Delaware Bills

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 30, 2021

SB 145: AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE MUNICIPAL SERVICE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF NEW CASTLE.

This Act amends the Charter of the Municipal Service Commission of the City of New Castle by granting the City Council of New Castle the power to appoint two of the three Commissioners to serve on the Municipal Service Commission, with the incumbent Mayor as the third Commissioner. This Act also sets the terms of each appointed Commissioner to 4 years, and allows the City Administrator to serve as a substitute for the Mayor on the Commission in the Mayor's absence.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 30, 2021

SB 81: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE RATE FILINGS.

This bill allows for deviations from rating organization filings to be effective continuously until terminated with the approval of the Commissioner or subsequently modified. This change conforms the law to current practice. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 30, 2021

SB 138: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RADIATION CONTROL.

This bill changes the requirements for members to be appointed to the Authority on Radiation Protection. It also allows for removal of a member by the Governor in certain limited circumstances, and clarifies the number of members needed to constitute a quorum.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 30, 2021

SB 162: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE ADVISORY COUNCIL TO THE DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SERVICES.

This Act is a result of the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services Task Force ("the Task Force"), which was created under Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 62 and extended by House Bill No. 345, both of the 150th General Assembly. This Act fulfills 2 of the Task Force's many recommendations, by requiring that the chair or vice chair of the Advisory Council to the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services be an individual with a developmental disability, and amending the Advisory Council membership to include the following: - 7 representatives of families, service recipients, and self-advocates who currently receive services from the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services. - 5 representatives of a cross section of service providers in the developmental disabilities community who currently operate within the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services system, including residential service providers, day habilitation service providers, employment service providers, clinical service providers, behavioral or mental health service providers. - 5 professional advocates, representing the following organizations: Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council, State Council for Persons with Disabilities, Disabilities Law Program at Delaware Community Legal Aid Society, Inc., The Arc of Delaware, and Center for Disabilities Studies at University of Delaware.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 30, 2021

SB 85: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 12 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PUBLIC GUARDIAN.

This bill allows the Public Guardian to collect fees for services in accordance with standards to be established by the Guardianship Commission and approved by the Court of Chancery.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 30, 2021

SB 95: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE INSPIRE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

This bill will provide Delaware students with strong academic credentials and a demonstrated commitment to volunteer public service to receive scholarship monies sufficient to cover the full cost of tuition at Delaware State University. The intent of this bill is to increase the number of students in Delaware who not only attend the University but who successfully complete degree programs.

signed · Delaware · House Jul 30, 2021

HB 161: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF HOSPITALS.

This Act adds an additional classification for surgical hospitals. House Bill No. 91 adopted by the 150th General Assembly (82 Del. Laws c. 73) revised the statutory definition of hospital and classified hospitals as either General, Long-term care, Psychiatric, or Rehabilitation. The existing classifications do not include surgical hospitals, those specialized hospitals providing surgical services at a level of care higher than freestanding surgery centers but whose patients do not require all of the services provided by “General” acute care hospitals. This Act will allow the Department of Health and Social Services to license and regulate surgical hospitals providing inpatient and outpatient surgical services to patients whose duration of stay is not expected to exceed 72 hours. This Act also makes technical corrections to existing law to make it consistent with the Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 29, 2021

SB 29: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STATE LOTTERY FUND.

This Act enhances 2 existing agricultural horse racing programs, the Delaware Standardbred Breeder's Program and the Delaware Certified Thoroughbred program, by providing additional funding. Under this Act, horsemen provide half of the additional funds from purse money and the State provides half of the additional funds with matching funds.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 27, 2021

SB 127: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

The purpose of this legislation is to promote sustained economic growth and stability by establishing a fund to provide grants, loans or other economic assistance to businesses or public entities that invest in constructing, renovating or improving infrastructure for sites that will attract new businesses or expand existing businesses within the State to initiate economic development opportunities that will create a significant number of direct, permanent, quality, full-time jobs. There is intense competition between the states to attract and to keep vital businesses that create and maintain these direct, quality employment opportunities. Therefore, it is critical to expand and sustain economic growth within the State to consistently maintain readily available commercial, industrial sites to attract new business, or expand existing businesses. The delay in converting completely undeveloped sites into sites that are fully capable of conducting business may result in the loss of significant business opportunities that benefit the public. The site readiness fund will provide economic assistance to qualified businesses or public entities to renovate, construct, or improve commercial, industrial sites that are readily available to new businesses, established businesses that are considering moving to the State or existing businesses within the State that need additional sites to remain or expand within the State. To ensure fiscal accountability that site readiness funds are expended for their intended purpose, the applications will be administered in accordance with the existing regulations that govern applications made to the Strategic Fund. The Council on Development Finance will review the applications and supporting financial information to make recommendations to the Director of the Division of Small Business concerning the viability of the proposed project and whether the project meets the criteria established by this legislation to award funding. The Director has the final authority to award funding based on the Council’s recommendations and the requirements imposed by this legislation. The Director shall administer any such award in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 87A of Title 29 of the Delaware Code and the existing Strategic Fund regulations. To protect the assets of the Fund, the Director may require recapture provisions in any contract agreements for grants, loans or other economic assistance that recover for any substantial or complete cessation of operations or failure to reach any employment or other benchmarks. The Director may require the applicant to report financial statements and project progress reports to determine that expenditures on the project are consistent with the purpose of the Fund.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jul 19, 2021

SB 15: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MINIMUM WAGE.

This bill provides for gradual increases in the Delaware minimum wage to $15 over a period of several years.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 30, 2021

SB 72: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 6 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO EQUAL ACCOMMODATIONS.

This Act clarifies that discrimination against any person because of religion is illegal under Chapter 45 of Title 6, the Delaware Equal Accommodations Act. Religion and religious beliefs were always intended to be protected under the Delaware Equal Accommodations Act through the word "creed" and this Act codifies that understanding, consistent with the Superior Court’s decision in Boscov’s Dep’t Store v. Jackson, 2007 Del. Super. LEXIS 37. This Act adds the term “religion” to the list of prohibited bases for discrimination and defines “religion” to include all aspects of religious observance and practice, not just belief. This Act also updates the forms of communication covered by the Delaware Equal Accommodations Act so the list includes notices or advertisements on television or the Internet. This Act is known as "The Religious Freedom for All Act". This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Jun 30, 2021

SB 103: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 12 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO UNCLAIMED PROPERTY.

This Act adopts an express reporting requirement for virtual currency, with an exemption for game-related digital content with minimal or no value; defines virtual currency and game-related digital content; requires the liquidation of and conversion to U.S. dollars of virtual currency prior to reporting and remitting this property to the State; and limits the exposure of both the State and the reporting holder to claims by the putative owners of this property type for subsequent gains in value, given the volatility inherent in this property type’s value. Liquidation of and conversion to U.S. dollars of virtual currency prior to reporting and remitting also promotes ease of administration and the return of the cash value to owners. This Act incorporates in part some of the concepts from the 2016 Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act promulgated by the Uniform Law Commission, as well as legislation adopted by Kentucky in 2019. These changes take effect on August 1, 2021.

Bill results