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Council hears state legislative update on tax changes, gun-permit law and marijuana rules
Summary
A council member briefed Bethany Beach officials on recent Delaware actions: the legislature decoupled parts of the state tax code from federal rules to address projected revenue shortfalls; a new handgun permit-and-training law briefly took effect after a court denied an injunction but faces repeal; and Sussex County narrowed a prior three-mile buffer on retail marijuana shops to a smaller radius in some cases.
Council member Rich delivered a legislative briefing to the Bethany Beach Town Council summarizing several recent state actions that could affect local residents.
Rich said the General Assembly took action to address what had been projected as a large revenue shortfall tied to business tax deductions, explaining that lawmakers “elected to decouple the state code from the uh federal code, Internal Revenue Code” to avoid a long-term hit to state coffers. He described the change as focused on depreciation and research-and-development provisions and said the governor signed the measure the same day it reached his desk.
On public-safety policy, Rich said the assembly’s handgun permit-and-training law — which would require permits and a safety training program for handgun purchases, with fingerprinting — briefly became effective after a court declined a request for injunctive relief. He said repeal of the law is already planned and that legal challenges could continue. “It is in effect now, at least for the moment,” he said.
Rich also summarized recent changes affecting marijuana retail siting in Sussex County: a prior rule that barred retail shops within three miles of any municipality was modified to allow some retail locations within roughly a half-mile in limited circumstances, subject to municipal objections. Rich said the local practical effect may be limited in tightly spaced shore towns but that the change is a material loosening of prior restraints.
Finally, Rich described a proposal announced by the governor for a major, multi‑million‑dollar grant program to help create a medical school in the state, noting the administration has contracted with Thomas Jefferson University as a partner; details about location and any enabling legislation remain to be determined.
The report provided council members with context for state-level changes they may be asked to respond to in coming months. No formal council action on the legislative items was taken at the meeting.
