Delaware Bills

signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 14, 2022

SB 236: AN ACT TO AMEND THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RENAMING THE STATE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION AND THE DIVISION OF HUMAN RELATIONS.

This Act does the following: (1) Changes the name of the State Human Relations Commission to the Delaware Human and Civil Rights Commission (“Commission”), as it appears in the Delaware Code. (2) Changes the name of the Division of Human Relations to the Division of Human and Civil Rights (“Division”), as it appears in the Delaware Code. This name change makes clearer the role of the Commission and Division in ensuring human rights and civil rights and helps differentiate the Commission and Division from the work of the Department of Human Resources and the City of Dover’s Human Relations Commission.

signed · Delaware · House Jun 14, 2022

HB 357: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT COUNCIL.

This Act is a result of the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee's review of the Technology Investment Council ("TIC"). This Act updates TIC's statute to further streamline operations and prevent redundancies, and to make technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Act is the product of collaboration with TIC, the Department of Technology and Information, and other stakeholders.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 14, 2022

SB 189: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PERSONAL INCOME TAX.

This bill increases the amount of the tax credit for active members of volunteer fire, ambulance and rescue service companies and their auxiliaries from $500 to $1,000.

signed · Delaware · House Jun 14, 2022

HB 322: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROCESSING OF REFUNDS OF OVERPAYMENTS.

This bill removes the requirement that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget approve Title 18-related refunds of overpayments.

in committee · Delaware · House Jun 14, 2022

HB 435: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT ACT.

This bill is the Community Workforce Agreement Act. It requires that all large public works construction projects, utilizing state funds, are to be governed by a Community Workforce Agreement with labor organizations engaged in the construction industry to provide structure and stability and promote efficient completion.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 14, 2022

SB 190: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION COUNCIL.

Since the creation of the Delaware Heritage Greenway Council in 1992 which then became the Delaware Council on Greenways and Trails, creation and maintenance of greenways and trails have become an important part of the mission of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and especially its parks system. This bill merges the work of the Council on Greenways and Trails with the Parks Advisory Council to formally join their efforts. The two councils already collaborate on the Outdoor Recreation Parks and Trails grant program. This bill expands the Parks Advisory Council and adds trails and greenways as a background sought for some parks council members, and also adds representatives from the General Assembly which the Council on Greenways and Trails has had but the Parks Advisory Council does not currently have. This bill also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 14, 2022

SB 216: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STANDARDBRED BREEDER’S PROGRAM FUND.

This Act allows the Delaware Standardbred Breeder’s Fund Board to promulgate rules and regulations necessary or appropriate to implement or clarify the statutes related to the Standardbred Breeder’s Fund Program.

signed · Delaware · House Jun 14, 2022

HB 363: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE COUNCIL ON SERVICES FOR AGING AND ADULTS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES.

This Act is a result of the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee's ("JLOSC") review of Adult Protective Services ("APS"). In the process of the review, and with APS's agreement, JLOSC recommended eliminating the Adult Protective Services Advisory Council under § 3903 of Title 31 and absorbing that council's role into the Council on Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities. This Act makes the required changes to the Council on Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities. The APS Advisory Council is removed from Title 31 in separate legislation. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · House Jun 14, 2022

HB 316: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 13 AND 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COORDINATING COUNCIL.

This bill does all of the following relating to the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. First, it adds the Chief Magistrate of the Justice of the Peace Court to the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. Second, it removes the limitations on the use of voting by proxy by members of the Council. These limitations are unnecessary because § 2104(f) provides that the Council promulgate rules of procedure governing its operations so long as they are in accordance with Chapters 100 and 101 of Title 29. Thus, the Council, not the statute, should determine the rules necessary to govern its own operations. Finally, the bill adds the Fatal Incident Review Team of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council to the list of entities that are entitled to receive protected health information without informed consent. The protected health information at issue is essential for the Fatal Incident Review Team to review. Due to federal law, certain providers are prohibited from providing such information even with a subpoena. However, these providers can provide the protected health information if the statute specifically permits such protected health information to be disclosed without informed consent.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 14, 2022

SB 205: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF FREE FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS.

The Bill expands the availability of free feminine hygiene products at all public and charter schools.

signed · Delaware · House Jun 14, 2022

HB 259: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7, TITLE 16, AND TITLE 20 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO EMERGENCY ALERTS.

This Act requires Delaware to use the Wireless Emergency Alert (“WEA”) system to notify the public of emergency alerts and requires that the emergency alert system be used when a catastrophic release occurs. A catastrophic release is a major uncontrolled emission, fire, or explosion that presents an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health. This Act also requires that emergency alerts be broadcast in Spanish, in addition to English, when possible. The WEA system is a federal public safety system, currently used by the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), that allows customers who own mobile devices to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area. Delaware still uses reverse 911 notifications to landline phones for environmental hazards, but only 6.5% of U.S. households use landlines as their only form of phone communication. In contrast, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that during the first 6 months of 2020, 62.5% of adults and 73.8% of children lived in wireless-only households. To ensure that Delaware’s cell phone users receive WEA alerts, DEMA asked cell phone users to manually register their cell phones with the Delaware Emergency Notification System ("DENS") to receive WEA notifications. After numerous years of marketing campaigns, and encouragement from public officials, private entities, and advocacy groups, only 3% of Delawareans have manually registered their cell phones with the Delaware Emergency Notification System to receive wireless emergency alerts. In addition, because the WEA system targets geographic areas, emergency alerts are sent to all wireless devices with service provided by participating carriers. Thus, emergency alerts are provided to wireless devices in the geographic area affected by the hazard, regardless of whether people register their phones, live in the area, or have phone numbers with a local area code. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 14, 2022

SB 222: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RATES.

This Substitute differs from Senate Bill No. 222 as follows: (1) By clarifying the definition of “Core CPI” by including “over-the-year”, which is used by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics to make clear the calculation is year-over-year and not year-to-date. (2) By clarifying that the Commissioner will use the bimonthly indices developed by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics ending with the bimonthly index issued in January of the applicable rate filing year. (3) By setting, in Section 2 of this Act, the Core CPI for rate filing year 2022 at 2.7%. As a result, under § 2503(a)(12)a.1. of Title 18 of the Delaware Code, the allowable aggregate unit price growth for rate filing year 2022 is 3.7%, which is the Core CPI, or 2.7%, plus 1%.

Bill results