Transcript Highlights:

• Can we make that adjustment? Certainly. Okay. Can we make that adjustment? Certainly.
• It will adjust the total category for Section 2 each time. Okay. All right. Just for Section 2.
• compensation framework for all supplements, stipends, incentives, and other related compensation adjustments
• Section 34 would amend the Delaware Code to adjust the cap for the county seat package based on the allocation

Keywords: 1064, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Can we make that adjustment? Certainly. Any other questions or comments?
• It will adjust the total category for Section 2 each time. Okay. All right. Just for Section 2.
• compensation framework for all supplements, stipends, incentives, and other related compensation adjustments
• compensation framework for all supplements, stipends, incentives, and other related compensation adjustments
• Section 34 would amend Delaware Code to adjust the cap for the county seat package based on the allocation

Summary: The Joint Finance Committee met to review and vote on the fiscal year 2027 Grants and Aid Act, which was expected to be pre-filed as Senate Bill 337. Members first reviewed Section 1, covering county seat payments, paramedic operations, senior center allocations, senior center transportation, and Homeland Security grants. They approved Section 1 after discussion of how senior center transportation is being moved from DART to grant-in-aid and how some organizations can appear in both the senior center formula and the general aging category. The committee then worked through Section 2, which included one-time appropriations and the various grant categories for aging, arts/historical/recreation, economic housing or labor services, family and youth services, health or disability services, and neighborhood and community services. Members discussed several specific items, including New Castle County reassessment-related funding, Friends of Cooch’s Bridge, Slaughter Neck Community Action Organization, Plastic-Free Delaware, Love, Inc. of the Delmarva, and the Southern Delaware Horse Retirement Association. One aging line for Slaughter Neck was reduced back to flat funding after members questioned a large increase, and the revised category total was adjusted accordingly. Each of the Section 2 subcategories was then adopted. Section 3, covering fire companies and public service ambulance companies, was approved with increases across apparatus, ambulance, rescue truck, aerial truck, rescue boat, substation, and insurance rebate equalization funding. Section 4, for veterans organizations and youth programs such as Boys State, Girls State, and Trooper Youth Week, was also adopted. The committee then approved the epilogue sections, which included eligibility, audit, payment, and reporting rules; special provisions for the Wilmington Senior Center contingency; conditions tied to several one-time appropriations; withholding funding from Merri-Dell Volunteer Fire Company pending a corrective report; and reprogramming $1,485,000 from a prior SMART food program appropriation toward SNAP/WIC-related food access initiatives. The meeting ended with remarks thanking staff and noting that it was likely the last JFC meeting for two members, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Adjusting for inflation, $15 in 2018, when the grand bargain was struck to gradually raise the minimum
• In essence, this bill is just adjusting the minimum wage to try to keep up with inflation, and importantly
• , it has a provision to allow for automatic adjustments in the future.
• By adjusting the health care and welfare calculation to reflect the real cost and quality coverage, we
• By adjusting the health and welfare calculations to reflect the real cost of quality coverage, we protect

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hybrid hearing on legislation concerning unemployment insurance, non-compete agreements, prevailing wage, and minimum wage issues. Committee leaders outlined the hearing process, asked witnesses to keep oral testimony to three minutes, and invited written testimony through November 20. No votes were taken during the hearing; it ended with a motion to adjourn and notice of the next hearing on November 20. Much of the testimony focused on bills to expand unemployment insurance for striking workers, including H. 2168 and S. 1319. Labor leaders, union members, and legal advocates argued that workers who are out on strike for more than 30 days should be able to receive UI benefits, saying the policy would help workers and families meet basic expenses, reduce employers’ ability to “wait out” strikes, and encourage good-faith bargaining. Speakers cited recent strikes, including the Republic Services strike, and said the proposal would not meaningfully increase strike activity or strain the UI trust fund. Another major topic was minimum wage legislation, especially H. 2107/S. 1349 to raise the minimum wage to $20 by 2029 and index it to inflation, and H. 2191 to create a $25 enhanced care worker minimum wage. Supporters said current wages are not keeping pace with housing, food, and childcare costs, and that care workers, direct support staff, and human service employees face chronic vacancies, burnout, and turnover. Testimony also supported H. 2126 on prevailing wage by adding apprenticeship and training contributions to the wage calculation, and H. 2159 and S. 1363 on prevailing wage-related issues. One witness, Russell Beck, testified against S. 1336, which would ban non-competes, and against H. 2118, arguing Massachusetts’ current non-compete law is a balanced compromise that should not be disrupted.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, for someone working like yourself or myself, you know, we can adjust what we do.
• you<00:08:59.400> know,<00:08:59.520> we<00:08:59.640> can<00:08:59.800> adjust
• you know, we can adjust what we do. you know, we can adjust what we do.
• I think we can adjust some things to make it more sustainable, but I don't think we need to raise taxes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have some senators who are presenting another committee, so we will adjust the order accordingly.
• bill increases the value threshold of small estate expedited probate processes, which were last adjusted
• Now and currently the way the policy reads is we are allowed to consent to rate or adjust the excess
• require a re-examination of insurance agents suspected of cheating on a license exam, requires public adjusters
• require a re-examination of insurance agents suspected of cheating on a license exam, requires public adjusters

Summary: The Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance met with a quorum present and heard a full agenda of bills, most of which were reported favorably. Early in the meeting, SB 1000 on trust fund interest for attorney trust accounts was explained as setting a floor and ceiling tied to the Wall Street Journal prime rate and passed without objection after supportive testimony from banking and credit union groups. The committee then took up CS/SB 1082 on a statewide provider and health plan claim dispute resolution program; the sponsor described it as a way to move emergency out-of-network payment disputes away from costly litigation and into an independent dispute resolution process modeled on the federal No Surprises Act. A proposed amendment drew significant questions from senators and concerns from the Florida Insurance Council about confusion over state versus federal eligibility and possible effects on contracted rates, and the sponsor ultimately withdrew the amendment. The underlying bill was then supported by health care and insurance stakeholders and reported favorably. SB 684 on electronic signatures for total loss vehicles and vessels also passed, with Progressive Insurance waiving in support. The committee next approved CS/SB 158 on pet insurance, which requires continuing education for agents, clearer consumer disclosures, and annual reporting to OIR; the amendment was technical and adopted. SB 1494 on breast cancer screening coverage was presented as expanding required coverage for mammograms and supplemental screenings for certain insurance products, and it passed with support from cancer and radiology groups. CS/SB 314 on digital asset issuers was amended to create a Florida framework for payment stablecoin issuers consistent with the federal GENIUS Act, allowing state-level regulation as an alternative to federal supervision, and was reported favorably. SB 1500 on uncontested probate proceedings, including higher small-estate thresholds and clearer authority for personal representatives, also passed after a banking-related amendment requiring letters of administration for safe deposit box access was adopted. Later, the committee approved CS/SB 618 on workers’ compensation insurance, which raises the consent-to-rate cap for workers’ comp policies from 10% to 20% and adjusts the Florida Workers’ Compensation Guarantee Association board membership; a carrier representative testified that the change would help keep more high-risk accounts in the voluntary market. CS/SB 1568 on a Florida Stable Coin Pilot Program was amended to remove authority for DFS to create a Florida coin, limit the pilot to existing stablecoins with at least $1 billion market capitalization, and require qualified public deposit handling; it then passed. CS/SB 838 on electronic payments for retail installment contracts clarified that convenience fees for electronic payments are permissible while preserving a fee-free option, and it was reported favorably after questions about consumer access to free payment methods. SB 1452, the Department of Financial Services agency bill, made a wide range of administrative changes affecting My Safe Florida Home, unclaimed property, licensing, bail bonds, and other DFS functions; a late-filed amendment on title insurer appointments was adopted, and the bill passed. The committee also approved SB 1706 on the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program, targeting condo hardening assistance to owner-occupied units meeting income and occupancy criteria, and SB 990 on protected cell captive insurance companies, which the sponsor and industry witnesses said would modernize Florida law and promote insurance competition and economic activity. The meeting ended with all bills on the agenda reported favorably and the committee adjourning without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have 9 bills on the agenda today and we'll intend on going in order of seniority, but making adjustments
• reallocate it to the department, and then give us the inability or restrict us from being able to adjust
• House Bill 594 is a simple bill, Chairman, providing necessary adjustments to support law enforcement
• , uh, under this exempt, uh, uh, so we, I think we just need to, to have, uh, the, those numbers adjusted
• I think it's only smart to adjust the playing field a little bit.

Transcript Highlights:

• The automatic cost of living adjustment (COLA) for maintenance and child support orders in Minnesota
• The cost of living adjustment is one way to make sure that orders are adjusted on a routine basis, but
• just for you, one example that we might see is that in, I think it was 2023, the cost of living adjustment
• Formula that makes the cost of living adjustment less relevant because it doesn't take into consideration

Bills: HF2233, HF1524, HF1893, HF1396, HF2456, HF2959, HF2300, HF2412, HF3022, HF2825, HF1862, HF1373, HF1039, HF3070

Keywords: Uniform Special Deposits Act, special deposit, banking law, financial institutions, escrow, escrow account, trust account, security deposit, beneficiary, depositor, creditor process, garnishment, attachment, levy, setoff, recoupment, financial market infrastructure, retirement benefits, compensation, earnest money

Transcript Highlights:

• The deduction phases out for modified adjusted incomes above $75,000 for single filers or $150,000 for
• For the lowest-income tip workers, those with federal adjusted gross income under $40,000 for single
• The deduction phases out for modified adjusted gross income above $75,000 for single filers or $150,000
• For the lowest-income tipped workers, those with federally adjusted gross incomes under $40,000 for single

Summary: The House Revenue and Finance Committee met to consider House Substitute 1 for House Bill 386, which would create a temporary Delaware income tax deduction for qualified tip income from tax years 2027 through 2029. The sponsor described it as relief for service workers in restaurants, salons, and similar tipped occupations, with a deduction of up to $15,000, income-based phaseouts, a refundable credit for lower-income workers, and a sunset for later review. Committee members raised questions about the resident/non-resident language, the fiscal note, and whether the Department of Finance could implement the change; Finance said the department could administer it and expected only modest administrative costs, while the Comptroller’s office said the bill would reduce general revenue. After a brief recess to review updated language, the committee took public comment, but no one testified. A motion to release the bill failed to receive enough votes, and the chair said she would walk it to seek additional signatures. The committee then considered Senate Bill 219, which would phase in an increase in the military pension income exemption from $12,500 to $25,000 by tax year 2029. The sponsor argued the measure would help attract and retain military retirees, citing economic return estimates, workforce benefits, and support from all 21 Senate co-sponsors. Some members supported the bill as a way to reward service and bring in long-term residents, while others questioned whether the exemption should be income-based rather than available to all military retirees, including those with substantial second careers. The Department of Finance said it could operationalize the bill and that the non-resident language was unnecessary because the subtraction is already picked up in the non-resident code section. Public testimony from veterans’ organizations strongly supported the bill, emphasizing that the exemption can influence retirement decisions and help veterans and their families stay in Delaware. A motion to release the bill also failed to get enough votes, and the chair said she would walk it for signatures before adjourning the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Inflation and property taxes have gone up, so we have moved that, and then there's caps we've adjusted
• We've adjusted there's a cap on how much you can receive total amount...
• We also made adjustments at other renter credit caps.
• We made all those adjustments.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• marine insurance, and it cleans up licensing and addresses responsibility requirements for agent adjusters
• responsibility requirements<00:01:53.480> for<00:01:53.880> agent<00:01:54.280> adjusters
• <00:01:54.960> and requirements for agent adjusters and requirements for agent adjusters and

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00 Call to Order and Roll Call 00:12 Discussion HB 527 00:47 Vote HB 527 02:26 Discussion HB 265 04:46 Vote HB 265 06:49 Discussion HB 164 08:19 Vote HB 164 10:25, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• know, both of those things must be addressed, and to that end, you drafted your own bill looking to adjust
• your own bill that end you drafted your own bill looking<00:04:00.560> to<00:04:00.720> adjust
• the<00:04:01.280> use<00:04:01.439> of<00:04:01.599> seclusion looking to adjust
• the use of seclusion looking to adjust the use of seclusion in<00:04:02.239> schools<00:04:02.799

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All the agencies that were involved, we've made adjustments over the years. So, no committee sub.
• We've made<00:01:53.280> adjustments<00:01:53.759> over<00:01:54.000> the<00:01:
• <00:01:54.640> So,<00:01:54.880> no made adjustments over the years.
• So, no made adjustments over the years. So, no committee<00:01:55.520> sub.

Keywords: Call to Order 00:00 Roll Call 00:03 HB 185 Discussion 1:00 HB 185 Vote 2:05 HB 455 Discussion 3:30 HB 455 Vote 9:00 Adjournment 10:30, 958, all

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 185, sponsored by Representative Callaway, which would help people with criminal records return to work by reducing barriers related to occupational licensing. Callaway said Kentucky has roughly 200 licensed occupations and argued the bill would support both individuals and the workforce. Members noted the bill had already passed the House twice and that there were no substantive changes this year. The bill passed the committee cleanly on a roll call vote. The committee then considered House Bill 455, sponsored by Representative Bant, with a committee substitute adopted before the bill vote. The bill would prohibit therapy and psychological services from using AI to independently provide therapy, diagnose mental illness, make therapeutic recommendations, detect emotions, or otherwise replace human judgment in treatment. Bant said the goal was to ensure a human interacts with people dealing with mental illness, while still allowing AI for administrative tasks such as scheduling, reminders, notes, and other authorized functions. She said the substitute clarified that routine automated uses would remain allowed. Several members asked about the scope of the bill and whether it would affect billing, notes, or appointment systems. Bant said the Kentucky Psychological Association had raised concerns about section 32, but she believed the substitute addressed them. She also cited concerns about AI being used in harmful ways and said similar legislation had passed in Ohio and Illinois. The committee substitute was adopted, and House Bill 455 then passed the committee by roll call vote. The meeting adjourned after members recorded additional votes and attendance.

Transcript Highlights:

• And just a quick follow-up: who actually processes and approves your closing and adjusting entries at
• is an associate vice president of finance, and we have job openings with our recent compensation adjustments
• At that time, we were just about to implement phase three of our compensation adjustments that we've
• And I do not know if we went back and adjusted the financial aid or the scholarships.

Summary: The meeting opened with prayer and approval of the January 8 minutes, then moved to review of education audit reports. The first report concerned Northwest Arkansas Community College, which had three findings, including repeat internal control deficiencies that caused financial statement misstatements and a tuition revenue loss tied to a new student information system. College officials said the issues were largely misclassification and process problems, not missing money, and described corrective steps such as monthly closing checklists, approval controls for journal entries, cross-training, and efforts to address staffing turnover and fill finance vacancies. Members asked about the tuition issue, whether students were notified or billed, and whether the software problem affected other institutions; audit staff said they were not aware of the same scenario elsewhere. The committee then filed the report as reviewed. The next report was Cedarville School District, which had one finding involving $794 in improper credit card charges by a resigned elementary teacher. The district was reimbursed, a police report was filed, and the matter was referred to the Professional Licensure Standards Board; members asked whether any further action or license-related consequences were known, but staff said they were not aware of additional action. The report was filed as reviewed. The final finding was for West Memphis School District, where auditors reported repeat capital asset issues, including failure to capitalize about $851,000 in construction costs for a baseball-softball complex and problems with inventory and asset inspection. The superintendent said the district had recently begun using Legislative Audit after prior private audits, and described new controls such as multi-level purchase approvals, separation of duties, tagging of equipment, and a cleanup of old inventory records. Members also discussed the relationship between private audits and Legislative Audit reviews, with staff explaining that private audit reports for public school districts still come before the committee and that the executive committee determines when Legislative Audit performs an audit. The committee filed the West Memphis report as reviewed and noted that 28 school districts had no findings before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• There are some coal adjustments that we're able to do.
• or getting to where we need to be, we will be back to provide you cost of living allocations and adjustments
• And another pension, your Social Security was getting cost of living adjustments that were moving along
• inflation was, far from it, but we're moving you back in the right direction with these cost of living adjustments

Transcript Highlights:

• aside for not saying that very uh eloquently but um on line 31 you can see that what um we do to adjust
• > um<00:05:24.400> we<00:05:24.639> do<00:05:24.800> to<00:05:25.280> adjust
• <00:05:25.759> for<00:05:25.919> that<00:05:26.160> is that what um we do to adjust
• for that is that what um we do to adjust for that is we<00:05:26.560> just<00:05:26.720> subtract

Bills: HF601

Keywords: agriculture, depredation compensation, livestock, crop damage, elk, wolves, wildlife management, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Seeing none, a motion by Senator Davis to allow staff to make technical adjustments.
• need to have the surveys completed, certainly the onus would be on them to make the appropriate adjustments
• Certainly, the onus would be upon them to make the appropriate adjustments so that those surveys can
• The bill also adjusts the guidelines for children's services councils with regard to appointees, allowing

Summary: The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services first heard and adopted the proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget for the committee, which was presented as a $1.8 billion increase over the current base budget. The budget emphasized Medicaid and KidCare funding, IT modernization, workforce reductions tied to unfilled or augmented positions, provider rate increases, mental health and substance use funding, opioid treatment, elder care, veterans’ services, cancer research, and school nurse staffing. The committee approved technical adjustments and then adopted the budget proposal for submission to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee then considered several bills, most of which were reported favorably. SB 152 on surgical smoke required hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to adopt smoke evacuation policies; it drew strong support from nurses and other health care workers describing workplace and patient safety risks. CS/SB 958 on early detection of type 1 diabetes required the Department of Health to develop informational materials for schools and, by amendment, early learning coalitions. CS/CS/SB 170 on nursing homes required consumer satisfaction surveys, patient safety culture surveys, reporting to the health information exchange, financial reporting penalties, and Medicaid quality incentive reporting; an amendment exempted state-operated homes, including veterans’ facilities, and directed a study of quality incentive systems. CS/SB 738 updated and streamlined child care regulation, and CS/SB 1356 created the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases at Florida State University and a related pediatric rare disease screening pilot. The committee also passed SB 1370, which reorganized ambulatory surgical centers into their own statutory framework, with testimony emphasizing their lower costs compared with hospitals. Finally, the committee considered CS/CS/SB 1626 on child welfare and related issues. After adopting multiple amendments that removed references to unaccompanied alien children and special immigrant visas, changed language on child abuse definitions, and required DCF to set room-and-board rates by methodology rather than fee schedule, the bill was explained as strengthening child welfare protections, codifying military-family coordination, improving domestic violence shelter certification, adjusting children’s services council appointments, clarifying missing-child procedures, and updating licensing and compliance provisions. The bill drew both support and opposition, particularly over missing-child jurisdiction and immigration-related concerns, and was ultimately reported favorably. A final motion to record a vote on SB 958 was also adopted.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then expanding the amount, it is income adjusted, so it phases down after $125,000 of earned household
• amount um it um and then expanding the amount um it is<00:02:03.840> income<00:02:04.200> adjusted
• > um<00:02:07.239> these<00:02:08.239> um<00:02:08.479> it is income adjusted
• so um these um it is income adjusted so um these um it phases<00:02:09.119> down<00:02:09.560

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee heard House File 1384, which would create the “Great Start Child Care Tax Credit” by expanding the existing dependent care credit for families with children under age six. The bill would raise the qualifying expense limits for young children, allow more children to qualify, and phase the credit down starting at $125,000 of earned household income until it reaches zero above roughly $400,000. The author said the proposal is intended to better address the high cost of child care, especially for middle-income families who may not qualify for other assistance programs. Claire Sanford of the Minnesota Child Care Association testified in support. She said child care providers across Minnesota have unused capacity because many families cannot afford services, and argued that making care cheaper for families is important for workforce participation and child development. She also supported the bill’s focus on children under five and its expansion of help up the income scale, saying middle-class families have received little assistance with child care costs. Members asked about how the bill differs from current law, the cap for a family with one child age five, and the fiscal impact. The author explained that a family with one child under age six would have a $10,000 cap under the proposal and said a prior fiscal note estimated the bill at about $200 million per year. The author also noted the proposal had been introduced previously and said the Department of Revenue’s new ability to make advance payments could be relevant as the bill moves forward. The author renewed the motion to re-refer HF 1384 to the Committee on Taxes. The committee approved the motion by voice vote, and the bill was sent to Taxes.

Transcript Highlights:

• However, the basic allotment has been adjusted by $55 or less than 1%.
• However, the basic allotment has been adjusted by $55 or less than 1%.
• Including ours, assuming that this adjustment receives the required approval.
• You have to adjust it. Obviously, there's unintended consequences.
• It shows our teacher pay in actual real numbers, adjusted for inflation.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When the Fast Track program was established in 2019, eligibility was limited to individuals with an adjusted
• When the Fast Track program was established in 2019, eligibility was limited to individuals with an adjusted
• I know we did a good amount of work in the House on some of that workforce diploma language and adjusting

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It hasn't been adjusted since 2008. We just adjusted it for inflation since then.
• amendment Would there be any benefit to sharing with the committee a bit more about some of the adjustments

Bills: HB2929, HB2956, HB2955, HB3128, HB3880, HB4294, HB2970, HB3338, HB3443, HB3783, HB3800, HB3818

Keywords: homeowner insurance, insurance premium, claim history, insurance regulation, at-fault claims, flood insurance, state law, consumer protection, appraisal management, Real Estate Appraiser Board, appraiser registration, background checks, ownership requirements, captive insurance, protected cell, sponsored captive, captive insurer, insurance commissioner, premium tax, dormant captive