Delaware Bills

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 30, 2021

SB 176: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

This Act does the following: (1) Permits the State Elections Commissioner (“Commissioner”) to issue a citation to a reporting party who fails to file or deliver a required campaign finance report. (2) Requires the Commissioner to publish the name of a candidate who without reasonable cause failed to file a campaign finance report or has been assessed an administrative penalty. (3) Requires a reporting party who fails to file or deliver a required campaign finance report to take training on the Department of Elections’ electronic campaign finance reporting system. (4) Caps the amount of an administrative penalty that may be assessed by the Commissioner for a tardy campaign finance report. (5) Permits the Commissioner to authorize a payment plan for, waive administrative penalties under $500 owed by, or negotiate the total amount of administrative penalty owed by a reporting party, if the reporting party has filed or corrected a tardy report. Section 4 of this Act makes this authority retroactive to fines imposed by the Commissioner before the effective date of the Act. (6) Permits an administrative penalty to be paid by a political committee or political action committee, instead of by a reporting party. The Act makes this authority retroactive to fines imposed by the Commissioner before the effective date of the Act. (7) Increases the amount of time the Reports Appeals Subcommittee has to meet following the filing of an appeal. (8) Increases the stipend a member of the Reports Appeals Subcommittee may receive for attending a meeting from $50 to $100 and the total yearly stipend a member may receive from $250 to $500. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 30, 2021

HB 218: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO HUNTING AND FISHING AUTHORIZATIONS.

This Act modernizes fishing, hunting, and trapping license and associated waterfowl and trout stamp specifications to include digital formats. This Act refines the definition of waterfowl consistent with the gamebird waterfowl definition in existing code for determining when a waterfowl stamp is required to hunt waterfowl. This Act also eliminates trout catch reporting requirements, clarifies when and where a trout fishing stamp is required for fishing, and corrects certain trout stamp exemptions in the current code.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 30, 2021

HB 41: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE POLICIES.

Section 1 of this Act clarifies that the reinstatement obligations of insurers under Section 3903(d) apply in instances of both nonrenewals and cancellations of policies due to nonpayment of premiums. Sections 2 through 4 of this Act revise the method by which an insured may contest or appeal a nonrenewal or cancellation of an automobile policy from a hearing process to a review by the Commissioner on the papers, which reflects the Department’s prior practices in handling these appeals and provides a more streamlined and efficient process for timely reviewing a consumer’s appeal. Section 5 of this Act extends the protections against unfair automobile insurance rating practices related to a service member’s deployment to deployments both within and outside of the U.S. and its waters.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 30, 2021

SB 152: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 17 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO UTILITIES COORDINATION.

This Act creates a new Utilities Coordination Council, as recommended by the Utilities Coordination Working Group established by SCR No. 48 from the 150th General Assembly. The purpose of the Council is to review and recommend best practices for efficient utility relocations on transportation projects on Delaware's highways. Additionally, the Council will be responsible for implementation, accountability, and the resolution of any specific utility delays.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 30, 2021

SB 123: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION BENEFITS.

This bill will allow all surviving spouses of persons killed in the course and scope of employment to receive the same level of death benefits as the surviving spouses of those persons defined as “covered persons” in Section 6601(2), Title 18 of the Delaware Code, in the event that the surviving spouse remarries. This expansion of the death benefit beyond the surviving spouses of those persons specified in Section 6601(2) will result in all surviving spouses, who decide to remarry, being treated equally under Delaware’s Workers’ Compensation laws.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 30, 2021

HB 88: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MINIMUM WAGE.

This bill removes the training minimum wage and youth minimum wage, which takes effect 90 days after enactment.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 30, 2021

SB 109: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT RATES FOR HOME HEALTH-CARE SERVICES.

This Act requires that home health-care services for Medicaid long-term care services and support providers be reimbursed for services by Medicaid-contracted organizations at a rate equal to or more than the rate set by the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance for equivalent services. This rate floor system is currently used for reimbursement rates for home health-care nursing services paid for by Medicaid-contracted organizations. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 30, 2021

SJR 2: DIRECTING THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL TO BEGIN COORDINATION WITH THE FEDERAL AGENCIES CARRYING AUTHORITY TO IDENTIFY THE STRUCTURE NECESSARY FOR A STATE NONTIDAL WETLANDS PROGRAM FOR THE PURPOSE OF SHIFTING PERMITTING AUTHORITY FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL TO THE STATE.

This Senate Joint Resolution requires the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to engage authoritative federal agencies to identify the administrative structure, legal structure, and resource needs to establish a State nontidal wetlands permitting program effectively shifting the permitting program from the federal to the State level. This Senate Joint Resolution also requires that a report containing the results of this review be completed and made public within 1 year.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 30, 2021

HB 212: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RECYCLING AND WASTE REDUCTION.

This Act provides a phased in approach to further the reduction of single-use plastic bags. This Act increases the minimum thickness for a plastic bag to qualify as a reusable bag from 2.25 mils to 10 mils effective January 1, 2022 and makes the restrictions applicable to stores regardless of size effective July 1, 2022. This Act also makes corrections to existing law to make it conform to the standards of the Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 30, 2021

HB 131: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PROCEDURE FOR NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION.

This Act implements the procedure for the notice of a proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution authorized by the amendment to § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution proposed by House Bill No. 130 by doing the following: (1) Making the Secretary of the Senate ("Secretary") and Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives ("Chief Clerk") responsible for ensuring that a proposed amendment by their respective house is disseminated to the public as required by § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution and this Act. (2) Requiring the notices be published in at least 1 newspaper of general circulation in each county and posted on the Department of Election's and General Assembly's websites. (3) Requiring the Secretary, Chief Clerk, State Election Commissioner, and Director of the Division of Research to review and approve the notice to be disseminated. (4) Requiring the Secretary and Chief Clerk to provide notice of, and certain information about, the dissemination of the notice of a proposed amendment. Because the next General Assembly must concur in the proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution, this Act does not take effect until the passage of the second leg of the constitutional amendment in the 152nd General Assembly.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 30, 2021

SB 51: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS BY THE BOARD OF PLUMBING, HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION EXAMINERS.

This Act increases the monetary penalties for sanctions by the Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Examiners.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 30, 2021

SB 168: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 RELATING TO PEER-TO-PEER CAR SHARING.

This Act establishes a Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Program that allows for companies to facilitate the shared usage of vehicles in Delaware.

Bill results