Delaware Bills

signed · Delaware · House Jul 17, 2019

HJR 5: RECOGNIZING THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE'S CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ANALYSIS AS THE OFFICIAL REPOSITORY OF HISTORICAL AND REAL-TIME WEATHER AND CLIMATOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

This Joint Resolution recognizes the University of Delaware's Center for Environmental Monitoring and Analysis as the official repository of historical and real-time weather and climatological observations for the State of Delaware.

signed · Delaware · House Jul 17, 2019

HB 142: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COORDINATING COUNCIL.

This Act adds one more member, a licensed health care professional knowledgeable in the screening and identification of domestic violence cases appointed by the Council, to the Fatal Incident Review Team of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. The Act also updates language regarding victims of domestic violence to include survivors. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 17, 2019

SB 93: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 4 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS.

This Act permits a horse racetrack to make and sell beer on the horse racetrack premises for consumption on or off the licensed premises. This Act also makes technical corrections to existing law.

signed · Delaware · House Jul 17, 2019

HB 211: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

The purpose of the Bill is to change the requirement in the seed law for germination testing from 14 months to 9 months prior to sale.

signed · Delaware · House Jul 17, 2019

HB 206: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATES FOR THE DELAWARE STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION CENTENNIAL.

This Act authorizes the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue special registration plates to commemorate the Delaware State Education Association centennial. It also allows the Division to collect a 1-time administrative fee of $15 to be deposited into a special fund and used by the Division for administrative costs.

signed · Delaware · House Jul 17, 2019

HB 79: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE REGARDING DEFAULT BEVERAGES IN CHILDRENS’ MEALS IN RESTAURANTS.

This bill requires the State food safety standards for restaurants to include a system for requiring healthy beverages to be offered as the default beverage with a combination children’s meal inclusive of a drink, sold together at a unit price. It does not prohibit the restaurant’s ability to sell, or a customer’s ability to choose, a substitute or alternative beverage as-requested by a customer. This effectively creates an “opt in” instead of an “opt out” for many sugar-rich drink choices for children. This bill also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 10, 2019

SB 57: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 4 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ALCOHOL LIQUORS.

This Act makes clear that a retail licensee may only purchase authorized product from an importer, also known as wholesaler, except that a retail licensee may purchase up to 20 gallons a day from a premises licensed to sell for off-premises consumption. This Act also clarifies that off-premises licensees may sell untapped kegs for off-premises consumption.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 10, 2019

SB 56: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 4 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS.

This Act modernizes the process and requirements for issuance of liquor licenses for off premises consumption. The current process and requirements do not consider population growth. Minimum distance requirements are enhanced while increases in population growth will now be considered to arrive at a safety and convenience balance. This Act also grandfathers existing licensees into the current process.

signed · Delaware · House Jul 4, 2019

HB 151: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DEPARTMENT OF SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES.

This Act creates a Deputy Secretary position within the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families (“Department”) and exempts the position from the Merit System under Chapter 59 of Title 29. The Secretary of the Department may establish the powers, duties, and functions of the Deputy Secretary. This Act removes the limit on qualified persons the Secretary of the Department may appoint as special investigators for the Department. Lastly, this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 4, 2019

SB 76: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE BOARD OF PENSION TRUSTEES AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF PENSION PLANS.

The Board of Pension Trustees has established policies and practices for the administration of the Delaware Public Employees Retirement System. House Bill 199 of the 149th General Assembly provided the initial changes to Delaware Code based on the recommendations of the Board’s Best Practices review. This Act provides additional changes to the Delaware Code based on the review. The changes are summarized as follows: Sections 1, 2, & 3 – Changes to the New State Police Plan to include determining normal retirement date for the review of a disability continuance case, deleting references to the medical committee which has been dissolved by the Board, and giving the authority by the Board to the Executive Secretary for benefit determinations. Sections 4, 5, & 6 – Changes to the County/Municipal Police/Firefighter Pension Plans to include determining normal retirement date for the review of a disability continuance case, deleting references to the medical committee which has been dissolved by the Board, and giving the authority by the Board to the Executive Secretary for benefit determinations. Section 7 – Technical change for the Judicial Pension Plan. Section 8 – Technical changes regarding the closed Diamond State Port pension plan; allows for comingling for accounting purposes only of the OPEB trust with the DPERS Fund; clarifies Memoranda of Understanding with other state agencies; gives sole authority to the Board of Pension Trustees to hire an external audit firm; clarifies that the Board chair must be appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate; clarifies that all records of the Board’s Audit Department are not public records under the State's FOIA laws.

signed · Delaware · House Jul 4, 2019

HB 154: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS.

This bill updates the real estate appraisers’ practice act to comply with federal law by clarifying the definition of federally-related transaction and adding a definition for federal financial institutions regulatory agencies. Changes to these definitions would render Delaware’s definitions consistent with federal law. Section two of the bill changes the renewal for appraisal management companies (AMC) from every two years to annually to facilitate the renewal procedure for the Division of Professional Regulation. Section three of the bill eliminates the current allowance in Delaware for a revoked or suspended real estate appraiser to have an ownership interest in an AMC, and section four disallows AMCs from removing an appraiser from its appraiser panel without prior notice. Delaware’s law currently allows AMCs to do so if the appraiser was only added to the panel in the previous 60 days. Federal law does not have any such allowance.

signed · Delaware · House Jul 4, 2019

HB 123: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 12 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIANS AND THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC GUARDIAN.

This Act allows the Public Guardian to act as a representative payee for Social Security benefits or as a VA fiduciary for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. This Act also allows the Court to appoint a guardian with limited powers, to act as guardian for specific areas of decision-making or for a specific term. By making these changes, this Act will allow the Public Guardian to serve in a more limited role where appropriate, and assist more Delawareans who need short-term assistance, such as to qualify for Medicaid in order to arrange for long-term care or to handle routine financial matters but not make decisions about the care of the person. The ability to serve in a more limited role will increase the Public Guardian's capacity to assist people while the Non-Acute Patient Medical Guardianship Task Force studies options and develops recommendations to improve non-acute patient transitions from acute care settings to more appropriate locations. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 123 differs from House Bill No. 117 by clarifying that limited guardianships can be ordered for specific purposes, the process for terminating a limited guardianship, and that the Public Guardian serves as a representative payee or VA Fiduciary of last resort.

Bill results