Delaware Bills

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 414: AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF FRANKFORD RELATING TO TAXATION.

This Bill amends the Charter of the Town of Frankford. In Section 15 of the Charter, it allows the town of Frankford to levy a Real Estate Transfer Tax up to one and a half percent of the sale price, as opposed to the current provision, which allows for one percent of the sale price.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 398: AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF SEAFORD RELATING TO FIRE DEPARTMENT APPROPRIATIONS.

This Act amends the City of Seaford Charter to remove the section regarding Fire Department Appropriations, specifically, the City Council's authority to set aside or appropriate up to ten percent of real estate taxes to provide for and maintain the equipment of the Seaford Volunteer Fire Department. It also removes the obligation of the President of the Fire Department to submit an annual report to the City Council.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 254: AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF MILLVILLE RELATING TO THE METHOD OF MAKING NOMINATIONS FOR A TOWN COUNCIL MEMBER.

This Act amends the Charter of The Town of Millville. Specifically, the Act more clearly identifies the documents needed to file for a Town Council member position, as well as the logistics of the candidate providing the results of the criminal background check to the Town.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 358: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE BOARD OF ELEVATOR MECHANICS.

This Act serves to clean up certain sections of the Board’s Practice Act. Required statutory language omitted due to oversight have been added, such as standards for reciprocity, issuance and renewal of licenses, and hearing procedures. The requirements for a public Board member have been clarified. Finally, inapplicable terms, such as “master” elevator mechanic, have been removed. This Act requires passage by a 3/5 majority because it authorizes the Board to set fees for licensure and licensure renewals. This Act makes technical changes to comply with the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 124: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 AND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO NOISE CONTROL AND ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS FOR PROTECTION AND CONTROL OF ANIMALS AND BARKING DOGS.

This Act eliminates animal noise and noise disturbances from the Noise Control and Abatement Chapter in Title 7. This Act clarifies the authority of the Office of Animal Welfare and Department of Agriculture to enforce all state laws relating to the protection and control of animals with, as occasion requires, the assistance of police officers. This Act also adds restrictions concerning barking dogs with other provisions concerning dogs currently being enforced by the Office of Animal Welfare. This Act does not prohibit municipalities from enforcing their own dog laws or ordinances if they have their own enforcement agency. This Act clarifies that police officers shall assist the Office of Animal Welfare, as occasion requires, with the enforcement of all State and local dog control laws. This Act prohibits the owner or person in possession or control of a dog from allowing the dog to bark for an extended period, defined as continuously for 15 minutes or more, or intermittently for 30 minutes or more. The Act exempts barking dogs if:(1) a person is trespassing on private property;(2) an animal is intruding on private property; (3) the dog is being teased or provoked. The Act exempts dogs located in:(1)animal shelters; (2) pet stores; (3) dog grooming facilities; (4) veterinarian offices; (5) animal clinics. The Act also exempts dogs engaged in:(1) dog training;(2) dog exhibition; (3) lawful performance competitions; (4) hunting; (5) herding. Civil penalties are a written warning for the first violation, $50 for a second violation, if it occurs more than 7 days after the first violation, $100 for a third violation and $150 for all subsequent violations. This Act is effective 1 year after enactment.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 253: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16, 18, 29, AND 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MAMMOGRAMS.

This Act is a substitute for House Bill 253. Like HB 253, it requires health insurance companies, including State employee/retiree health plans and Medicaid, to cover annual mammograms for the purpose of early detection for a woman 40 years of age or older, with or without referral from the woman’s health care provider. It also prohibits mammography facilities from requiring that women, 40 years of age or older, provide the facility with the name of a healthcare provider in order to receive an annual screening mammogram. This substitute differs from HB 253 by updating Title 18, Section 3552 of the Delaware for consistency with the rest of the bill. Specifically, it requires insurance carriers to provide coverage for annual mammograms for cancer screening beginning at age 40 rather than age 50 and prohibits carriers from requiring a referral for these annual mammograms.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 355: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MARIJUANA.

This Act provides legal protections for financial institutions and other entities that provide financial or accounting services to cannabis-related businesses that are licensed or registered under Delaware law. Specifically, it clarifies that banks, credit unions, armored car services, and providers of accounting services are not subject to prosecution under Delaware law merely by providing lawful services to licensed businesses engaged in the production, distribution and sale of cannabis in Delaware. This Act aims to facilitate the operation of cannabis-related businesses by helping to ensure that such businesses have access to necessary financial and accounting services.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 277: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SPEED EXHIBITIONS.

This bill clarifies which courts have the authority to hear cases involving illegal speed exhibitions in Delaware. It designates the Court of Common Pleas as the primary court for these offenses, removing the previous ability for Justice of the Peace Courts to try them. However, the law allows a Superior Court to handle the case if the speed exhibition charge is combined with a more serious felony. This change ensures that lower courts do not process these specific violations unless they are part of a larger, more complex legal case.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 363: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 25 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RIGHTS OF TENANT EMPLOYEES.

This Act requires a landlord who provides a dwelling place to a person as part of their employment compensation to provide them with a disclosure form advising them of the conditions and requirements for occupancy and vacancy of the premises once they are no longer employed for the landlord. The disclosure must inform the tenant employee that the landlord must offer the tenant, within 5 business days of termination by the employer, the opportunity to enter into a written rental agreement, if no rental agreement is in effect already. No offer for a rental agreement is necessary if the tenant employee is terminated for cause. The landlord may condition the rental agreement on the person financially qualifying as a tenant and meeting the landlord’s income, credit, or other financial requirements for renting the unit. This Act also lengthens the time period the landlord must wait before bringing a summary possession action against a formerly employed tenant from 15 days to 30 days unless the termination is for cause.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 16: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 29 AND 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO OVARIAN CANCER.

This Act requires that Medicaid and State employee health plans cover: (1) ovarian cancer monitoring tests for women treated for ovarian cancer; and (2) annual screening tests for women at risk for ovarian cancer.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 428: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO STATE PROCUREMENT.

This Act corrects, clarifies, and amends Title 29, Chapter 69 which articulates state procurement guidelines and procedures. The changes to the chapter realign some responsibilities from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to the Director of the Section of Government Support Services (Section) within the Office of Management and Budget. Additional chapter amendments include the addition of processes to Subchapter VI, Professional Services, and authorizes the Section to lead some mandatory use Professional Services contracting efforts. The Professional Services changes made are similar to the processes and procedures as identified in other subchapters of Chapter 69. The changes will not impact the vendor community.

signed · Delaware · House Oct 9, 2024

HB 353: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DEEP FAKES.

This Act provides civil and criminal remedies for the wrongful disclosure of deep fakes that depict individuals in the nude or engaging in sexual conduct. It provides the same remedies as those available under: (1) the Delaware Uniform Civil Remedies for Unauthorized Disclosure of Intimate Images Act, Chapter 78 of Title 10; and (2) a Violation of Privacy offense under §1335 of Title 11. It further provides that when an adult creates a visual depiction of a minor that is nude or engaging in sexual conduct, the adult would be subject to a felony prosecution, rather than a misdemeanor prosecution.

Bill results