Rep. Frank Cooke

This Act requires the Town Council to hold at least one (1) regular meeting during each calendar month, as opposed to the previous requirement that two (2) meetings shall be held on the first and third Wednesday of each month. It also adds a provision clarifying that every adopted ordinance shall become effective immediately under adoption unless a date is specified.

This House Concurrent Resolution requests that the Court of Chancery submit a report to the General Assembly on the following: (1) The feasibility of audio recording and publicly posting all Court of Chancery proceedings, with exceptions for confidential matters. (2) Proposed statutory language to codify a randomized, automated case assignment system in the Court of Chancery, including equipment and technology that will be used to randomly assign cases. The report must be submitted to the General Assembly and the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services no later than December 31, 2026.

This Act increases the salary supplement for school counselors and school nurses from 6% to 12% upon national certification. It further clarifies that salary supplements only apply if the employee is employed in the applicable profession and permits the DOE to identify additional positions subject to a salary supplement in Department regulations. This Substitute includes school social workers in those employees eligible for a 12% salary supplement.

This Act creates a film production tax credit. It requires companies to obtain, at their own expense, an independent audit certifying eligible expenditures. The audit must be submitted to the Division of Small Business for approval and allocation of credits. The credit is nonrefundable, transferable, and may be carried forward for up to 5 years. The credit may be applied against personal income tax, corporate income tax, bank franchise tax, and insurance premiums tax. All credit transfers must be approved by the Division of Small Business. This Act further authorizes necessary data sharing among agencies. Applicants and transferees consent to disclosure of credit amounts by virtue of applying or receiving a transfer. This Act also grants regulatory authority to the Division of Small Business and the Secretary of State to administer the annual credit cap; prioritize and manage awards; and issue reports relating to awards and utilization with input from relevant state agencies. The Division of Small Business may create alternative audit procedures for small businesses where a full audit would be prohibitively expensive. This Act sunsets on June 30, 2031, and no applications may be submitted after that date.

This Act increases for the crime of criminal mischief to a class F felony when the person intentionally causes damage to an authorized emergency vehicle resulting in a pecuniary loss of $5,000 or more or in the authorized emergency vehicle becoming temporarily unable to be used to respond to an emergency. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act is a Substitute for House Bill No. 449. Like House Bill No. 449, this Substitute Act comprehensively amends Chapter 38 of Title 24 of the Delaware Code, the Dietitian/Nutritionist Licensure Act, to modernize the regulation of dietitians and nutritionists in this State by doing all of the following: (1) Replacing the single “licensed dietitian/nutritionist” license with 2 distinct licensure categories—“licensed dietitian” and “licensed nutritionist”—each with its own defined scope of practice, educational pathway, supervised practice requirements, examination standards, and protected professional titles. Licensed dietitians are authorized to provide medical nutrition therapy for complex and non-complex disease states and medical conditions, including in inpatient and high-acuity settings, while licensed nutritionists are authorized to provide medical nutrition therapy for non-complex conditions in low-acuity outpatient settings. (2) Updating the definitions in Chapter 38 of Title 24 to add defined terms, including “medical nutrition therapy”, “complex”, “non-complex”, “practice of dietetics”, “practice of nutrition”, “nutrition care process”, “therapeutic diet”, “qualified supervisor”, “telehealth”, and “registered dietitian”. (3) Raising the minimum educational requirement for licensed dietitian applicants from a baccalaureate degree to a master’s degree with a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, increases the required supervised practice experience from 900 to 1,000 hours, and modernizes examination requirements by tying them to the Commission on Dietetic Registration. This Substitute Act establishes a parallel licensure pathway for licensed nutritionists based on a master’s or doctoral degree in nutrition with a supervised practice experience of at least 1,000 hours and passage of the certified nutrition specialist examination administered by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists. (4) Amending the composition of the State Board of Dietetics/Nutrition to include 2 licensed dietitian members, 1 licensed dietitian or licensed nutritionist member, 1 Delaware-licensed physician, and 1 public member. It updates the licensure renewal section to require that continuing education hours for licensed dietitians meet the standards of the Commission on Dietetic Registration, and that continuing education hours for licensed nutritionists meet the standards of the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists. (5) Revising the licensure required section (§ 3810 of Title 24) to establish protected titles for both licensed dietitians and licensed nutritionists, to clarify who may engage in the practice of medical nutrition therapy, and to update the exemptions from licensure requirements. Exemptions are updated or added for students and trainees in supervised practice programs; persons providing general non-medical nutrition information; out-of-state practitioners providing services via telehealth; persons providing wellness, health coaching, and non-medical weight control services; WIC program employees; and others providing non-discretionary support activities under direct supervision. (6) Adding a new § 3814 of Title 24 authorizing the Board to issue provisional licenses to applicants who have completed education and supervised practice requirements but have not yet passed their licensure examination. (7) Providing that existing Delaware licensed dietitian nutritionists who hold the registered dietitian credential will be grandfathered as licensed dietitians and those who do not hold that credential will be grandfathered as licensed nutritionists, without additional requirements. (8) Making conforming amendments throughout Chapter 38 of Title 24 to replace outdated titles, organizational references, and scope of practice language consistent with the dual licensure structure created by this Act. (9) Making technical corrections to conform Chapter 38 of Title 24 to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Substitute Act differs from House Bill No. 449 by making all of the following changes recommended by the Division of Professional Regulation: (1) Removing antiquated language prohibiting an individual appointed to fill a vacancy from serving on the Board for only 1 additional full term. (2) Providing that the actions that require the affirmative vote of 3 members of the Board are related to disciplinary actions under § 3811(b) of Title 24. (3) Removing a requirement that an applicant for licensure as a nutritionist must complete the required supervised practice experience within 5 years of completing the required educational requirements. (4) Clarifying the documentation required related to the supervised practice experience required for an applicant for licensure as a nutritionist. (5) Removing the requirement that an applicant for licensure as a dietitian or nutritionist complete 75 hours of continuing education for each 5-year period post-examination when the applicant passed the required examination more than 5 years before applying for licensure and has not maintained registration or certification and replacing that requirement with a requirement that the applicant complete continuing education as required by the Board, have actively practiced in dietetics, nutrition, or a substantially related healthcare profession within the last 5 years, completed coursework, supervised practice, or training related to dietetics or nutrition in the last 5 years, or provided other evidence demonstrating current competency. (6) Providing, as part of the grandfather provisions, for a pathway for nutritionists who are practicing at the level of a dietitian to continue practicing at that level. (7) Removing the telehealth provision that was in House Bill No. 449 because Chapter 60 of Title 24 applies to the Board. (8) Reverting to the "reasonably equivalent" standard for reciprocity and ensuring reciprocity is available for certified or licensed dietitians or certified or licensed nutritionists from another state whose standards are not reasonably equivalent if the applicant has held the certification or license in good standing for at least 5 years and the Board determines the applicant qualifies for licensure under Chapter 38 of Title 24. (9) Deferring standards related to qualified supervisors to the Board by regulation. (10) Providing for delayed implementation of this Substitute Act for 18 months or the adoption by the Board of regulations to implement this Substitute Act, whichever comes first. This Substitute Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 11 of Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to impose or levy a tax or license fee.

This Act modernizes Delaware’s emergency communications infrastructure by transitioning the State’s legacy Enhanced 911 (E911) system to a Next Generation 911 (NG911) system and updating the funding structure needed to support a statewide emergency communications network. Delaware’s current E911 system is funded through a monthly surcharge of $0.60 per telephone line, which has remained unchanged since 2001. This Act also authorizes periodic adjustments or scheduled increases in the surcharge to account for inflation, technological upgrades, and the growing operational costs associated with maintaining a modern emergency communications system. The transition to NG911 will allow Delaware’s public safety answering points (PSAPs) to support modern communications technologies, including text-to-911, multimedia communications, improved geolocation capabilities, and enhanced data sharing with first responders. These capabilities require significant upgrades to network infrastructure, cybersecurity protections, geographic information systems (GIS), and redundancy to ensure reliability during emergencies. Revenue generated by the updated surcharge structure will be deposited into the 911 System Fund and used for costs associated with planning, deploying, operating, and maintaining the statewide NG911 system. Eligible expenditures include network infrastructure, call handling equipment, software systems, cybersecurity protections, GIS data management, training of emergency communications personnel, and other costs necessary to operate a modern statewide emergency communications system. By establishing a sustainable funding mechanism and enabling the transition to NG911, this Act ensures that Delaware’s emergency communications system can meet current and future public safety needs, improve response times, and provide residents with access to modern emergency communication capabilities. Finally, this Act makes technical changes to existing statutory language to conform with the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the official revenue, refund, and unencumbered funds estimates for the state's Fiscal Year 2027 budget. It serves as a formal record of projected financial data to guide future budget planning and resource allocation. The legislation does not allocate new money or change tax laws but instead sets a baseline figure for government spending in the upcoming fiscal year.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes a one-time funding allocation of approximately $146.2 million to the Office of Management and Budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. The money is designated to cover specific, temporary expenses identified by that agency. The legislation has been approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and is now ready for final passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates state funds to cover government operations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, directly affecting all state agencies and departments. It establishes specific rules and limits on how these funds can be spent and updates related state laws to reflect these financial constraints. The legislation has been passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, moving it closer to becoming law.