This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates August 4, 2017, as “Barack Obama Day” in the State of Delaware.
This Act is the first leg of an amendment to the Delaware Constitution to provide for equal protection. This amendment would advance human dignity and equality for all under the Delaware Constitution, and would correct a constitutional shortcoming. It subjects unequal treatment based on discrimination to strict scrutiny, and enables courts in Delaware to establish jurisprudence concerning equal rights violations under State law reflecting Delaware values. Currently, while the federal and many state constitutions afford equal protection, Delaware’s constitution fails to do so.
This bill provides Statewide consistency in the law that protects the public from dangerous dogs and clarifies that dogs may not be held potentially dangerous or dangerous for animal control enforcement or for purposes of criminal liability based solely on breed-specific criteria. Findings to deem a dog dangerous will be based on actions of the dog, or an individualized demonstration of vicious behavior. It also prohibits municipalities from enacting breed-specific ordinances or regulations. The bill deletes outdated references to the now-defunct Dog Control Panel and replaces them with reference to the Justice of the Peace Court procedure laid out in Chapter 30F of Title 16.
The denial by private and public health benefit administrators of adequate coverage for substance abuse treatment has been identified as a major source of failed treatment efforts by persons addicted to controlled substances. These denials have also been identified as a cause of the shortage of adequate treatment facilities in Delaware. This Act seeks to ensure that persons with private and public insurance coverage have the ability to insist that they receive the substance abuse coverage to which they are entitled by law and by their insurance plans. It does so by (1) allowing the Department of Justice to provide legal assistance where appropriate to persons seeking benefits from the state’s Medicaid program, traditional health plans, or from employer-funded health benefit plans (which are exempt from state regulation), (2) requiring the state’s Medicaid program and private insurance carriers to provide notice to persons who are denied substance abuse treatment of the possibility of legal assistance in challenging those claim denials, and (3) permitting the Department of Justice to use funds in its Consumer Protection Fund to offset the cost of providing medical and legal expertise to DOJ and the Department of Insurance for the purpose of assisting persons with controlled substance addictions who are seeking treatment. This Act contains a sunset provision so that the General Assembly can assess the impact of its provisions on private and public health care costs and effective treatment of substance abuse before making its provisions permanent.
This Act creates the Delaware African and Caribbean Affairs Commission.
Recognizing that a criminal charge can have lasting collateral consequences for a juvenile on employment and education opportunities, this bill raises the age in which a juvenile’s information, such as their name and mug shot, may be released by the state. The bill also seeks to address issues related to the release of such information on publicly-maintained social media pages. This bill seeks to balance both the rights of juveniles and the public’s right to know by saying that the names and photos of juveniles who have been charged and/or found delinquent of Class A misdemeanors, and Title 11 felonies, may only be released when the offending juvenile is 16 or older. This legislation also adds clarifying language to prevent the inadvertent release of sensitive information online that could have lasting impacts on a juvenile long after they have been charged, and in some cases, acquitted, of a crime.
Sections 1-4 clarify the type of supervised experience applicants are required to obtain in order to be qualified for licensure and eliminates the requirement that reciprocal applicants be certified by a national organization prior to being qualified for licensure. Additionally, section 2 eliminates a pending criminal charge as a basis to deny licensure. Section 5 changes the law governing chemical dependency professionals to eliminate a pending criminal charge as a basis to deny licensure. Sections 6-9 clarify the type of supervised experience applicants are required to obtain in order to be qualified for licensure and eliminates the requirement that reciprocal applicants be certified by a national organization prior to being qualified for licensure. Additionally, section 7 eliminates a pending criminal charge as a basis to deny licensure.
This bill changes the number of live music events required for an entity to be a qualified “concert hall” for purposes of alcohol licensing. Previously a concert hall was required to hold at least 250 live music events per year and be open at least 5 days per week. Pursuant to this change, the 5-day requirement is eliminated and the venue must hold 250 live music events per two-year period.
This House Resolution recognizes April 28, 2017, as Workers Memorial Day.
This Act creates the Complete Your Degree Grant Program. Under this program, state funds may be provided to help eligible students who have completed at least 30 credit hours return to school and complete an associate degree.
