Delaware House adopts rules for bills and members’ conduct

The Speaker assigns bills and resolutions to committees and sets the House agenda. Committee assignment covers House bills and resolutions. The reading rule covers bills and joint resolutions. A majority of elected House members may waive the two-day reading rule. It also does not apply when qualifying measures are voted on together. The House cannot consider a bill or joint resolution for passage on the day a committee reports it or without its main sponsor’s written consent when that sponsor is absent. The two readings must occur on different session days before House passage, unless an exception applies.

House committees generally meet in public, and standing committees make time for public testimony when reviewing assigned measures. The public meeting rule covers House committees. The testimony rule covers standing committees reviewing assigned measures. Joint committee bills and resolutions are exempt from this review process if they start in the House or start in the Senate and have not been amended there. Measures pulled from committee early can also skip it. Chairs may limit testimony or hold closed sessions for allowed reasons, with no final action there. A committee majority may waive the open-meeting rule.

House and Senate members and General Assembly staff may file formal complaints about harassment they believe they experienced from a House member. The rule covers sexual harassment and workplace harassment based on protected traits such as race, sex, or disability. A formal complaint must be written. The Speaker must ask the Ethics Committee to investigate, or the Majority Leader must do so if the Speaker is accused. A formal complaint may be filed within one year of the harassment.

The House and named legislative committees may meet and vote online during an emergency after both legislative leaders issue public notice. The notice covers the House and the legislative committees it names. Remote members count as present and may vote. The House Speaker and the Senate’s presiding officer must issue the public notice. The public must normally be able to follow the meeting and see its materials, but a technical failure that blocks access does not invalidate the meeting. The joint notice remains valid until both leaders rescind it.