Rep. Sean Matthews

This Substitute Bill makes the following changes to House Bill No. 287: 1. It changes the name of the new diploma to a "Diploma of Alternate Achievement Standards" instead of a "Diploma of Modified Performance Standards." 2. It adds a requirement that a student must be eligible to take a statewide alternate assessment to receive the new diploma. 3. The Act takes effect in the academic year after enactment.

This Act prohibits a flagger from using headphones or electronic communication devices while engaged in traffic control in a work zone. This Act permits a flagger to use an electronic communication device approved by the Department of Transportation. This Act makes a violation of this prohibition a civil traffic offense that is not entered on an individual’s motor vehicle record.

This Act increases the state employees' pension plan burial benefit from $7,000 to $10,000 effective July 1, 2016. This benefit has not been changed since July 2001.

In order to support enrichment activities such as field trips for students at high-poverty schools, this bill would require the State to provide $25 per student to high poverty schools to be used for the purpose of educational and enrichment field trips.

This Act allows for juniors and seniors majoring in education at a Delaware college or university to be paid $83 per day as substitute teachers, the same rate paid to those who hold a bachelor's degree but not a teaching license. This will encourage education students to gain some field experience, while also incentivizing a larger pool of potential substitute teachers to address a growing difficulty in finding qualified, reliable substitute teachers for our schools.

This Senate Resolution designates March as “Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention Month” in Delaware and encourages the Department of Health and Social Services to research methods to prevent and raise awareness of eating disorders.

Enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act amended the Individuals with Disability Education Act (“IDEA”) by mandating that special education teachers must have obtained full certification and may not be working under emergency certifications. The Delaware Department of Education must stop issuing emergency certifications in special education in order for for the State to continue receiving $36 million in federal IDEA funding for our schools. This Act creates a mechanism that is in compliance with federal requirements to enable educators to obtain a certificate of eligibility in the areas of special education. Educators will be able to meet federal requirements while being enrolled in an approved, alternative routes to certification program. This Act will allow local education agencies to staff special education classrooms while ensuring the educators are receiving high quality training working toward their standard certificate in the appropriate area of special education. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This House Concurrent Resolution recognizes February 14, 2018, as "Socks for the Homeless Day" in Delaware.

This bill increases the maximum annual corporation franchise tax in the amount of $60,000, from $180,000 to $240,000.

This bill creates the Grant-In-Aid Committee. The Committee is a joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives. The purpose of the Committee is to review requests for grant-in-aid and to develop the grant-in-aid appropriations bill.