State's Major Money Bills
• NEWS: Recreational Marijuana Sales in Delaware Start August 1st
• NEWS: Bill Seeks to Increase Election Integrity

A special election to fill the vacancy in the 20th Representative District will be held in a little over a month on Tuesday, August 5th.

The need for the contest arose last week when State Rep. "Stell" Parker Selby (D) resigned on June 24th.

After suffering a stroke in December, Rep. Parker Selby was unable to attend any of the 2025 legislative session, which ended on Monday.

The chairs of the Republican and Democratic parties in Sussex County will select candidates for the race. Republicans announced their candidate will be Dr. Nikki Miller, a former principal of Cape Henlopen High School. Democrats have not yet selected who will carry their party's banner.

Early voting will apply.

The 20th District includes Lewes, Milton, Nassau, and portions of Harbeson and Georgetown. 

For more information on the race, visit the Department of Elections by clicking here.

Battle Over Local Control, Offshore Wind Farm Fought on Last Day of Session

A bill sponsored by upstate legislators seeking to overturn a Sussex County Council decision on a controversial land use issue was significantly modified on the last night of the legislative session.

Senate Bill 159 sought to reverse a county council ruling that denied a conditional-use permit for an electrical substation in Dagsboro. That facility would connect a proposed offshore wind farm to the regional power grid.

Twenty-eight House and Senate Democrats sponsored SB 159, only one of which, State Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall (D-Rehoboth Beach), represents Sussex County constituents.

State Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner (R-Georgetown), in photo, joined most other Sussex County legislators in opposing SB 159, maintaining that local elected leaders answer directly to the communities impacted by their decisions and those choices should not be overturned by distant, unaccountable officials.

Despite opposition to the bill, predominantly from House and Senate Republicans, it was passed on the final night of the 2025 session on Monday evening and signed into law by Gov. Matt Meyer.

However, in a hard-won concession, Senate Bill 199 was also enacted. The measure delays the effective date of SB 159 until January 31, 2026. The seven-month timeout will give the Delaware Superior Court an opportunity to rule on a pending lawsuit between the wind farm developer and Sussex County.

The future of the proposed 120-turbine offshore wind farm project, planned for a site southeast of Fenwick Island, remains uncertain, even if the substation is eventually permitted to proceed.

Several proposed offshore wind farm projects along the Northeast U.S. coast have been cancelled in recent years due to various factors, including regulatory challenges, supply chain issues, and financial viability concerns. The most recent cancellation, involving a New Jersey project, took place earlier this month. Looming decisions being made at the federal level further cloud the project's prospects.

NEWS:

Recapping the State's Major Money Bills

The Operating Budget

Late Monday evening, the governor signed the General Fund Operating Budget (House Bill 225, with HA 1) for Fiscal Year 2026. The $6.58 billion plan represents a $451.6 million, or a 7.36%, increase over the current budget.

The new budget allocates funding for several newly created state agencies, including the Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Office of Suicide Prevention. Bills to establish all three agencies were approved by the General Assembly and are awaiting the governor’s signature.

The operating budget also includes funding for:

• A 2% raise for state merit employees
• Another installment of a multi-year plan to increase teachers’ starting salaries to $60,000 by 2027.
• Continuing the state’s Opportunity Grants, funding the intensive instructional needs of English Language Learning and low-income students.

The budget preserves two reserve funds: $469 million in the Budget Stabilization Fund, intended for short-term revenue gaps; and $365 million in the Rainy Day Fund, reserved for emergency needs.

Public education remains the largest single category in the budget, accounting for more than one-third of General Fund spending. There is $2.389 billion allocated for the state’s share of schools, or 36.3% of the total.

The Department of Health and Social Services is second, with $1.752 billion, or 26.6% of the operating budget. The bulk of this appropriation is for the state’s portion of Medicaid ($1.080 billion). According to KFF, total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment in Delaware was 252,239 as of June 2024, representing approximately one out of every four state residents.

However, concerns are mounting over the pace of state spending. Over the past three years, the operating budget has increased by more than $1.48 billion, representing a 29% rise.

Bond Bill (Capital Budget)

The $977.3 million state capital budget (Senate Bill 200), commonly referred to as the Bond Bill, is somewhat smaller than the $1.1 billion plan it replaces, which had been the fourth-largest in state history.

More than a third of the Bond Bill is paid for with cash ($368.3 million from the General Fund), $339.1 million in debt through the sale of bonds, $57.2 million reallocated from previously funded items, and $212.6 million for road and bridge projects paid for via the Transportation Trust Fund (tolls, vehicle-related fees).

Some items of note include the following:

• $20 million for the Community Reinvestment Fund
• $50 million for a state IT project that will move some information management functions to a cloud-based platform.
• $19 million for the Housing Development Fund (Affordable Rental Housing Program)
• $90 million ($30 million each) for DelTech, the U of D, and DelState for capital projects and maintenance
• $148.2 million for road projects

Grants-in-Aid

The latest Grants-in-Aid bill totals nearly $98.3 million, slightly smaller than last year's record-setting $98.5 million allocation.

The omnibus measure issues grants to hundreds of Delaware nonprofit groups performing work ranging from historic preservation and substance abuse treatment to emergency services and programs for veterans, seniors, and youths.

“These grants touch the life of every Delawarean in some way,” said State Rep. Charles Postles (R-Milford, Frederica), in photo, a member of the Joint Finance Committee that crafted the bill. “This targeted appropriation empowers hundreds of nonprofits to deliver critical services, yielding valuable dividends for our communities that far exceed the investment."

The GIA funding includes nearly $21.3 million for paramedic operations, $9.57 million for senior centers, $13.2 million for fire companies and public service ambulance companies, and $839,000 for veterans organizations.

NEWS:

Recreational Marijuana Sales in Delaware Start August 1st

More than two years in the making, Delaware will begin retail marijuana sales in less than a month.

According to the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC), all medical marijuana conversion licensees may begin recreational sales on August 1st.

Last year, the General Assembly enacted House Bill 408, which created a path for medical marijuana establishments to transition into the broader public market. The conversion licenses came at a significant cost—$200,000 for cultivation and $100,000 for manufacturing or retail.

Since medical marijuana businesses have been operating in the state for many years, they were ideally positioned to be the first out of the gate to conduct retail sales.

In April 2023, Delaware enacted legislation legalizing recreational marijuana and establishing a comprehensive system for growers, manufacturers, retailers, and testing laboratories. At the time, Delaware was the 22nd state to legalize cannabis for casual, non-medical consumption. Two additional states have since been added to that list.

The Delaware Marijuana Control Act established the framework for marijuana sales, set taxes and fees, created licensing, and instituted the office of the Marijuana Commissioner. These actions, along with the time required to develop and implement the necessary regulatory infrastructure, contributed to the long delay.

In a related development, the General Assembly sent Senate Bill 75 (as amended) to the governor for his signature last week. The disputed bill, which was approved mainly along party lines with strong Democratic support, would limit the authority of county governments to regulate marijuana businesses in their jurisdictions. The measure would curtail county officials’ ability to deny permits, restrict the placement of marijuana enterprises, and dictate hours of operation.

NEWS:

Bill Seeks to Increase Election Integrity

A measure passed in the House on Monday, House Bill 86, seeks to establish uniform thresholds and procedures for conducting election recounts. 

Generally, the bill would require a recount in cases where the margin of victory was less than 1% of the votes cast, doubling the existing recount trigger.

The bill also makes several other reforms, including eliminating the need for candidates or voters to request a recount. 

After prevailing last September in a tight primary race where a recount was not required under state law, State Rep. Bryan Shupe (R-Milford South) pledged to sponsor legislation to broaden the scope of circumstances where recounts would be conducted to improve public faith in the results.

Rep. Shupe's bill passed the House, 37-3. It is now pending action in the Senate Elections & Government Affairs. The measure will remain viable for action through the second half of the 153rd General Assembly next year.

IN PHOTO: State Rep. Shupe speaks with WBOC Reporter Tiffani Amber on June 30th at Legislative Hall.