FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | December 17, 2020
Delaware State Senate Majority Caucus
Contact: Scott Goss (302) 744-4180, or
Dylan McDowell (302) 744-4282
Delaware State Senate Majority Caucus
Contact: Scott Goss (302) 744-4180, or
Dylan McDowell (302) 744-4282
151st Delaware General Assembly will convene virtually
DOVER – In order to safeguard the health and welfare of legislators, staff, the public and all who participate in the legislative process, the Delaware General Assembly will convene its 151st session virtually next month, the leaders of the House and Senate announced today.
The first day of the new legislative session will be Tuesday, Jan. 12, in accordance with the Delaware Constitution. Representatives and Senators will gather in virtual meetings of their respective chambers to take their oaths of office, formally elect the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and adopt rules and procedures for conducting legislative business.
Opening day exercises will be live-streamed on the General Assembly’s YouTube channels. Committee meetings and sessions of the full House and Senate throughout January will also be conducted virtually and live-streamed, with provisions to facilitate public participation during committee meetings.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a brutal toll on families across Delaware, and after much discussion and deliberation, we determined that there was simply no way for the General Assembly to safely convene our new legislative session in person,” said House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf. “Nevertheless, the people of Delaware elected us to do a job, and when January 12 gets here, we intend to get to work considering bills, holding committee hearings, voting on legislation and doing all the things that the General Assembly is expected to do, just in a different format.
“One silver lining to all of this is that the public will have more access than ever before to the business of the Legislature. Throughout the entire history of the Delaware General Assembly, if you wanted to deliver a public comment during a committee meeting, you had to be in that room in Legislative Hall. If you wanted to watch a roll-call vote, you had to be in the House or Senate chamber. But now, every committee meeting we hold, every floor debate we have, and every vote we take will be streamed live online.”
The plan for virtual session was formulated and agreed upon by a bipartisan team of legislators and staff. Beyond January, this group will reevaluate the need for continuing to meet virtually, prioritizing health and safety and adhering to guidelines from public health experts.
“Starting the 151st General Assembly in a virtual format will not stop us from aggressively tackling the economic, public health, and racial justice issues the people of this state are facing on a daily basis,” Senate President Pro Tempore-Elect Dave Sokola said. “This pandemic has laid bare long-standing fractures in our society and we will not let the fact that we're unable to meet in person prevent us from making progress for Delawareans who can't afford to wait any longer.”
Until recently, Delaware law required the General Assembly to meet in person in Legislative Hall to conduct business. However, the Legislature amended the state Constitution in 2018 to allow for session to take place in alternative locations during an emergency.
In June of this year, the General Assembly successfully conducted business virtually and satisfied its Constitutional duties to prepare and pass the annual state budget bills, along with a small slate of urgent legislation and measures related to the pandemic. The inclusion of committee hearings in the Legislature’s virtual meeting plan will allow for consideration of a more robust agenda moving forward.
The rules of each chamber, which are adopted at the outset of every legislative session, will contain new provisions that will ensure virtual sessions and committee meetings are conducted in an orderly and transparent manner. The rules will spell out requirements for the printing of legislation and for affixing legislators’ signatures to bills and committee reports when needed. The procedures will also include a method to verify the identity of each legislator and ensure they are able to participate in virtual session, as well as codify a means for the public to observe and participate in legislative proceedings.
Further details, such as meeting dates and times, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Meetings of the Joint Finance Committee, which traditionally take place in February and March, will be announced at a future date.
Legislative Hall will remain closed to the public.
The first day of the new legislative session will be Tuesday, Jan. 12, in accordance with the Delaware Constitution. Representatives and Senators will gather in virtual meetings of their respective chambers to take their oaths of office, formally elect the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and adopt rules and procedures for conducting legislative business.
Opening day exercises will be live-streamed on the General Assembly’s YouTube channels. Committee meetings and sessions of the full House and Senate throughout January will also be conducted virtually and live-streamed, with provisions to facilitate public participation during committee meetings.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a brutal toll on families across Delaware, and after much discussion and deliberation, we determined that there was simply no way for the General Assembly to safely convene our new legislative session in person,” said House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf. “Nevertheless, the people of Delaware elected us to do a job, and when January 12 gets here, we intend to get to work considering bills, holding committee hearings, voting on legislation and doing all the things that the General Assembly is expected to do, just in a different format.
“One silver lining to all of this is that the public will have more access than ever before to the business of the Legislature. Throughout the entire history of the Delaware General Assembly, if you wanted to deliver a public comment during a committee meeting, you had to be in that room in Legislative Hall. If you wanted to watch a roll-call vote, you had to be in the House or Senate chamber. But now, every committee meeting we hold, every floor debate we have, and every vote we take will be streamed live online.”
The plan for virtual session was formulated and agreed upon by a bipartisan team of legislators and staff. Beyond January, this group will reevaluate the need for continuing to meet virtually, prioritizing health and safety and adhering to guidelines from public health experts.
“Starting the 151st General Assembly in a virtual format will not stop us from aggressively tackling the economic, public health, and racial justice issues the people of this state are facing on a daily basis,” Senate President Pro Tempore-Elect Dave Sokola said. “This pandemic has laid bare long-standing fractures in our society and we will not let the fact that we're unable to meet in person prevent us from making progress for Delawareans who can't afford to wait any longer.”
Until recently, Delaware law required the General Assembly to meet in person in Legislative Hall to conduct business. However, the Legislature amended the state Constitution in 2018 to allow for session to take place in alternative locations during an emergency.
In June of this year, the General Assembly successfully conducted business virtually and satisfied its Constitutional duties to prepare and pass the annual state budget bills, along with a small slate of urgent legislation and measures related to the pandemic. The inclusion of committee hearings in the Legislature’s virtual meeting plan will allow for consideration of a more robust agenda moving forward.
The rules of each chamber, which are adopted at the outset of every legislative session, will contain new provisions that will ensure virtual sessions and committee meetings are conducted in an orderly and transparent manner. The rules will spell out requirements for the printing of legislation and for affixing legislators’ signatures to bills and committee reports when needed. The procedures will also include a method to verify the identity of each legislator and ensure they are able to participate in virtual session, as well as codify a means for the public to observe and participate in legislative proceedings.
Further details, such as meeting dates and times, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Meetings of the Joint Finance Committee, which traditionally take place in February and March, will be announced at a future date.
Legislative Hall will remain closed to the public.
###
Press Contacts
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
scott.goss@delaware.gov
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
dylan.mcdowell@delaware.gov
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
scott.goss@delaware.gov
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
dylan.mcdowell@delaware.gov