Committee meetings are required responsibilities

August 25, 2026

State Senator Bryant Richardson

Last week I mentioned my reappointment as a member of the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium.

This week I have a new appointment to discuss. I will be serving as a member of the Property Tax Relief & Modernization Working Group.

Some of the other members of the Group are Senator Russell Huxtable and Janelle Cornwell, AICP, DE League of Local Governments

Huxtable, Senate Majority Caucus member, will serve as co-chair. The Property Tax Relief & Modernization Working Group was created through House Concurrent Resolution 151 (HCR).

Synopsis of HCR 151

The Property Tax Relief and Modernization Working Group will examine potential long-term reforms to Delaware’s property tax system following statewide reassessment efforts completed in 2024 and 2025.

The Working Group will evaluate policy approaches utilized in other states, including homestead exemptions, circuit breaker programs, property tax stabilization measures, differentiated taxation approaches, assessment caps, and other taxpayer protection mechanisms, while considering impacts on local government and school district fiscal stability.

The Working Group will examine the fiscal, legal, administrative, and economic implications of such reforms and produce recommendations and draft legislative language for consideration by the 154th General Assembly.

I hope the Property Tax Relief and Modernization Working Group will come up with affordable solutions for homeowners and businesses.

Meetings start in September and will be held on every other Monday for a few months.

I’ll report on the Working Group’s activities in future columns.

______________________________________________________________

Since becoming a member of the Delaware Senate, I have served on more than a dozen committees, task forces commissions and at least one consortium.

My current responsibilities include membership on the following committees:

• Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology

• Capital Improvement (Bond)

• Elections & Government Affairs

• Judiciary

• Labor

• Legislative Oversight

• Veterans Affairs

Other memberships include the:

• Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council

• Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium

• Domestic Violence Coordinating Council

• Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission

I’ve served on three task forces. The most recent was the Nuclear Energy Feasibility Task Force.

One of the recommendations of the Task Force states:

Delaware should develop energy statutes and implement regulations to facilitate consideration of nuclear generation, including Small Modular Reactors, as a permissible in-state or contracted resource, while ensuring consistency with federal preemption over radiological safety.

In other words, Delaware should take a serious look into the possibility of nuclear generation for future energy needs.

EDGE Grant Competition

Applications are now being accepted for the state’s EDGE Grant Competition. The deadline is September 11.

EDGE stands for Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion.

Small business owners can apply for the opportunity to pitch their ideas to an expert panel of judges and earn a piece of $1.15 million.

Businesses must be Delaware-based, have been in operation for less than seven years, and have 15 or fewer full-time employees. Those who have not yet started their business are also eligible to apply.

Visit de.gov/edge for information on how to apply.