This is the final leg of an amendment to the Delaware Constitution to provide equal rights on the basis of sex. There is no Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution. While Congress passed the Amendment in 1972, it was not ratified by the requisite number of states by the 1982 deadline. Delaware, however, was one of the first states to ratify the Amendment. About half of the states across the country have passed Equal Rights Amendments to their state constitutions in order to provide protection against discrimination based on sex. Without an Equal Rights amendment, women's rights and protections are limited. This Amendment is necessary to correct a constitutional shortcoming, reduce sex-based disparities and to codify our State's value of equality. Section 1 makes clear the General Assembly's intent in proposing this Amendment to the Delaware Constitution.
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This Concurrent Resolution recognizes January 9, 2019, as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in Delaware.
This Concurrent Resolution provides for a Joint Session of the Senate and the House of Representatives to be convened for the purpose of hearing an address by the Honorable John C. Carney, Jr., Governor of the State of Delaware.
This bill appoints the Secretary of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security as Chair of the DPAC and removes the President Pro Tem and the Speaker of the House from the Commission. This bill also makes technical corrections in conformance with the Legislative Drafting Manual and clarifies that members may appoint a designee to serve in their place and at their pleasure.
This Act amends Delaware's existing continuity of government laws as required in conjunction with the adoption of House Bill No. 410, which completes the process to amend Article II, § 5 and Article XVII, § 1 of the Delaware Constitution to adopt an "all hazards" approach to continuity of government planning. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Individuals who are released from prison face many hurdles as they re-enter the community, including difficulty obtaining identification documents. Lacking identification imposes additional hurdles as these individuals attempt to find housing and employment. This Act requires the Department of Correction to provide individuals who are being released from the custody of the Department of Correction ("DOC"), after 6 months of incarceration following conviction, with a Delaware Personal Credential Card ("Personal Credential"). An individual may present the Personal Credential to receive one free certified copy of the individual's birth certificate and one identification card or driver's license, if otherwise eligible to receive those documents. This Act builds on the pilot that has been in place since 2012, when the DOC partnered with the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Health and Social Services to obtain identification for individuals who volunteer to participate in the I-ADAPT re-entry program. Currently, individuals in I-ADAPT receive a Prisoner Re-Entry card, valid for 1 year, that can be used to obtain to obtain a free copy of their birth certificate, if they were born in Delaware, and a free identification card, if otherwise eligible to receive one.
This Act prohibits drilling for oil or natural gas in Delaware’s coastal zone and territorial waters and precludes DNREC from issuing any permits in connection with the development of offshore drilling infrastructure, whether proposed for Delaware territorial waters or waters outside of the State.