Rep. Kendra Johnson

The environment that you live in can have a big impact on your health and wellbeing, that’s one of the reasons why my colleagues and I have made protecting it a top priority.

HB 210, the Pollution Accountability Act, significantly increased penalties for commercial pollution violations and requires that 40% of those penalties (formerly 25%) are reinvested in our impacted communities. This bill ensures that bad actors are not only kept in check, but required to make meaningful efforts to remedy the harm they’ve caused to our vulnerable populations.

In Delaware we value our veterans, and believe that they deserve top-of-the-line assistance and expert care that reflects the sacrifices that they have made for our country.

That’s why the first bill introduced in the House this General Assembly was HB 1, which established a dedicated Department of Veterans Affairs and a cabinet-level Secretary to oversee its work.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, led by retired Brigadier General Karen Berry, is working to address veterans’ healthcare needs more effectively, improve access to benefits, and advocate for veterans holistically, both at the state and federal level.

Everyone should have access to safe and affordable housing, and we have been hard at work this General Assembly to make that a reality.

House Democrats led several efforts through the House to improve the state of housing and bring us closer to an affordable future for everyone. Recognizing that this is a topic that requires constant updates and close communication with stakeholders, the House passed HCR 74 this session to establish the Housing Department Task Force. And in an effort to create long-term solutions to this important issue, we also passed SB 23, which requires counties and municipalities to develop detailed affordable housing plans to guide future development decisions

Meanwhile, we also passed a handful of bills like SB 116, SB 150, and HB 217, which have made it easier for renters and potential homeowners to acquire and remain in the housing they need.

With rising gas prices, grocery bills, and utility costs, affordability is at the top of everyone’s minds. We are committed to creating and providing the necessary support that everyday families need to stay focused on what matters: each other.

If there’s one thing everyone in New Castle County can agree on, it’s that no one wants the next reassessment to go like the last one did.

That’s why I was proud to support legislation like HCR 150 and HCR 151.

HCR 150 established a statewide Property Assessment Working Group that is responsible for studying the most widely-used assessment and appraisal standards in the world, including those published by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), to understand the best benchmarks for assessment accuracy, uniformity, transparency, and administrative practice in mass appraisal.

The group will also look at the frameworks of other states that have adopted IAAO standards to develop recommendations, in the form of draft legislation, establishing Delaware's own quality benchmarks and operational requirements, consistent with the highest standards.

HCR 151 created the Property Tax Relief and Modernization Working Group, which is tasked with examining relief measures and long-term reforms to Delaware’s property tax laws. This group is required to study and evaluate a range of policy approaches used in other states, including the potential impact of those policies on the financial security of school districts and local governments.

Together, these two working groups will help the General Assembly draft the best possible legislation to ensure that Delaware’s property reassessments in every county run smoothly every 5 years.

New Castle County property owners submitted over 5,300 appeals to the county in 2025, resulting in $3.8 million in tax refunds going back to residents. That’s a testament to the fact that there were significant issues with the county’s first property tax reassessment in nearly 40 years.

One of the largest discrepancies was in how residential and non-residential properties were assessed, leading to millions of dollars in lost taxes, and placing more of a burden on homeowners. One of the most impactful solutions to this problem was SB 228, legislation that I was happy to support.

SB 228 granted authority to New Castle County to conduct a quality control review of non-residential properties to ensure they were accurately assessed, and to make corrections if they were not.

50 non-residential properties were selected to undergo these reviews, and of those that have been completed, the corrected values are astronomically different. One property’s assessed value even increased by over $60 million!

By mid-November, when updated bills go out, those property owners will be expected to pay their fair share.

The best event of the year is almost here! Make sure to come out for the Bear Public Library Fall Festival next Saturday from 12 to 3 pm. 🍂

We are SO excited for you to join us for the Bear Library's 5th Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 3rd from 12-3 PM! You don't want to miss FREE pumpkin painting, a petting zoo, giant slide, STEM activities, live music, community partners and so much MORE!

Plus - enjoy festive foods from local food trucks!

We'll see you then!

-Your Friends from the Bear Library

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has announced that Salem Church Road will be closed, in both directions, between US 40 and Cornell Drive until October 7 for the completion of the Salem Church Road roundabout.

Motorists are encouraged to allow extra travel time, follow the posted detour, and use caution while traveling through the area. Construction is weather-dependent.

For more information, please visit bit.ly/4Av1yYk.

Late last spring, almost as soon as New Castle County property owners began receiving their first tax bills since the reassessment, they quickly noticed that something wasn’t right - and many reached out to their state representatives for help.

In August of last year, we convened a special session to provide immediate relief to residents. HB 240, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, and HB 241, sponsored by Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha, were two pieces of legislation to come out of that session.

Together, the measures allowed residents who overpaid their tax bill by $50 or more to receive a direct refund and required counties to offer a payment plan for residents whose bills jumped by $300 or more after reassessment.

These bills were important early steps toward providing relief to residents as the bipartisan reassessment committee worked to identify longer-term solutions and improvements to Delaware’s property assessment system.

Every year, Delaware schools issue tax warrants to the counties they are located in. These warrants give the county the authority to collect taxes at a rate set by each school district on behalf of each school district. This shows up in your annual county tax bill alongside your property taxes.

HB 242 was a response to an issue with New Castle County’s reassessment, which led to widespread reports that non-residential properties were underassessed, while residential properties were overassessed. Under this legislation, any school district located in New Castle County could reset its tax rates for the 2025-2026 tax year and reissue a tax warrant using different tax rates for residential and non-residential property. The non-residential tax rate had to be at least equal to the residential tax rate and could not be more than two times the residential tax rate. This helped to shift some of the undue financial burden from property owners.

HB 462 continues the authority for school districts in New Castle County to set different tax rates for residential and non-residential properties. However, under HB 462, non-residential tax rates must be at least equal to the residential tax rates and cannot be more than 1.85 times the residential tax rate.

I was proud to support these pieces of legislation. Without them, New Castle County residents who saw their property values skyrocket would have also seen their school tax bills skyrocket, while non-residential properties, like Amazon’s 5-story high and 640,000 sq ft Boxwood distribution facility that saw its property taxes go down during the reassessment, would only get more tax reductions.

The Public Service Commission will be hosting a public comment session this Wednesday, September 23 on Delmarva Power’s application to increase electric base rates.

Delawareans are welcome to participate and share their views on the application. For additional information and case documents, visit the PSC website: depsc.delaware.gov

Attend In Person:
Delaware Public Service Commission
861 Silver Lake Boulevard, Suite 100
Dover, DE 19904

Attend Virtually:
https://bit.ly/4A7PFHC