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Bill targeting greenhouse gas levels ready for action in the Senate - CapeGazette.com

CapeGazette.com · last updated June 25, 2023 – 2:30 AM

Bill targeting greenhouse gas levels ready for action in the Senate | Cape Gazette

Bill targeting greenhouse gas levels ready for action in the Senate

The Delaware Climate Change Solutions Act of 2023 is ready for action by the full Senate after moving out of committee June 21.

The bill passed the House June 6 by a 27-13 vote with one absent.

In earlier House testimony, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn Garvin said he did not have exact target numbers, but the bill refers to a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030, based on 2005 levels.

“I think we’re making progress,” he said, adding he can get numbers for where we are now.

Garvin has yet to make a decision on adopting California regulations that would require Delaware car dealerships to eventually sell only new zero-emission vehicles.

“Air quality is getting better, but we’re not where we need to be,” Garvin said.

Gender-affirming bill introduced

A bill that would give children seeking gender-affirming care a safe haven in Delaware and would protect doctors providing procedures from liability was introduced June 15.

The bill states that medical professionals who provide gender-affirming healthcare cannot be disciplined for services that are considered illegal, unauthorized or unprofessional in other states, and protects healthcare providers from out-of-state civil actions relating to gender-affirming healthcare treatment that is legal in Delaware.

House Bill 230 would allow gender-affirming lawsuits over out-of-state judgements, and prohibit insurance companies from taking adverse action against healthcare professionals who provide gender-affirming healthcare services.

Under the bill, Family Court is given jurisdiction to determine custody disputes when a child is in the state to receive gender-affirming healthcare, resulting in a custody dispute. It also prohibits the state from enforcing an out-of-state court order that removes a child from a parent because the parent allows the child to receive gender-affirming healthcare.

The state GOP issued a statement against the bill, stating it undermines several legal precepts.

"Not only does it give safe harbor to medical professionals from discipline even if gender-affirming services are illegal or considered to be unprofessional conduct or the unauthorized practice of medicine in another state, it also gives safe harbor to medical professionals from out-of-state civil actions relating to gender-affirming healthcare treatment that is legal in Delaware, including issuance of a summons or the enforcement of subpoenas relating to such cases. The undermining of other states' authority and failure to recognize out-of-state actions is unprecedented and threatens years of full faith and credit jurisprudence," said Julianne Murray, chair of the Delaware Republican Party.

With only a few more days left in the legislative session, the bill has yet to be heard in committee.

Bill setting five-year property reassessments clears General Assembly

A bill that would require Delaware’s three counties to conduct property tax reassessments every five years passed the Senate 17-2 with two absent. House Bill 62 passed the House in May by a 29-3 vote with five not voting and four absent.

The legislation now goes to Gov. John Carney for his signature into law.

If signed, the first five-year reassessment would begin once each county has completed current reassessment processes.

A push for regular property reassessments was helped by a 2020 court ruling in favor of a lawsuit filed against the state by the NAACP of Delaware and Delawareans for Educational Opportunity, claiming decades-old property reassessments denied funding for disadvantaged students and school districts.

An agreement following the court ruling required countywide property reassessments to be completed by 2025.

A set five-year reassessment cycle, officials said, will create taxable property values consistent with fair market values.

House passes bill to increase phone bills for suicide hotline

A bill to increase everyone’s phone bills to create a suicide hotline passed the House June 20 by a 28-11 vote with one absent and one not voting. The bill now heads to a Senate committee.

A substitute bill for House Bill 160 would increase residential and business phone lines, including cellphones, by 60 cents per month to create a hotline for suicide prevention.

It also would institute a one-time, 60-cent fee on prepaid services.

Under the bill, a Behavioral Health Crisis Intervention Services Board would be charged with developing and recommending a plan for establishing, operating and maintaining a behavioral health crisis communication center. The plan would be submitted to the governor and General Assembly within 12 months of the bill’s effective date.

Additionally, the board would develop and recommend a comprehensive statewide crisis intervention services plan to be updated annually. The board would make recommendations to the governor and General Assembly about how to best allocate the surcharge funds to meet identified needs.

Speed camera bill moves to Senate

A bill that would allow speed cameras in residential areas moved out of committee June 21 and awaits action by the full Senate. The bill passed the House June 15 by a 37-2 vote with two absent.

Substitute bill for House Bill 94 would allow speed cameras to ticket anyone going more than 11 mph over the posted speed limit. However, the bill would only be allowed in areas where there is a municipal police agency. Municipalities that do not have a police force or unincorporated areas in the county covered only by the state police would not qualify for speed cameras, said sponsor Sen. Spiro Mantzavinos, D-Westgate Farms.

Javonne Rich, of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the group is wary of the bill because of the potential personal information that could be recorded by cameras. She said information gathered by cameras would have to be focused on speeding only.

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Bill targeting greenhouse gas levels ready for action in the Senate - CapeGazette.com

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