Delaware Bills

in committee · Delaware · Senate May 20, 2024

SB 310: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 25 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MANUFACTURED HOME TITLE TRANSFERS.

This Act updates the procedures governing the transfer of a manufactured home located in a manufactured home community in order to provide a clearer process and reduce ambiguities that allowed some community owners to prevent the transfer of a lease or a home as well as prevent family members from inheriting the investment made by a deceased family member in a home.

signed · Delaware · Senate May 16, 2024

SB 2: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11, TITLE 24, AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DEADLY WEAPONS.

This Act is a substitute for Senate Bill No. 2. Like Senate Bill No. 2 this Act does all of the following: (1) Creates an application process to obtain a handgun qualified purchaser permit to authorize the purchase of a handgun. While an applicant will incur costs related to fingerprinting and required training, a fee will not be charged to obtain the permit. A holder of a valid concealed carry permit, a qualified law-enforcement officer, and a qualified retired law-enforcement officer are not required to obtain or present a handgun qualified purchaser permit. (2) Prohibits a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, as well as unlicensed persons, from selling or transferring a handgun to an individual unless the individual has a handgun qualified purchaser permit. (3) Requires that an applicant complete a firearms training course within 5 years before the date of application, similar to what is required by Delaware’s concealed carry permit law. (4) Makes clear that § 904A of Title 24 is not intended to prohibit law-enforcement officials from keeping records. (5) Requires the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to develop and administer a firearms training voucher program for low-income residents to provide low-income residents with a voucher to cover the costs of the firearms training course required under Section 1 of this Act. (6) Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Act differs from Senate Bill No. 2 as follows: (1) By increasing the time a handgun qualified purchaser permit is valid from 180 days to 1 year. (2) By requiring the Superior Court to schedule the de novo hearing within 15 days of the filing of the appeal rather than to hold the hearing within 21 days of the filing of the appeal. (3) By extending the implementation timeline of Sections 1 and 5 of this Act from a maximum of 6 months from the date of the Act’s enactment to a maximum of 18 months from the date of the Act’s enactment.

signed · Delaware · Senate May 16, 2024

SB 159: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE BLOOD BANK.

This Act removes membership with the Blood Bank of Delaware as a recognized benefit by the State due to changes in policies in how hospitals and insurance companies bill for blood replacement and blood replacement procedures.

passed both · Delaware · House May 16, 2024

HCR 135: RECOGNIZING MAY 16, 2024, AS ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY, INCORPORATED DAY.

This bill designates May 16, 2024, as Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated Day in Delaware to honor the organization's history and its mission of promoting scholarship, service, and social justice. The resolution acknowledges the sorority's founding principles and its extensive work in advocating for community upliftment, including initiatives focused on social, health, and economic equity. By officially recognizing this date, the legislation highlights the group's contributions and encourages awareness of its advocacy efforts within the state.

in committee · Delaware · House May 16, 2024

HB 292: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REVIEW OF CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES.

This Act requires the Department of Elections to review every political committee’s contribution and expense report and to note the report, on the Department’s website, as either “Submitted but Not Reviewed” or “Reviewed and Final”. If the Department discovers any violations of this chapter, it must work with the candidate to rectify the violations. Once the violations are corrected and the candidate submits an amended report the report’s status shall be updated on the Department’s website and clearly marked as “Reviewed and Final”. This Act will apply to all contribution and expense reports submitted after February 1, 2025.

passed both · Delaware · Senate May 16, 2024

SCR 166: MARKING MAY 17, 2024, AS THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF TOPEKA, AND COMMEMORATING DELAWARE’S PART IN THAT LANDMARK CASE.

This resolution marks May 17, 2024, as the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case and honors the courage and fortitude of all who sparked the action leading to the Bulah v. Gebhart and Belton v. Gebhart cases in Delaware. It also recognizes that the work against institutional racism must be continued by all Delawareans.

signed · Delaware · House May 16, 2024

HB 162: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 9, 12, 16, 24, AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO HUMAN REMAINS.

House Bill 162 authorizes the process of natural organic reduction to be used in this State. Natural organic reduction is the gentle, respectful process that accelerates the decomposition of human remains to soil. This process uses large vessels to hold human remains together with straw, wood chips, or other natural materials for about 30 days. The human remains and organic materials, mixed together with warm air, are periodically turned and the process eventually results in reduction of the human remains to a soil material that can then be provided to the deceased individual's family. Natural organic reduction is considered a more eco-friendly cremation alternative, forgoing the usage of formaldehyde and the release of carbon dioxide and mercury into the atmosphere. The process also uses 1/8 the energy of cremation. Section 3 removes "and by the Attorney General or a deputy attorney general" from § 3163 of Title 16, which was overlooked when Chapter 164 of Volume 68 of the Laws of Delaware was enacted, removing similar language in § 3159 of Title 16. Section 12 of this Act replaces the citation to § 3162 of Title 16 with a citation to § 3159. Section 3162 was transferred to § 3159 when Chapter 31 was reenacted by Chapter 274 of Volume 68 of the Laws of Delaware, but this citation was overlooked. This Act takes effect the earlier of 1 year from the date of the Act's enactment or notice in the Register of Regulations that final regulations to implement this Act have been adopted. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 28 of Article IV of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to expand the scope of an existing crime within the jurisdiction of the Court of Common Pleas, Family Court, or Justice of the Peace Court. This Substitute No. 1 to HB 162 adds requirements to those already set forth in HB 162 for natural organic reduction facilities and changes the permissible chemical limits for final remains after natural organic reduction. This Substitute also sets forth circumstances that preclude remains from being admitted to a natural organic reduction facility. This Substitute defines “final remains” and “last remains” identically in Title 12 of the Delaware Code to allow for the use of either phrase throughout that Title. This Substitute also makes typographical and technical corrections to conform existing and drafted law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

passed both · Delaware · House May 16, 2024

HCR 134: DESIGNATING MAY AS NATIONAL CRITICAL CARE AWARENESS AND RECOGNITION MONTH.

This legislative resolution designates the month of May as National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month in Delaware. It aims to honor the dedication of medical professionals who treat patients with life-threatening conditions in intensive care units. The bill does not change laws or funding but serves to publicly acknowledge the efforts of critical care teams and raise awareness about their vital work.

passed both · Delaware · Senate May 16, 2024

SCR 158: PROCLAIMING MAY 16, 2024, AS “HOME CARE ADVOCACY DAY” IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

This Concurrent Resolution proclaims May 16, 2024, as "Home Care Advocacy Day" in Delaware to recognize the dedication and hard work of caregivers, to emphasize the critical importance of access to quality home care services for Delaware’s aging residents to live independently and age with dignity, and to advocate for policies and resources that support the delivery of high-quality, person-centered care in the home setting.

in committee · Delaware · House May 16, 2024

HB 422: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITS IN OVERBURDENED COMMUNITIES.

This Act defines certain facilities which will require an applicant seeking a permit for a new facility, or expansion of an existing facility, or renewal of an existing permit, located in an overburdened community, as defined in the Act, to provide an environmental justice impact report. Facility includes the following commercial, municipal, or industrial businesses located in, or within, a ½ mile radius of an overburdened community: (1) manufacturers of animal food, meat, seafood, tobacco, manufactured homes, chemicals, cement, asphalt, ready-mix concrete, primary metal, nonmetallic mineral products, ammunition or transport equipment; (2) manufacturers of fossil or bio-based fuels, distillates, chemicals and pharmaceuticals; or industrial scale storage of such materials; (3) pulp, paper, paperboard and sawmills; (4) commercial rail, port or water freight docks; (5) landfills, transfer stations, resource recovery, scrap metal or recycle centers or compost operators; (6) warehouses, and distribution, trucking and logistic centers larger than 75,000 square feet; (7) industrial or municipal sewage treatment centers, animal waste management or processing operations and sludge processors; (8) large, concentrated animal feeding operations, as defined by the size threshold in the federal Clean Water Act, regardless of their discharge status; (9) energy generators, as defined in §1001 of Title 26; (10) medical waste incinerators (with the exception of those attendant to a hospital or university intended to process self-generated medical waste); and (11) commercial, municipal, or industrial projects or installations that are not listed in (1) through (10) that are similar in scale, and that currently contribute or upon permit approval would contribute to the cumulative pollution in an overburdened community, which are identified by the Department in conjunction with the Environmental Justice Board. For all permit applications, the environmental justice impact report would be required at least 60 days before a required community information session and public hearing. Under the Act an “overburdened community” is defined as any geographic locations that potentially experience harms and risks a determined by the Environmental Justice Board or any census tract, as delineated in the most recent U.S. Census, in which one or more of the following is greater than .75 standard percentage of the State average for any of the following: (1) 35% of the residents are below 185% of federal poverty level. (2) At least 25% or more identify as minority or member of a state or federally recognized tribal community or immigrant. (3) 25% or more have limited English proficiency as defined by U.S. Census Bureau. The Department would be required to create and post on its website a list of “overburdened communities” and update the list every 2 years. The Act establishes the Environmental Justice Board to review and make recommendations on the environmental justice impact reports, conduct community information sessions and public hearings, and other measures to help the Department fulfill the purpose of this chapter. The community information session and public hearing on the permit would be required to provide an opportunity for meaningful public participation by the overburdened community. Following the public hearing the Secretary would be required to consider the recommendation of the Environmental Justice Board and the testimony presented at the public hearing and an analysis of the environmental justice impact report. The Secretary could impose conditions to the permit that may be necessary to reduce the adverse impact to the public health or to the environment in the overburdened community. The Secretary would have the authority to deny a permit application in an overburdened community upon a finding that the cumulative impact imposed by the new or expanded facility would constitute an unreasonable risk to the health of the residents of the overburdened community or to the environment in that community. The Act requires the Department to establish rules and regulations to implement the Act, in consultation with the Environmental Justice Board, within 6 months after its enactment.

passed both · Delaware · Senate May 16, 2024

SCR 165: PROCLAIMING THE MONTH OF MAY 2024 AS "COMMUNITY ACTION MONTH" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

This bill designates May 2024 as "Community Action Month" in Delaware to recognize the work of Community Action Agencies. It specifically highlights the state's First State Community Action Agency, which has operated since 1966 to help residents facing poverty through housing assistance, job training, and utility support. The resolution serves as a formal acknowledgment of these organizations' efforts rather than creating new laws or funding.

passed · Delaware · House May 16, 2024

HB 272: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 6 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO VETERANS' BENEFITS AND TRADE PRACTICES.

This act regulates persons who receive compensation for advising or assisting with veterans' benefits earned by serving our nation in the military. This bill would not prohibit persons or business entities from receiving compensation for advice to Veterans that is unrelated to veteran claims or services available to veterans from the V.A. or its accredited agencies. Investment, insurance, banking, and other advice or services not provided by the V.A., or its accredited agencies may be obtained by veterans and fees charged for such services.

Bill results