Get involved: Delaware’s budget, EV fees, and the Port of Wilmington

The Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council – or DEFAC – will meet in New Castle  on Monday between 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.  

For information about attending the meeting virtually or in person, click here. 

The Port of Wilmington

Also on Monday, Delaware’s competing Port of Wilmington oversight boards will each hold public meetings to discuss the embattled facility and its ambitious plan to expand through construction of a $635 million container terminal in Edgemoor. 

The meetings will occur less than a month after the legislature’s port oversight task force held an inaugural meeting that became the latest front in a power struggle between legislators and Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer. 

That task force will meet again Monday between 4 and 4:45 p.m.  The meeting will be held virtually. For details about attending, click here. 

After the meeting concludes, the board of the Diamond State Port Corporation is scheduled to hold its first meeting with new members who had been appointed by Meyer. Those appointments followed a monthslong fight over control of the port board that culminated in March when the Delaware Supreme Court declared that Meyer could rescind nominations made by his predecessor.  

The Diamond State Port Corporation board will meet in New Castle between and 5 and 7 p.m. Monday evening. Details about how to attend in person or virtually can be found here. 

Legislative action 

Delaware’s legislative session is entering its final stretch before its scheduled end on June 30. 

While lawmakers will likely be focused on upcoming budget negotiations, they also are scheduled to hear several bills this week, including ones that would curtail cell phone use in public schools, restrict ICE operations in Delaware, and impose a road use fee on electric vehicles.

The full Senate will meet Monday at 2 p.m. to consider ten pieces of legislation, including the cell phones in schools bill, and one that seeks to amend the state’s constitution to require a Senate re-approval for gubernatorial cabinet members when a governor serves a second 4-year term. 

Also listed on the full Senate agenda is a bill that would allow the city of New Castle to impose a tax on home rentals of up to 5% of the total rent. The agenda lists the bill as being “laid on table” – indicating that its consideration has been paused.    

You can watch the full Senate hearing live here.

Lawmaker pensions

Several other important bills are making their ways through legislative committees, including one that relates to a controversy that Spotlight Delaware revealed last year about Delaware’s pension for state legislators. 

On Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., the Senate Executive Committee will consider that bill, which would change the way lawmaker pensions are calculated from one that is anchored to that of the highest-earning retired legislator to one that is set by a lawmaker’s own earnings.  

Last year, Spotlight Delaware reported many retired Delaware lawmakers were set to receive substantial boosts in their monthly pension payments because of a change at that time to the pension system. 

To watch the Senate Executive Committee hearing, click here. 

Immigration enforcement

On Tuesday at 11 a.m., the House Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee will hear a bill that would restrict Delaware police from cooperating with federal agents conducting immigration enforcement at schools or churches, if they hadn’t previously obtained a permission from the Delaware attorney general.

The bill is one of several that lawmakers are currently considering that would limit federal immigration enforcement in Delaware. 

Watch the committee hearing here. 

Electric vehicle fee

At noon on Tuesday, the House Transportation Committee will consider two bills including one that would, among other things, impose an extra road fee on electric vehicles registered in Delaware. The fee would amount to $110 annually for vehicles that weigh 6,000 pounds or less. Heavier vehicles would be assessed higher fees. 

Watch the Transportation Committee hearing here. 

‘Grant-in-aid’

On Wednesday at 3 p.m., the House Administration Committee will meet to consider a bill to amend the state constitution to allow nearly all people who have spent time in prison to vote in elections.

The committee will also consider a bill that could shake up how the state doles out millions of dollars to nonprofit companies each year. The bill would create a subcommittee to review grant applications from nonprofits that have not previously received money from the “grant-in-aid” program. The subcommittee could also review past grants recipients “for program efficacy and compliance with the conditions.”

Watch the Administration Committee hearing here.