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passed both · Delaware · House Jun 30, 2021

HCR 24: MODERNIZING DELAWARE’S EDUCATION FUNDING SYSTEM.

This Resolution: 1) Celebrates Senate Bill No. 56 and the immediate investment of targeted funding for student needs; 2) Describes the need for additional action from the General Assembly to update and modernize remaining underlying education funding issues; 3) Requires the Department of Education to report information to help illuminate systemic inequities in the current education funding system to inform future legislative proposals.
Tizzy Lockman (D) Laura Sturgeon (D) Nnamdi Chukwuocha (D) · 21 co-sponsors
signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 30, 2021

SB 115: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 6 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE CREATION, REGULATION, OPERATION, AND DISSOLUTION OF DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS AND THE REGISTRATION AND REGULATION OF FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIPS.

This bill continues the practice of amending periodically the Delaware Revised Uniform Partnership Act (the “Act”) to keep it current and to maintain its national preeminence. The following is a section-by-section review of the proposed amendments of the Act. Section 1. This section amends Section 15-103 of the Act to confirm and clarify the effect of modifications provided in a statement of partnership existence or a statement of qualification and in a partnership agreement as contemplated by Sections 15-201(a), 15-203, and 15-501. Notwithstanding any modifications provided, such as, that a partnership is not a separate legal entity, all other provisions of this chapter, including Section 15-801, continue to apply, unless the partnership agreement provides that such other provisions do not apply. Section 2. This section amends Section 15-202 of the Act to add subsection (g) to provide a safe harbor procedure for ratifying acts or transactions that may be taken by or in respect of a partnership under the Act or a partnership agreement that are void or voidable and waiving failures to comply with requirements of a partnership agreement that make such acts and transactions void or voidable. New subsection (g) is intended to provide a rule different from the rule applied in Composecure, L.L.C. v. Cardux, LLC, 206 A.3d 807 (Del. 2018), and Absalom Absalom Trust v. Saint Gervais LLC, 2019 WL 2655787 (Del. Ch. June 27, 2019), that acts or transactions determined to be void generally may not be ratified. The penultimate sentence of new subsection (g) confirms that void or voidable actions may be ratified or requirements may be waived by other means permitted by law, and accordingly, new subsection (g) is not intended to preempt or restrict other valid means of ratifying acts or transactions or waiving requirements or to impair the effectiveness of any valid ratification or waiver previously effected. Section 3. This section amends Section 15-401(l) of the Act to provide that a partner may delegate any of its rights, powers or duties irrespective of whether it has a conflict of interest with respect to the matter as to which such rights, powers or duties are being delegated, and that the person or persons to whom any such rights, powers or duties are being delegated shall not be deemed conflicted solely by reason of the conflict of interest of the partner. The amendments to Section 15-401(l) create a different rule than the rule applied in cases such as Wenske v. Bluebell Creameries, Inc., 214 A.3d 958 (Del. Ch. 2019), that a conflicted principal is legally disabled from delegating authority over the subject matter as to which the principal is conflicted even to an independent delegatee. Section 4. This section amends Section 15-403 of the Act to make certain clarifying and conforming changes, and to provide that when a partner is entitled to obtain information for a stated purpose (whether pursuant to Section 15-403 or a partnership agreement), the partner’s right shall be to obtain such information as is necessary and essential to achieving that purpose, unless such right has been expanded or restricted in the partnership agreement. To the extent current law is that the “necessary and essential” test does not apply by default to (i) a partner’s right under Section 15-403(a) of the Act to obtain information from a partnership for a purpose reasonably related to the partner’s interest as a partner, or (ii) a partner’s right under a partnership agreement to obtain information from a partnership for a stated purpose, the first sentence of subsection (f) is intended to change that law. Section 5. This section provides that the proposed amendments to the Act shall become effective August 1, 2021.
Sean Lynn (D) Darius Brown (D) Bryan Townsend (D) · 8 co-sponsors
signed · Delaware · House Jun 30, 2021

HB 207: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO EDUCATOR LICENSURE, CERTIFICATION, EVALUATION, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND PREPARATION PROGRAMS.

This Act does the following: (1) Removes the requirement that applicants for initial and continuing educator licenses obtain a passing score on an approved performance assessment. (2) In place of the performance assessment requirement, requires professional development and mentoring activities include a focus on acquisition of pedagogical knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge to meet student needs and requires the Department of Education (Department) to establish a committee of stakeholders to gather input and make recommendations on how to achieve professional development and mentoring activities that satisfy the requirements. (3) Removes requirements related to performance assessments, including reporting requirements and rulemaking requirements, from Chapter 12 of Title 14. (4) Allows individuals who serve in educator roles that are not teaching positions to receive their Delaware educator license by changing "teaching experience" to "experience as an educator" in § 1210(d) of Title 14 and § 1211(c) of Title 14. (5) Requires the Department to ensure there are a variety of professional development opportunities across different modes that meet a high standard of quality, including evidence-based programs. (6) In place of the performance assessment requirement for participants in alternative routes for teacher licensure and certification programs and participants in alternative routes to certification programs for teachers of students with disabilities, requires an assessment of program participants' abilities to apply pedagogical skills to meet the needs of students and requires the Department to establish a committee of stakeholders to gather input and make recommendations on how to assess the pedagogical skills of program participants. (7) In place of a performance assessment requirement, requires that educator preparation programs assess prospective educators' ability to apply pedagogical skills to meet student needs and requires the Department to establish a committee of stakeholders to gather input and make recommendations on how to assess the pedagogical skills of program participants. (8) Makes corrections, including standardizing references to the educator evaluation system and changing "certificate" to "license" in places where improperly used. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Rae Moore (D) Kim Williams (D) Val Longhurst (D) Tizzy Lockman (D) Laura Sturgeon (D) · 11 co-sponsors
in committee · Delaware · House Jun 30, 2021

HB 94: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE MINIMUM WAGE FOR EMPLOYEES RECEIVING TIPS OR GRATUITIES.

The minimum wage for employees who receive tips or gratuities has not changed since 1983, when the overall state minimum wage was $3.35 per hour. Tipped wage workers at that time were paid a percentage – 66.67% – of the minimum wage, which was $2.23 per hour. In 1989, the General Assembly changed the hourly wage to a flat $2.23 per hour, where it has remained since. Had the calculation been left unchanged, the tipped wage would have increased along with the minimum wage. Therefore, this bill ensures that employees who receive tips or gratuities also receive a minimum wage increase when other employees in the State receive a minimum wage increase.
Jack Walsh (D) Kim Williams (D) John A. Kowalko (D) Marie Pinkney (D) · 8 co-sponsors
signed · Delaware · House Jun 30, 2021

HB 163: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS.

The Delaware Code does not currently contain any explicit direction for public schools relating to school absences for observance of religious holidays. This Act requires schools to excuse a pupil's absence for observance of a religious holiday, and further requires districts and charters to have a policy discouraging teachers from scheduling tests, presentations and the like on days where some students may be absent for a religious holiday. A pupil who does miss a grading event must be allowed to make-up the test or otherwise recover credit. The Department of Education is directed to promulgate rules and regulations relating to implementation of this Act, including a list of holidays on which an absence for religious observance must be excused.
Sherry Dorsey Walker (D) Madinah Wilson-Anton (D) Laura Sturgeon (D) · 9 co-sponsors
signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 30, 2021

SB 147: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO USE OF FORCE.

This Act codifies a reasonableness requirement for the use of force, both non-lethal and lethal. This is important when the state of mind is an issue in a criminal trial, such as when the judge or jury must decide as to what someone believed, knew, or intended at a given time. The justification law as currently written uses the term “defendant believes” throughout its several sections. This Act makes it clear that the determination of one’s state of mind is an objective standard —that is, what a reasonable person would have believed, rather than what the defendant believed. Additionally, this Act makes clear that deadly force includes the use of a chokehold.
Sherry Dorsey Walker (D) Tizzy Lockman (D) Marie Pinkney (D) · 14 co-sponsors
signed · Delaware · House Jun 30, 2021

HB 175: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.

This Act allows one excused absence per school year for students grades 6 through 12 to attend civic engagements such as visits to the United States Capitol, Legislative Hall, and sites of political and cultural significance, or participation in a rally, march, protest, or walkout. For a student to attend a civic engagement event, the student’s parent or guardian must provide written permission no later than 3 school days prior to the student’s planned absence. The school shall determine what is acceptable as written permission. If the principal or another school or school district official does not confirm receipt of written permission with the parent or guardian prior to the student’s planned absence, permission for the student to attend the civic engagement event as an excused absence is presumed.
Sherry Dorsey Walker (D) Rae Moore (D) Eric Morrison (D) Laura Sturgeon (D) · 22 co-sponsors
signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 30, 2021

SB 89: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES FOR SIZE AND WEIGHT OF VEHICLES AND LOADS.

This Act makes the following changes related to traffic control devices erected on order of the Secretary of the Department of Transportation (“Secretary”) limiting the size and weight of vehicles and loads permitted on a specific highway: (1) Provides definitions of terms used on traffic control devices that limit the size or weight of vehicles or prohibit the operation of trucks or other commercial vehicles on the highway, including terms that provide exceptions to posted prohibitions, including “local service” and “residential service”. (2) Requires the Secretary, and a municipality exercising its authority under § 134(e) of Title 17 (regarding prohibiting the operation of trucks or other commercial vehicles or imposing limits as to the weight of trucks or other commercial vehicles on designated highways), to submit an order issued under this Act to the Registrar of Regulations for publication in the Register of Regulations and publish the order on the Department’s website. (3) Clarifies that violation of a traffic control device erected by order of the Secretary is a specific offense. (4) Increases the monetary penalty for a violation of a traffic control device erected by order of the Secretary over the existing penalty in § 4508 of Title 21. (5) Makes a subsequent violation of a traffic control device erected by order of the Secretary a moving violation, which results in the Department assessing points on an individual’s license based on the violation.
Jack Walsh (D) Kim Williams (D) Gerald L. Brady (D) Spiros Mantzavinos (D) John L. Mitchell (D) · 5 co-sponsors
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