The United States Department of Agriculture runs a voluntary program that provides risk management coverage to dairy producers that pays out based on the difference between the national price of milk and the average cost of feed. This Act enables the Delaware Department of Agriculture, subject to the availability of funding, to reimburse eligible dairy operators in the state for the cost of the premium to enroll in the USDA program.
This Act establishes the Delaware Agricultural Production Assistance Program. The Program will provide a subsidy of up to 30% of the premium for eligible producers’ multi-peril crop insurance premium, or whole farm revenue protection premium up to a maximum of $10.00 per acre. The subsidy would be directly paid by the Delaware Department of Agriculture to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation on behalf of Delaware eligible producers. The Department would administer the Program. The Act requires the Department to provide an annual Report to the Chairs of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.
This House Substitute bill eliminates any reference to § 4137 in Title 11 since it will remain as a separate section in the Delaware Code. This House Substitute requires all public schools to offer only students who qualify for a reduced-price meal, under the federal School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program, a free breakfast and lunch every school day. This House Substitute also eliminates a requirement that all schools and local education agencies, who qualify, must participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, under 42 U.S.C. §1759a (a)(1)(F) since there is no such federal mandate. This Act also removes the requirement that a parent or guardian for each student complete a household income form since that requirement is already set forth in this title. This Substitute bill also removes the delayed effective date. This Act will take effect beginning the school year following its enactment.
This Act moves the Office of Medical Marijuana, which is currently under the Department of Health and Social Services to the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Under this Act, the Marijuana Commissioner, rather than DHSS, will be responsible for administering the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act, which includes the following tasks: (1) Registration and certification of safety compliance facilities and compassion centers; (2) Issuance of registry identification cards; (3) Registration of qualifying patients and designated caregivers; and (4) Updating rules and regulations under the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act.
This Act makes changes to nonacademic training requirements for school district and charter school personnel to help ensure that mandatory trainings are relevant to student needs and based on best practices. While nonacademic mandatory trainings are essential to addressing critical issues facing Delaware students, school personnel have expressed concerns related to the time burden and relevance of required trainings. Streamlining and modernizing such trainings could enhance their effectiveness and allow school personnel to spend more time meeting the needs of students. To that end, this Act makes the following changes to nonacademic training requirements for school district and charter school personnel: (1) School bullying prevention and criminal youth gang detection training hours are reduced from 3 hours every 3 years to 1 hour every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment. (2) Suicide prevention training hours are reduced from 4½ hours every 3 years to 3 hours every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment. (3) Teen dating violence and sexual assault training hours for school administrators, nurses, and counselors serving students in grades 7 through 12 are reduced from 2 hours every 3 years to 1 hour every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment. This Act also directs the entities that developed these trainings to work in collaboration with the Department of Education (“the Department”) to review mandatory training programs every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the programs as necessary to ensure that they are relevant to student needs and consistent with best practices. The Department is also responsible under the Act for developing regulations that create a schedule for all trainings under § 4162 of Title 14. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 differs from Senate Bill No. 304 in that it requires the entities that developed the trainings to work in collaboration with the Department to review and potentially update the trainings. In contrast, Senate Bill. No. 304 would require the Department to take the lead in revising and updating trainings in consultation with these other entities. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 also adds an effective date for § 4163 of Title 14 at line 31, to reflect a recent change to the effective date of the statute. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 makes minor technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act creates a temporary conversion license for existing medical marijuana compassion centers to operate for recreational marijuana purposes, and sets forth requirements to obtain a conversion license and to operate under such a license. This Act also specifies that conversion licenses may not be issued after November 1, 2024 and expire after 48 months, at which time the license may be renewed as an open license.
This Act establishes an application process, policies, procedures, operational instructions, and requirements for licensed transporters to obtain and use transporter license plates when transporting vehicles. This Act requires a greater-than-majority vote for passage because Article VIII, § 11 of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of 3/5 of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly when a new tax or license fee is imposed.
This Act defines a Unique vehicle as one not manufactured to meet all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) in effect for the model year in which it was manufactured or which does not meet the requirements of the Division of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) emissions inspection program. It identifies the requirements for those vehicles to be titled, registered, and branded for operation within this State.
The purpose of this Act is to reduce the cost to the State in addressing ownership of land encumbered by public right-of-way permanent easements when the land has been abandoned by a prior owner and a current owner cannot be located. This Act will allow the Department, in the name of the State, to obtain fee simple ownership of land encumbered by right-of-ways, previously conveyed to the Department by permanent easement, when such right-of-ways are part of a current Department project. This Act requires the Department to promulgate regulations to establish the procedures for establishing that the land has been abandoned and for recording its fee simple ownership of the land.
This Act creates a background special license plate for the United Way of Delaware Pride Council. A background special license plate supports a cause and is available for purchase by the public at large, including members of the organization. The numbers, letters, or both, assigned will be the same as the license plate assigned to the owner’s vehicle at the time of the application for the plate. This Act requires a greater-than-majority vote for passage because Article VIII, § 11 of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of 3/5 of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly when a new tax or license fee is imposed.
This Act creates the Affordable Housing Production Task Force (“Task Force”). The purpose and mission of the Task Force is to investigate and make findings and rcommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on how the State and local governments can increase the production of affordable rental units and homes in Delaware. The Task Force shall consist of 20 members some appointed by the Governor, some appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, some appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and some will serve as a member by virtue of their official position. The Co-Chairs of the Task Force will be (1) the member of the Delaware Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, (2) the member of the Delaware House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and (3) the Director of the Delaware State Housing Authority. The Task Force must create, at a minimum, the following Sub-Committees: (1) Regulating and Permitting, (2) Finance and Development, (3) Construction, (4) Manufactured Housing, (5) Community Focus Groups. The Chairs of the Sub-Committees must be members of the Task Force but the members of the Sub-Committees do not have to be on the Task Force. A Sub-Committee may have a maximum of 9 members. This Act establishes the duties and responsibilities of the Co-Chairs of the Task Force and the requirements that will govern the administration of the Task Force. The first meeting of the Task Force must be held no later than 60 days after enactment of this Act. The Task Force must provide its Final Report by March 1, 2025. This Task Force will expire on the date it submits its Final Report unless its existence is continued by a subsequent act of the General Assembly.
This Act makes technical changes and updates to the Delaware workplace safety program. Under current law, qualifying employers who pay $3,161 or more in annual workers' compensation premiums may be eligible for lower insurance premiums under the workplace safety program. The Act changes that criteria to employers who currently qualify for the uniform experience rating plan as approved by the Insurance Commissioner or who otherwise qualify for the program pursuant to parameters set by the Insurance Commissioner by regulation. In addition, the Act provides that in determining safety credits for a qualified employer that was not experience-rated in the policy period expiring immediately prior to application of the safety credit, the formula for calculating safety credits will incorporate amounts determined by the Insurance Commissioner by regulation.
