Jones Giltner takes oath of office

Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner, R-Georgetown, took the oath of office Jan. 9, as one of the first items of action as the House of Representatives reconvened.

“I’m very proud to be here today, and want to thank everyone for welcoming me into the House,” she said, alongside her husband, parents, children and granddaughter, who behaved perfectly.

Jones Giltner thanked former Rep. Ruth Briggs King, who resigned from office in November when she moved out of the 37th District.

Briggs King was on the floor Jan. 9 and received a standing ovation from the full House after Jones Giltner thanked her for her service.

One of the first action items for the House was Senate Concurrent Resolution 103 to create a task force to look into expanding the aquaculture industry in Delaware. In an earlier interview, Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, said oyster farmers have told him they want to expand, and adding a hatchery for oysters is important. “They don’t have a hatchery in the area now,” he said.

The resolution unanimously passed the House and Senate.

A testy exchange took place after House Concurrent Resolution 80, sponsored by House Majority Leader Rep. Melissa Minor Brown, D-New Castle, was introduced on the floor. It expresses concern over the loss of life in the Israel-Hamas war, and calls for the Legislature and Delaware citizens to “recognize our common humanity and the shared strength of our diversity.”

After comments made by Jewish and Muslim community members, Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, D-Newark, objected to the sanitized language in the bill. Wilson-Anton is an opponent of the war in Gaza, earning national recognition in December after speaking out against the war at a holiday celebration hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris at her residence in Washington, D.C.

She said, “23,000 Palestinians have been killed … this is not a religious conflict,” noting that Palestinian Christians have been killed in the fighting.

Wilson-Anton said she would vote for the bill because there is nothing objectionable in it, but legislators should focus on state issues, not international causes.

On Jan. 9, Wilson-Anton put forth House Resolution 26 – with one additional sponsor, compared to nearly 50 bipartisan legislators who signed on to HCR 80 – which calls upon Delaware’s federal delegation, President Joe Biden and the president’s administration to work toward a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, including the release of all hostages and prisoners of war by both sides, delivery of immediate and sustained humanitarian aid to Gaza, and diplomatic action to facilitate long-term peace in the region.

The resolution was laid on the table pending action by the House.

Legislative wrap-up

The following bills were introduced Jan. 4 and await action in committee:

• Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 169 would create a process for compensating individuals who have been wrongfully convicted in Delaware. To obtain compensation, a petitioner must show they were pardoned; after the conviction was overturned, the charges were dismissed; they were acquitted on retrial; or they entered a Robinson plea after the conviction was overturned and the petitioner was innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. Prosecutors can prevent compensation by showing that petitioners were accomplices to the crimes at issue, or that petitioners intentionally “took the fall” for the true perpetrators. Successful petitioners would be awarded damages based on the amount of time they served sentences of incarceration, parole or registration on the sex offender registry solely as a result of wrongful convictions, as well as reimbursement of fines, fees and costs related to wrongful conviction. There is no financial note included with the bill yet.
• SB 198 would change existing animal cruelty laws to include people who knowingly possess, own, buy, sell, transfer or manufacture animal fighting paraphernalia with the intent to engage in or otherwise promote or facilitate such fighting as guilty of a Class E felony.
• SB 199 would amend Delaware law relating to large healthcare facilities by specifically including an outpatient clinic or facility that is majority owned by a hospital.
• SB 200 provides important consumer protections for property insurance contracts by improving the reliability of mailed notifications of policy cancelation or renewal.
• SB 202 phases in, over three years, an increased exemption for military pensions from state income taxation, regardless of age, so that in taxable years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026, the exemption will be $25,000 for all military pensioners.
• HB 268 would create new billing codes for a behavioral health well check.
• HB 269 is a constitutional amendment that would create a Crossover Day deadline for legislation to be sent over to the Senate or House. The bill would need to be passed by two separate General Assemblies.
• HB 271 would eliminate the prohibition against hunting game birds on Sundays. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control still has authority to establish and regulate season dates, bag limits and enforcement for the hunting of game birds.
• HB 272 would prohibit persons from receiving compensation for advising or assisting with veterans' benefits earned by serving in the military. Investment, insurance, banking and other advice or services not provided by the Veterans Administration or its accredited agencies may be obtained by veterans and fees charged for such services.
• HB 281 – the Delaware Medicare Supplement Selection Act – would repeal the option of providing healthcare insurance to state pensioners under Medicare part C, known as a Medicare Advantage Plan. This act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. 
• HB 282 would create procedural requirements for the State Employee Benefits Committee.
• HB 273 would require healthcare plans to pay for diagnosed phonological disorder and receptive language disorder for children ages 1-6 or when the child is enrolled in first grade.
• Substitute 1 to HB 168 would apply a lodging tax to short-term rentals and require an occupational license and an annual licensing fee of $25. This bill refers to a person or business that facilitates or arranges the renting of rooms or dwelling units to an occupant on a website or through other means, including the renting of properties subject to a timeshare plan. Under this act, an accommodation intermediary must collect and remit taxes and data as required by the Division of Revenue; in Sussex County, a lodging tax would be no more than 3% on short-term rentals.
• HB 274 would require all health insurance plans subject to requirements under Delaware law, including Medicaid, to provide coverage, at no cost when prescribed to infants, of at least one early peanut allergen introduction dietary supplement and at least one early egg allergen introduction dietary supplement.
• House Amendment 2 to Senate Substitute 1 for SB 2 would extend from one year to two years the length of time a handgun qualified purchaser permit is valid from the date of issue; allow local law-enforcement agencies to ensure surrender or removal of handguns purchased with a revoked permit; and remove the firearms training course voucher program.

Bills introduced Jan. 9 awaiting committee action are:

• HB 277 would designate the Court of Common Pleas as the court of original jurisdiction for drag races and other speed contests.
• HB 278 would require that a train or light engine used to move freight by railroad have a crew of at least two individuals. Violators would be fined $500 for a first offense, and a $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense within three years of the first offense.
• HB 279 would give school employees up to five days of bereavement leave, the same as state employees.
• SB 203 addresses the crime of official misconduct by adding “less than $50,000” to the end of the description of what constitutes a Class F felony, among other changes to a previous official misconduct law.
• SB 204 would streamline the Medicaid Adult Dental benefit by consolidating the emergency and nonemergency benefits into a single benefit of $2,500.