Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall

Like House Bill No. 174, this substitute enables family members of individuals who have died by suicide to receive support services through the present Victims Compensation Assistance Program through a Suicide Victims’ Assistance Fund. This Act takes effect on July 1 following its enactment into law and the appropriation of funds into the Suicide Victims’ Assistance Fund. This substitute differs from the original bill by removing language providing funding for the bill through surcharges on business, residential, wireless, and prepaid wireless services. Instead, this substitute calls for the Suicide Victims’ Assistance Fund to be funded through annual appropriations by the General Assembly. This substitute also imposes a cap on annual expenditures from the fund and requires proportional reductions to claim payments for the remainder of the year if expenditures are expected to exceed the cap or once 75% of appropriated funds have been disbursed. This Act also calls for the General Assembly to review the expenditure cap and adjust it as appropriate every two years, beginning in Fiscal Year 2028.

Senate Bill No. 59 (Chapter 78, Volume 85 of the Laws of Delaware) was passed by the General Assembly on June 26, 2025, and signed by the Governor on July 16, 2025. Senate Bill No. 59 changed the standard applied by the Public Service Commission ("Commission") when deciding public utility rate cases. The standard applied before the enactment of Senate Bill No. 59 was the “business judgment rule” standard. Senate Bill No. 59 changed the standard applied by the Commission to the “prudence” standard. Forty-eight states in the United States apply the “prudence” standard when setting public utility rates, not the "business judgement rule" standard that has been applied in Delaware. Although Section 3 of Senate Bill No. 59 stated that the Act takes effect on January 1, 2026, following its enactment into law, it was the intent of the General Assembly that the Commission must apply the “prudence" standard retroactively in rate case decisions, where the public utility filed the rate case proceeding with the Commission during the period from the date of enactment of the legislation on July 16, 2025, through December 31, 2025. The “prudence” standard does not apply to any rate case proceeding filed by a public utility with the Commission before July 16, 2025.

This Act is a substitute bill for Senate Bill No. 228. It combines Senate Bill No. 228 and Senate Amendment No. 1 to Senate Bill No. 228. This Act differs from Senate Bill No. 228 by intending to maximize the amount of time New Castle County will have in 2026 to conduct a quality control review of non-residential property assessments and make any adjustments to assessed values while also ensuring sufficient time for the preparation of county and school tax bills in New Castle County with a December 31, 2026 payment deadline: 1. Adjusts the date by which New Castle County must complete its Quality Control review and make any adjustments to assessed values to September 30, 2026. 2. Adjusts the tax "due and payable" date, which is an existing statutory term that is different from a payment deadline, to October 12, 2026. 3. Adjusts the date by which New Castle County must mail out tax statements to November 16, 2026. 4. Adjusts the deadline for payment of tax bills to December 31, 2026. 5. Confirms that penalties for unpaid amounts do not begin until January 1, 2027. This Act also differs from Senate Bill No. 228 by changing the date by which a school board in New Castle County must deliver its warrant to New Castle County to October 22, 2026, and clarifying the State shall advance monies to any school district that experiences a shortfall as a result of the changes in this Act. Like Senate Bill No. 228, this Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill No. 228 is designed to promote fairness in property assessments and property taxation in New Castle County. The Act provides New Castle County the authority to conduct a quality control review of a tax parcel’s new assessed value after a general reassessment when any of the following conditions exist: 1. A clerical, mathematical, or factual mistake occurred during the new general reassessment. 2. A non-residential tax parcel whose assessed value from the general reassessment is at least $300,000 but decreased from its previous assessed value. 3. A non-residential tax parcel’s assessed value from the new general reassessment is at least $300,000 and the percentage change in its newly assessed value from its assessed value prior to the new general reassessment is no greater than 50% of the median increase of non-residential properties in that county from the new general reassessment. 4. A non-residential tax parcel’s assessed value from the new general reassessment is at least 25% less than the actual sale price from the parcel’s most recent sale within the 5 years preceding the new general reassessment, whenever the actual sale price is determinable by public records. The quality control review grants the Office of Finance the power to make revisions and corrections to a tax parcel while adhering to the standards of §§ 8306(a), 8312, and 8321 of Title 9. The Act sets deadlines for the Office of Finance to make adjustments to assessed values and to finalize and mail tax statements. This Act also amends Title 14 to provide a deadline for school boards in New Castle County to deliver their warrants and directs the State to advance funding if a school district experiences a shortfall of funding as a result of the changes in this Act. This Act expires on March 31, 2027, unless otherwise provided by a subsequent act of the General Assembly.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes January 27, 2026, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day and encourages education and remembrance in observance of the day.

This resolution recognizes recognizes the indispensable role of FNE programs in delivering trauma-informed healthcare, supporting survivors, and strengthening the criminal justice system.

Maddy summaryHCR 88 is a ceremonial resolution recognizing January 2026 as "National Mentoring Month" in Delaware. It does not create new laws or affect any specific individuals or groups; it simply makes a symbolic acknowledgment of mentoring efforts. The resolution was passed unanimously by both the House and Senate in early 2026. This type of resolution serves to highlight a cause but has no binding policy impact.

This Concurrent Resolution designates January as “Muslim Heritage Month” and recognizes Ramadan and Muslim residents of this State as they observe it.

Maddy summarySCR 128 is a ceremonial resolution designating January 2026 as "National Blood Donor Month" in Delaware. It formally recognizes the importance of blood donation through a symbolic state acknowledgment, without creating new laws or affecting any specific individuals or groups. The resolution was introduced and passed unanimously in both the Delaware Senate and House on January 29, 2026.

This House Concurrent Resolution establishes the purpose and protocol for the creation of a state of the state report on perinatal mental health in Delaware. The report is to be prepared by the Behavioral Health Consortium in consultation with its Maternal Mental Health Working Group, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Delaware Health Commission’s Health Workforce Subcommittee, the Delaware Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and the Maternal and Child Death Review Committee for review by the Governor, the Delaware State Senate, the Delaware House of Representatives, the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, the House Health and Human Development Committee, and the Director and Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services by December 1, 2026, and is to include a summary of current state programming, training and education, gaps in services, funding streams, demographic information, performance outcomes, and utilization data as well as any recommendations for addressing access and racial and socioeconomic disparities.

Maddy summaryHCR 93 is a symbolic resolution designating February 28, 2026, as "Rare Disease Day" in Delaware. It does not create new laws, policies, or funding; it solely recognizes this date for awareness purposes. The resolution was unanimously passed by both the House and Senate on January 29, 2026. This designation directly affects Delaware residents by highlighting rare disease awareness but has no direct policy impact.