Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf

This Concurrent Resolution encourages institutions, agencies, entities, and businesses that operate within Delaware, to purchase Delaware-grown food and value-added items. The Resolution also directs the Delaware Council on Farm and Food Policy to work with state agencies, higher education institutions, and other partners to prepare a report outlining current local procurement efforts to support a locally sourced food economy in Delaware, and to submit the report to the Governor and the members of the General Assembly by June 30, 2024. In addition, any updates on efforts must be submitted by December 31, 2024.

This concurrent resolution recognizes and honors the young women of Delaware participating in the 2023 session of Delaware Girls State.

This bill updates the State’s charter school law to codify the original intent of charter schools to encourage the use of different and innovative or proven school environments and teaching and learning methods; provide parents and students with measures of improved school and student performance and greater opportunities in choosing public schools within and outside their school districts; and to provide for a well-educated community. The substitute bill creates new subsections in Section 507(c) of Title 14 of the Delaware Code to define the licensure and certification requirements more clearly within Chapter 5 of Title 14 and provides for the ability to hire the leaders and staff that they deem beneficial to the success of the school’s educational program and the needs of students and staff. There are multiple pathways that people can travel to get to their administrative positions and all of their experiences on their journey are beneficial to the education and success of Delaware’s children. To that end, the substitute bill also defines “Instructional Administrator” at a charter school and the necessary experience and education required. It also directs the Department of Education to work with the Professional Standards Board and the Delaware Charter Schools Network to provide for the implementation of regulations for current and future Instructional Administrators in accordance with this bill. This will require modifications to Regulation 1596 Charter School Leader to make corresponding changes to align with the substitute bill if passed and signed into law. The Department of Education will also work with the Charter Schools Network to develop a “qualified alternative certification program” to provide flexibility for charter schools to hire Instructional Administrators working towards the required licensure and certification.

This Act increases funding for preschool children with disabilities who are not counted in either "intensive" or "complex" special education units by revising the current ratio of 12.8 students per unit to 8.4 students per unit for preschool children included in the basic unit count. This is the same ratio in effect as of July 1, 2023, for K-3 basic special education. The Act also consolidates the K-3 Basic Special Education Unit with the 4-12 Basic Special Education Unit as the ratio is the same for each group as of July 1, 2023. This substitute bill is different from original HB33 in that it omits the “Preschool 2 Basic Special Education Unit.” The preschool funding change is effective July 1, 2023.

This resolution requests the Office of Management and Budget to conduct an assessment of using State surplus real property for the development of affordable housing.

This resolution recognizes August 17, 2023, as "National Nonprofit Day" in Delaware.

Section 1 of this Act increases the standard deduction for personal income tax purposes of resident individuals and spouses of this State for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023. Section 3 of this Act increases the monetary filing thresholds resulting from the increases the standard deduction under Section 1. Sections 2 and 4 of this Act increase the refundable earned income tax credit to 7.5% of the corresponding federal earned income tax credit for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, and clarify that a previously enacted refundable earned income tax credit of 4.5% of the corresponding federal earned income tax credit took effect for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2021.

This concurrent resolution establishes the Non-Acute Long-Stay Patient Task Force to study and make findings and recommendations regarding the needs and options of non-acute Long-Stay hospital patients in need of transition to a more appropriate care setting. Long-Stay is defined as patients that have been in the hospital for 15 days or more and no longer have an acute medical need warranting hospitalization. These individuals are awaiting transition because access to a more appropriate care setting is unavailable. This means there are individuals in acute medical hospital beds that no longer need to be, but various barriers such as lack of insurance coverage, delayed authorization or guardianship, barriers to admission into behavioral health facilities or long-term care, and more, are preventing them from acute medical hospital discharge. This unnecessarily increases health care costs and can have a negative impact on the patients who are missing out on getting the specialized care they need at a more appropriate care facility. This also means longer wait times for other patients in hospital emergency rooms as there is less bed availability. This concurrent resolution establishes a task force to study and make recommendations on these issues.

This concurrent resolution establishes the Enhancing Lifelong Community Supports for the Aging, Individuals with Disabilities, and Their Family Caregivers Task Force.

The state’s pre-application process for land use process, known as PLUS, was created 20 years ago and has served to increase coordination among state and local agencies. In doing so, it has fulfilled its intent of providing predictability and consistency for the development community, especially in the area of major projects. Given that success, this bill assists in expediting the process for economic development projects in the State of Delaware with some exemptions from the PLUS process. A project located in Investment Level 1 or 2 under the Strategies for State Policies and Spending that is consistent with local zoning and any local comprehensive plan that will create full-time jobs is exempt from the pre-application process unless required by the local government or requested by the applicant.