This bill provides greater protection to correctional officers and other state employees who are assaulted in detention facilities by prohibiting assaults committed with a reckless state of mind.
Mothers who give birth to monoamniotic twins are often hospitalized as early as 26 weeks into the pregnancy due to the risk of complications of having twins share a single amniotic sack. Mothers who give birth to multiples of 3 or more often have the same issue of requiring extensive medical pre-natal care. As a result, the benefits provided under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) are often exhausted by the time the mother and children are discharged from the hospital. This bill provides that mothers who are full time state employees may have up to six weeks of unpaid leave following the newborn(s) discharge from the hospital even if their FMLA benefits have been exhausted.
This Act regulates the practice of art therapy placing control of the profession under the Board of Mental health and Chemical Dependency Professionals and amending Chapter 30 of Title 24 by adding Subchapter V. Professional Art Therapists. The Art Therapy Practice Act will serve and protect the public by defining the scope of practice of art therapy; setting minimum standards of qualification, education, training, and experience for art therapists; and maintaining certain standards in the delivery of art therapy services. This Act also requires the Board of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency to appoint one or more credentialed volunteer art therapists to advise and assist the Board in matters pertaining to art therapists.
This Act authorizes the Family Court to order the Department of Health and Social Services ("DHSS") to determine whether a child who is 17 years old or older and in the custody of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families ("DSCYF") qualifies for adult mental or behavioral health services. If the child does qualify for adult mental or behavioral health services, this Act authorizes the Family Court to order that DHSS coordinate with DSCYF to develop and implement a transition plan for mental or behavioral health services for the child.
This Act extends Family Court's jurisdiction under Chapter 50, Title 16, over a youth who has a mental condition and requires services or treatment but is not amenable to or compliant with such services. This Act applies only to youths who are under the custody of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families when they turn 18 years old and, prior to turning 18 years old, were identified as having or diagnosed with a mental condition as defined in § 5001 of Title 16. Jurisdiction under this Act does not require DSCYF to provide foster care board extension payments or stipends to a youth. This Act has no effect on a youth reaching the age of majority at 18 years or on DSCYF's custody over a youth terminating by operation of law when the youth turns 18 years old.
This bill expands the list of felony-level contraband to include narcotics, prescription drugs, and items used to facilitate escape.
Health care spending in Delaware is higher than the national average and has historically outpaced the State’s economic and revenue growth, contributing to the State’s current structural deficit. To combat ever rising costs, this Joint Resolution authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services to undertake the actions necessary to establish a health care benchmark, and designating the State’s 2018 fiscal year as a planning year. The Secretary is directed to consult with stakeholders in developing the benchmark.
Criminal and administrative enforcement of laws and ordinances relating to the condition of real property and abatement of violations thereof is a significant expense of local governments. The growing number of vacant and abandoned properties has increased these costs to local governments. The owners of vacant and abandoned property routinely fail to respond to the issuance of violation notices, citations, and tickets. Thus, the local government, at taxpayer expense, is left to maintain the property in a condition that will protect the public health, safety and welfare and minimize the deleterious effect the unmaintained property has on the local community. When a property owner fails or refuses to maintain real property according to minimum code standards, the costs incurred by local government for enforcing its codes and abating violations thereof, should be borne by the property owner rather than the taxpayers. Thus, this bill is intended to clarify that costs associated with enforcement of local laws and ordinances relating to the condition of real property and abatement of violations of those laws and ordinances shall be a lien against the property subject to the enforcement action. Recoupment of costs associated with the enforcement of building, property maintenance, zoning, drainage, sewer, housing, or sanitation codes is a lengthy and expensive process for local governments. This bill clarifies that local governments may include the amount of the lien on the local tax billing of the property subject to the enforcement action may collect the lien in the same manner as other property taxes.
With the implementation of land banks in the State of Delaware, an increasing number of vacant and abandoned properties will be brought to sheriff’s sales. Many of these parcels will be dilapidated and require investment to render the house habitable. Blight will only be ameliorated if the bidders upon such property acquire it intending to invest in the property, thereby improving the housing in the neighborhood and eliminating blight. If bidders at a tax lien sale have failed to pay taxes when due and have failed to maintain the condition of other real property they own in the same jurisdiction, it is not likely that they intend to invest in and improve the condition of additional property they acquire. Instead they are speculating on a turnaround in the neighborhood based upon the investment and efforts of others. Under current law, New Castle County, or any municipal government, may disapprove of the winning bid for any tax lien sheriff’s sale, at the election of the governmental entity initiating the tax lien sale, for any public purpose or reason. This bill allows any county or municipality to additionally require that bidders at such tax lien sales certify, prior to bidding, that they do not have a record of failing to maintain other real property in which they own an interest, do not have outstanding liens owed to governmental entities in excess of $1,000 at such other property, and do not hold properties that have been vacant for 18 consecutive months unless there is active construction on the property.
The “Advanced Wireless Infrastructure Investment Act” creates a new Chapter 16 of Title 17 that will accelerate investment in mobile broadband infrastructure and ready the State for the next wave of economic development in the digital economy. In recognition of the shift from landline to wireless communications, the Act authorizes wireless providers access to the State’s rights of way and establishes a Statewide policy for deployment of small wireless cells to meet the growing demand for wireless services which provide Delaware citizens with access to advanced technology, information and 911 services.
This Act allows the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue a conditional license at the request of the Justice of the Peace for a Driving Under the Influence offender whose charge is still pending, but whose license has been suspended by the Division of Motor Vehicles. The conditional license can only be issued on the condition that the offender submit to continuous sobriety monitoring. This Act ensures that a person can enter a sobriety monitoring program, but not face the loss of full licensure that would negate the benefits of entering and participating in such a program.
This amendment to Section 8-200 of the Charter of the City of Wilmington raises some of the threshold amounts for bid requirements in the procurement process. The purpose of the amendment is to improve City of Wilmington procurement procedures, increase public access to City of Wilmington contracting opportunities through the authorization of internet advertising, and authorize the City of Wilmington to participate in cooperative purchasing agreements with other public procurement agencies.
