This Act clarifies the responsibilities of manufactured home community owners and homeowners for maintenance. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
A disability pension for Delaware State Police officer and County and Municipal police officers and firefighters is only for those first responders who suffer injuries on the job such as being shot or assaulted while effecting an arrest or getting burned while putting out a fire. Many who suffer these injuries while doing their job protecting the citizens of this State are unable to return to their jobs as police officers or firefighters. Under the current law, these officers and firefighters who receive a disability pension and have not reached normal retirement date must report total earnings from any gainful employment or business each year. If the officer or firefighter receives earnings over the current base pay of the officer’s or firefighter’s rank at the time of the disability, such excess must be deducted from the disability pension. However, such provision does not apply to officers and firefighters who have reached normal retirement date. This bill treats officers and firefighters who have not reached normal retirement date the same as those who have by removing the provision that requires a deduction in disability benefits if the officer or firefighter earns more than what the officer’s or firefighter’s base pay was at the time of disability.
This bill prohibits the use of gender, gender identity, or sex as a rating factor in personal automobile insurance policies. The Gender Disparities in Auto Insurance Pricing Report issued by the Delaware Department of Insurance and Consumer Federation of America shows that many insured Delaware women are charged more than men even when all other factors, including drivers’ history, are the same. Six states have similar existing laws: California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 6, 2022 as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority or “AKA Day at the Capitol” in Delaware.
This House Concurrent Resolution proclaims the month of April 2022 as “Financial Literacy Month,” in the State of Delaware.
Section 1 of this Act creates a nonrefundable individual income tax credit for qualified expenses incurred by a family caregiver (claimant) to assist a qualified family member. To be qualified, a family member must be at least 62 years of age, reside in a private home or residence, require assistance with two or more daily living activities as certified by a qualified physician, and be an immediate family member of the claimant or related by marriage, blood, or adoption to a near degree. Subject to a number of limitations, a claimant may claim 50% of the costs of qualified expenses the claimant paid for in the year to which the claim relates. Qualified expenses include amounts spent to improve the claimant’s primary residence to assist the family member, on equipment to help the family member with daily living activities, on counseling, support groups, or training relating to caring for a family member, and on obtaining other goods or services to help the claimant care for the family member. In addition, qualified expenses include any other item that relates directly to the health or safety of the family member, as determined by the Secretary of Finance after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The maximum amount of credit that may be claimed each year for a particular family member is $2,000 or $1,000 if married spouses file separately. Only one claimant may make a claim under this section for a particular qualified family member. In addition, no credit may be claimed by a claimant whose taxable income in the year to which the claim relates exceeds $75,000 if the claimant is single or is married and files separately or $150,000 if the claimant is married and files jointly. Generally under the bill, qualified expenses may not include general food, clothing, transportation, or household repair costs, or amounts that are paid or reimbursed by an insurance company or the government. The credit first applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2022. Because the credit is nonrefundable, it may be claimed only up to the amount of the claimant's tax liability. Section 2 of this Act provides that the Department of Finance shall develop an annual report on the tax credit’s usage. Section 3 of the Act provides that the tax credit will sunset after three years after its enactment into law, unless otherwise provided by an act of the General Assembly.
This Act does all of the following: (1) Requires the Department of Agriculture (“Department”) to take certain actions to include socially disadvantaged farmers in the agricultural decision-making process in this State and provide outreach to socially disadvantaged farmers to make them aware of programs to assist them. (2) Establishes an agricultural training program in the Department to encourage and assist a socially disadvantaged farmer, military veteran farmer, or beginning farmer in the ownership or operation of agricultural land in this State. The Department is to collaborate with the Cooperative Extension programs at the Delaware State University and the University of Delaware. (3) Establishes an agricultural land lease program in the Department to identify land owned by this State that is suitable for agricultural use and give priority for leases to socially disadvantaged farmers, military veteran farmers, and beginning farmers. (4) Requires the Department, in collaboration with the Cooperative Extension programs at the Delaware State University and the University of Delaware, to develop a farmer incubator program that provides a military veteran farmer and beginning farmer with the opportunity to receive training on a plot of land at an incubator site operated by the Department, identify the initial and annual costs of and a location for the program, and report the Department’s findings. (5) Requires the Secretary of the Department to issue an annual report on activities required under this Act.
This Act requires that each school district and charter school serving high school students administer in grade 10 and again in grade 12 an assessment of United States history, government, and civics that includes all of the following: (1) The nature, purpose, principles, and structures of United States constitutional republic. (2) The principles, operations, and documents of the United States government. (3) The rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This Act requires that school districts and charter schools report information regarding the implementation of this Act to the Department of Education (“Department”) and that the Department report that information to the Governor and members of the General Assembly and post the report on the Department’s website. The implementation of this Act is delayed until the 2023 through 2024 school year to give school districts and charter schools time to select or develop the required assessment of civic knowledge.
This Act makes changes to the Senate and House of Representatives districts so as to minimize the need for new election districts and increase the efficiency of election administration. Section 841 is updated to reflect the consolidation of the Department of Elections and provide direction to the Department on the filing of finalized maps. The final House and Senate Maps (March 2022) reflecting the changes to the districts as set forth in this Act can be found on the General Assembly website.
This Act pauses the granting of new school charters and modifications to charters in New Castle County and creates a New Castle County Charter School Reform Advisory Group (Advisory Group), to review the process and criteria for granting new charter schools and modifications to charters, and to recommend process improvements and new criteria that will improve equity and better integrate charter schools into the overall public school system for children in kindergarten through grade 12 in New Castle County. The Advisory Group's final report is due by December 1, 2022. In addition, under this Act, effective March 1, 2022, the Department of Education may not, for a school in New Castle County, grant a new school charter or a modification to a charter until January 1, 2024. This moratorium provides an opportunity to review how the current process and criteria for granting charters can be improved for New Castle County and for decisions on future charter applications to be based upon changes implemented based on the recommendations of the Advisory Group.
This Act provides a registration system for American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. At the present time, individuals and organizations who are not certified to provide interpreting services are presenting themselves as acceptable/qualified interpreters without consequence. This is extremely problematic for all consumers utilizing interpreter services. It harms the interests of people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind by depriving them of the right to meaningful access and involvement in legal or medical settings, as well as other activities in the community. It also harms the interests of people who are not Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf-Blind by denying them access to effective communication with people who use ASL by providing a lesser quality service than what they believe they are purchasing. A State registration system will help ensure that only qualified individuals provide this vital and necessary service. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 11 of Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to impose a fee.
This Act seeks to establish the Office of State Inspector General in Delaware. The governor would nominate a candidate to serve as inspector general, with the Senate needing to confirm the nomination. The term of office for the post would be five years. The inspector general created under this act would be charged with investigating complaints of waste, fraud, abuse or corruption regarding state employees or state executive branch agencies. State agencies would be required to cooperate with any investigation conducted by the office of inspector general, including full access to the personnel, records, and the premises under agency control. The inspector general would have subpoena powers and would employ police officers for the purpose of conducting potential criminal investigations. The office of inspector general would be mandated to share general audit and investigation reports with the public, excluding only that information needed to comply with Delaware confidentiality laws or which might compromise an ongoing criminal investigation. Audits, investigations, inspections and reviews conducted by the office of inspector general would be subject to independent quality assurance reviews every three years, with the results shared with the public. This Act would become effective 180 days after it is enacted and upon appropriate funding being budgeted for the office’s operations.
