Delaware 152nd General Assembly (2023-2024) Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 6 D · 1 R cosponsors

HB 49 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS AND EMPLOYER ASSESSMENTS.

Last action — Signed by Governor

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed House
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 13, 2023. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 98% · high confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 8 sponsors

    8 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (6 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

This Act provides post-pandemic related relief to both claimants receiving unemployment benefits and employers who are assessed unemployment taxes. This bill will increase the maximum weekly benefit amount payable to claimants seeking unemployment compensation benefits from the Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance from $400.00 a week to $450.00 a week. The funds necessary to pay the increased weekly benefit amounts will be paid from the Unemployment Trust Fund. Delaware currently pays unemployment claimants less per week in benefits than claimants are paid in each neighboring state. The maximum weekly benefit amount has not changed since 2019. The Governor’s agreement to allow federal pandemic funds to be used to replace the funds in the Unemployment Trust Fund that were depleted from the surge of pandemic related claims has made the Unemployment Trust Fund sufficiently solvent so as to allow the Department to offer unemployment tax relief measures to Delaware employers for a one-year period during calendar year 2023, at a time when employers continue to face post-pandemic rising economic challenges, supply chain problems, and difficultly in staffing. This Act will provide temporary relief to employers who pay unemployment tax assessments by reducing the new employer tax rates, reducing or holding constant overall employer tax rates, and reducing the maximum earned rate. This Act will also temporarily simplify the tax rate schedules that are used to calculate unemployment assessments paid by employers. The Department estimates that these unemployment tax assessment changes will reduce the tax obligation of employers an estimated $50 million in 2023. The various tax assessment relief provisions set forth in Sections 2 and 3 of this Act are retroactive to January 1, 2023 and are intended to be in effect for the full calendar year 2023.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Signed by Governor

  2. Passed By Senate. Votes: 16 YES 4 NO 1 ABSENT

  3. Lifted From Table in Senate

  4. Laid On Table in Senate

  5. Reported Out of Committee (Labor) in Senate with 5 Favorable

  6. Assigned to Labor Committee in Senate

  7. Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 2 ABSENT

  8. Reported Out of Committee (Labor) in House with 6 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits

  9. Reported Out of Committee (Labor) in House with 6 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits

  10. Reported Out of Committee (Labor) in House with 6 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits

  11. Introduced and Assigned to Labor Committee in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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8 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 54 not signed on · 3 voted No

Sponsors (8)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (54)

54 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 54 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

SM

Passed 16 Yea · 4 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 12001
Republican 2400
Unaffiliated 2000
Total 16401
% of votes cast 76%19%0%5%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Kyle Evans Gay — Yea
Sarah McBride — Yea
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
Darius J. Brown Democratic Yea
David P. Sokola Democratic Yea
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Yea
Kyra L. Hoffner Democratic Yea
Laura V. Sturgeon Democratic Yea
Marie Pinkney Democratic Not Voting
Nicole Poore Democratic Yea
Russell Huxtable Democratic Yea
S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic Yea
Spiros Mantzavinos Democratic Yea
Stephanie L. Hansen Democratic Yea
Trey Paradee Democratic Yea
Brian Pettyjohn Republican Nay
Bryant L. Richardson Republican Yea
Dave G. Lawson Republican Yea
David L. Wilson Republican Nay
Eric Buckson Republican Nay
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Nay

Official roll call →

SM

Passed 39 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 8000
Democratic 19001
Republican 12001
Total 39002
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Michael Ramone — Yea
Paul S. Baumbach — Yea
Peter C. Schwartzkopf — Yea
Ruth Briggs King — Yea
Sean Matthews — Yea
Sherry Dorsey Walker — Yea
Stell Parker Selby — Yea
Valerie Longhurst — Yea
Cyndie Romer Democratic Yea
DeShanna U Neal Democratic Yea
Debra Heffernan Democratic Yea
Edward S. Osienski Democratic Yea
Eric Morrison Democratic Yea
Franklin D. Cooke Democratic Yea
Kendra Johnson Democratic Not Voting
Kerri Evelyn Harris Democratic Yea
Kimberly Williams Democratic Yea
Krista Griffith Democratic Yea
Larry Lambert Democratic Yea
Madinah Wilson-Anton Democratic Yea
Melissa Minor-Brown Democratic Yea
Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha Democratic Yea
Sean M. Lynn Democratic Yea
Sherae'a Moore Democratic Yea
Sophie Phillips Democratic Yea
Stephanie T. Bolden Democratic Yea
William Bush Democratic Yea
William J. Carson Democratic Yea
Bryan W. Shupe Republican Yea
Charles S Postles Jr. Republican Yea
Daniel B. Short Republican Yea
Jeff Hilovsky Republican Yea
Jeffrey N. Spiegelman Republican Yea
Jesse R. Vanderwende Republican Yea
Kevin S Hensley Republican Yea
Lyndon D. Yearick Republican Yea
Michael F. Smith Republican Yea
Richard G. Collins Republican Not Voting
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

taxation labor
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Frequently asked questions

What does HB 49 do?
This Act provides post-pandemic related relief to both claimants receiving unemployment benefits and employers who are assessed unemployment taxes. This bill will increase the maximum weekly benefit amount payable to claimants seeking unemployment compensation benefits from the Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance from $400.00 a week to $450.00 a week. The funds necessary to pay the increased weekly benefit amounts will be paid from the Unemployment Trust Fund. Delaware currently pays unemployment claimants less per week in benefits than claimants are paid in each neighboring state. The maximum weekly benefit amount has not changed since 2019. The Governor’s agreement to allow federal pandemic funds to be used to replace the funds in the Unemployment Trust Fund that were depleted from the surge of pandemic related claims has made the Unemployment Trust Fund sufficiently solvent so as to allow the Department to offer unemployment tax relief measures to Delaware employers for a one-year period during calendar year 2023, at a time when employers continue to face post-pandemic rising economic challenges, supply chain problems, and difficultly in staffing. This Act will provide temporary relief to employers who pay unemployment tax assessments by reducing the new employer tax rates, reducing or holding constant overall employer tax rates, and reducing the maximum earned rate. This Act will also temporarily simplify the tax rate schedules that are used to calculate unemployment assessments paid by employers. The Department estimates that these unemployment tax assessment changes will reduce the tax obligation of employers an estimated $50 million in 2023. The various tax assessment relief provisions set forth in Sections 2 and 3 of this Act are retroactive to January 1, 2023 and are intended to be in effect for the full calendar year 2023.
Who sponsors HB 49?
HB 49 is sponsored by Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), Russell Huxtable (Democratic), William Bush (Democratic), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Edward S. Osienski (Democratic), and Peter C. Schwartzkopf.
What is the current status of HB 49?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 13, 2023. Enacted.
Where can I track HB 49?
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