Newark Post | by Staff and Wire Reports Democratic lawmakers in Delaware are proposing several new tax brackets that would result in higher-income individuals paying more to the state’s coffers. “This bill is intended to ensure a more fair and equitable progressive tax structure that is sustainable and not overly burdensome to any category of earners,” said Rep. John Kowalko, of Newark, who is sponsoring the bill. “It has been carefully calculated to apply a minimal amount of tax increases while ensuring a sustainable revenue source in future economic downturns.” […]

Delaware Public Media | by Roman Battaglia One lawmaker’s push to change Delaware’s tax brackets may be gaining some traction. Delaware’s current taxable income brackets only go as high as $60,000, which State Rep. John Kowalko (D-Newark South) says is too low compared to other states. His proposal would add new brackets at $125,000, $250,000 and $500,000 of taxable income. “It’s to ensure stability, it’s to ensure a little more equitable, certainly to ensure a more fair collection of necessary revenue,” Kowalko said. With no sales taxes and relatively low […]

Delaware State News | by Matt Bittle Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday filed legislation that would raise income taxes for the state’s top earners. House Bill 64 would create three new income tax brackets that would affect only people who make at least $125,000 a year. Delaware currently has six personal income tax brackets, with the top one imposing a rate of 6.6% on all income of more than $60,000. The bill would tax income from $125,001 to $250,000 at 7.1%, $250,001 to $500,000 at 7.85% and above $500,000 at 8.6%. […]

Delaware State News | by Newsroom Staff DOVER — Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Monday that manufactured-home owners in disputes with their community owners will be eligible for free legal representation by the nonprofit Delaware Community Legal Aid Society Inc. under a contract it entered with the Delaware Department of Justice. The contract is made possible by a dedicated attorney fund established by the General Assembly and funded by a 50-cent portion of an existing monthly assessment paid by manufactured-home owners. The contract provides for quality legal representation to those […]

Dover Post | by Delaware News Desk Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Jan. 4 that manufactured home owners in disputes with their community owners will be eligible for free legal representation by the nonprofit Delaware Community Legal Aid Society Inc., under a contract it entered with the Delaware Department of Justice. “Constituents in all three counties have called for this kind of resource for years,” said Jennings. “This is a hard-fought victory for the more than 20,000 home owners in Delaware’s manufactured home communities, many of whom live on […]

Newark Post | by Josh Shannon & Jacob Took In the two most-closely watched local legislative races, Republicans Michael Smith and Michael Ramone both overcame deficits in party registration to hold onto their seats in increasingly Democratic districts. Smith won 63 percent of the vote, while retired engineer and business owner Luann D’Agostino won 37 percent – a difference of nearly 4,000 votes. That’s a dramatic improvement over 2018, when he surpassed a different Democratic opponent by just 140 votes. The district encompasses an area to the northeast of Newark, […]

Delaware Public Media | by Larry Nagengast A settlement was announced Monday in the high-profile lawsuit filed by NAACP, ACLU and other education advocates seeking to overhaul Delaware’s school funding system to better assist disadvantaged students. Contributor Larry Nagengast has been covering this case and the issues associated for some time now – and this week examines the settlement itself and what it means. It’s a big deal, but it’s not a done deal, and it’s not the whole deal either. That’s the one-sentence summary of the settlement agreement announced […]

Delaware Public Media | by Sophia Schmidt Local 152 joined the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) national day of action Tuesday to draw attention to changes under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Local APWU officials have reported delivery delays they say are the result of the decommissioning of several sorting machines at Delaware’s sole mail processing center and limits on employee overtime and transportation runs. “We want to do the job that we have done all our careers and provide a service to our customers but we have outside forces that […]

Jacobin | by Indigo Olivoer Jess Scarane is a thirty-five-year-old Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member running for Senate in Delaware against Democratic incumbent Chris Coons. Scarane is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All, Housing for All, a Green New Deal, criminal justice reform, and strengthening the labor movement. She has been endorsed by Brand New Congress, the Working Families Party, 350 Action, the local Sunrise Movement hub, and Rep. John Kowalko (D-DE). If elected, Scarane would be the first woman senator from Delaware and the first […]