Delaware House of Representatives

Last updated

Delaware House of Representatives
Delaware General Assembly
Seal of Delaware.svg
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 10, 2023
Leadership
Speaker
Vacant
since November 5, 2024
Majority Leader
Melissa Minor-Brown (D)
since June 30, 2023
Minority Leader
vacant
since November 5, 2024
Structure
Seats41
House of Representatives diagram 2014 State of Delaware.svg
Political groups
Majority
  •   Democratic (26)

Minority

Length of term
2 years
AuthorityArticle III, Section 1, Delaware Constitution
Salary$48,237/year. [1]
Elections
Last election
November 8, 2022
(41 seats)
Next election
November 5, 2024
(41 seats)
RedistrictingLegislative Control
Meeting place
DE State House.jpg
House of Representatives Chamber
Delaware Legislative Hall
Dover, Delaware
Website
Delaware House of Representatives

The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is elected to a two-year term. Its members are not subject to term limits, and their terms start the day after the election. [2] The House meets at the Delaware Legislative Hall in Dover.

Contents

Name

From 1776 to 1792, the chamber was known as the House of Assembly, a common name for lower houses of colonial legislatures and states under the Confederation. The name was changed by Delaware's 1792 Constitution, reflecting the new federal House of Representatives. This change on the part of Delaware initiated a movement that has resulted in a majority of the lower houses of U.S. state legislatures sharing the name of the federal House of Representatives.

Leadership

The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. The Speaker is the chief leadership position of the body. The other House leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses. The Majority Leader determines which bills are brought to the floor for debate from an Agenda prepared by the Speaker of the House and manages debates and floor votes.

Terry Spence (R) was the longest serving speaker in the history of the Delaware General Assembly. Valerie Longhurst was the first woman to serve as speaker and Melissa Minor-Brown, currently speaker-elect, would be the first Black woman in the role. [3]

OfficeRepresentativePartyDistrict
Speaker of the House Melissa Minor-Brown (elect)Democratic14
Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris (elect)Democratic15
Majority Whip Edward Osienski (elect)Democratic32
Minority Leader Timothy Dukes (elect)Republican21
Minority Whip Jeffrey Spiegelman (elect)Republican34

Qualifications

Members of the House of Representatives must be citizens of the United States, have lived in Delaware for three years, been a resident of their constituent district for at least one year preceding their election, and must be at least 24 years old by the time of their election.

Current composition

2615
DemocraticRepublican
AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Republican Vacant
November 7, 2018 [4] 2615410
Current2615410
Latest voting share

Current members

DistrictNamePartySinceResidenceCounty
1 Nnamdi Chukwuocha Democratic2018 Wilmington New Castle
2 Stephanie Bolden Democratic2010 Wilmington New Castle
3 Sherry Dorsey Walker Democratic2018 Wilmington New Castle
4 Jeff Hilovsky Republican2022 Long Neck Sussex
5 Kendra Johnson Democratic2018 New Castle New Castle
6 Debra Heffernan Democratic2010 Wilmington New Castle
7 Larry Lambert Democratic2020 Claymont New Castle
8 Sherae'a Moore Democratic2020 Middletown New Castle
9 Kevin Hensley Republican2014 Townsend New Castle
10 Sean Matthews Democratic2014 Wilmington New Castle
11 Jeffrey Spiegelman Republican2012 Clayton Kent, New Castle
12 Krista Griffith Democratic2018 Wilmington New Castle
13 DeShanna Neal Democratic2022 Wilmington New Castle
14 Claire Snyder-Hall Democratic2024 Rehoboth Beach Sussex
15 Kamela Smith Democratic2024 Bear New Castle
16 Franklin Cooke Jr. Democratic2018 Wilmington New Castle
17 Melissa Minor-Brown Democratic2018 New Castle New Castle
18 Sophie Phillips Democratic2022 New Castle
19 Kimberly Williams Democratic2012 Wilmington New Castle
20 Stell Selby Democratic2022 Milton Sussex
21 Frank Burns Democratic2024 Newark New Castle
22 Michael Smith Republican2018 Newark New Castle
23 Paul Baumbach Democratic2012 Newark New Castle
24 Edward Osienski Democratic2010 Newark New Castle
25 Cyndie Romer Democratic2022 Newark New Castle
26 Madinah Wilson-Anton Democratic2020 Newark New Castle
27 Eric Morrison Democratic2020 Newark New Castle
28 William Carson Jr. Democratic2007 Smyrna Kent
29 William Bush IV Democratic2018 Camden Kent
30 Shannon Morris Republican2018 Camden Kent
31 Sean Lynn Democratic2014 Dover Kent
32 Kerri Evelyn Harris Democratic2022 Dover Kent
33 Charles Postles Jr. Republican2016 Milford Kent
34 Lyndon Yearick Republican2014 Magnolia Kent
35 Jesse Vanderwende Republican2018 Bridgeville Sussex
36 Bryan Shupe Republican2018 Milford Sussex
37 Valerie Jones Giltner Republican2024 Georgetown Sussex
38 Ronald Gray Republican2012 Selbyville Sussex
39 Daniel Short Republican2006 Seaford Sussex
40 Timothy Dukes Republican2012 Laurel Sussex
41 Richard Collins Republican2014 Millsboro Sussex

Past composition of the House of Representatives

See also

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References

  1. "2022 Legislator Compensation". ncsl.org. National Conference of State Legislatures.
  2. "Delaware Constitution". delcode.delaware.gov. State of Delaware. Schedule, section 4.
  3. "Delaware House, Senate pick leadership". WDEL (AM) . November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  4. Delaware legislators' terms begin the second Wednesday in November (i.e. the day after Election Day), even though they are not sworn in until January. Constitution of Delaware, Article II, Section 3