This concurrent resolution recognizes the month of April 2026 as "Autism Acceptance and Inclusion Month" and recognizes Autism Delaware's service to the people of Delaware.
This Act prohibits payment card networks from establishing or charging transaction fees on tips on credit card transactions. Violations are punishable by a penalty of $1,000 per electronic transaction and the wrongful fees must be refunded.
Maddy summaryThis resolution designates January 2026 as "Human Trafficking Awareness Month" in Delaware. It is a symbolic gesture to highlight human trafficking issues and encourage public awareness efforts during that month. The resolution does not create new laws or funding; it is a non-binding recognition passed by both legislative chambers. Delaware residents and organizations focused on anti-trafficking work may use this designation for educational campaigns.
This Act increases the maximum amount of fees that the State Fire Marshal's Office can charge as follows: 1. The maximum fee for a license to service portable unit fire suppression applicance is changed from $50 to $100. 2. The maximum fee for all other permits, licenses, and certifications as required in the State Fire Prevention Regulations is changed from $25 to $100. These changes are being made to reflect the increasing cost of providing these services since the maximum fees were last set several decades ago. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 10 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 increase the effective rate of any tax levied or license fee imposed.
This Act ensures that a public school employee may not work directly with students unsupervised without a valid permit or license issued by the DOE’s Professional Standards Boards or an approved license issued under Title 24. To that end, this Act creates a new permit requirement for any paraprofessional or student support and classroom position, including specialist interns, year-long residents, full time substitute teachers, substitute teachers seeking certification, student teachers, and classroom aides. The following employees are exempt from the permitting and licensing requirements: non-instructional administrators; nutrition staff; custodial staff; transportation staff; clerical staff; charter school heads exempt under § 507(c) of Title 14; and substitute teachers seriving for less than 12 consecutive weeks in a school. The same laws, procedures, penalties, and safeguards that apply to the issuance, suspension, and revocation of a license under Chapter 12 of Title 14, will apply to a permit. The DOE may require reimbursement of any funds disbursed to district or charter schools for an employee without a license or permit, who holds a position requiring a license or permit. The DOE may also require reimbursement for an employee that is working under an expired license or permit. Finally, this Act increases the maximum supplement amount an employee may earn for accepting additional responsibility assignments that impact student achievement. The supplement may be no more than $5,000, rather than $1,500. It also directs the Department to update the Department of Education PHRST code manual so that the position codes align to titles of positions that are currently used by educators, and outdated codes are deleted. The new system codes must be in effect by the start of the 2026-2027 school year. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Under current law, both school board members who are elected and those who are appointed to fill vacancies until the next election are required to complete a background check. However, the statute is currently unclear as to how a background check gets done and who is responsible for reviewing the background check for an appointment. This Act makes clear that a person may not be appointed unless a background check has been completed and the Commissioner of Elections has determined the person is qualified for the seat, in the same manner the Commissioner completes that duty for candidates for school board elections.
This Act incorporates changes made by HS1 for HB204, which was passed by both chambers during the 151st General Assembly, but never enacted into law. It removes the exemption for private schools and youth camps that allows them to use a name-based, rather than a fingerprint-based, background check or choose not to do background checks at all for employees, contractors and volunteers. This Act also authorizes the Superintendent of State Police to promulgate regulations relating to re-use of a criminal background check. The State Bureau of Identification is also required to provide subsequent criminal history information to the agency receiving background check information. Authority is given to the Department of Education to pay the costs of background checks for its employees. The Act also creates a new § 309A in Title 31, in response to a request from the federal government that the statutory authorization/requirement for private school background checks be separated from the statutory authorization for state and local government authorities. The Act also makes some technical and clarifying changes to existing statutory language. The Act takes effect on July 1, 2026 and child-serving entities and private schools must comply with the requirements by September 1, 2026. This Substitute differs from the original HB47 in that the effective date is in 2026 rather than 2025.
This Act makes changes to the Delaware Child Care Act to clarify that early education programs run by state or local education agencies are subject to a parallel regulatory and monitoring structure administered by the Office of Child Care Licensing to ensure health, safety, and child development standards are met.
This Act makes it unlawful to possess, operate any motor vehicle with, purchase, install, manufacture, sell, offer to sell, or otherwise distribute a number plate flipping device. A “number plate flipping device” means a manual, electric, or mechanical device designed or adapted to be installed on a motor vehicle that does either of the following: a. Switch between two or more number plates for the purpose of allowing a motor vehicle operator to change the number plate displayed on the operator's vehicle; or b. Hide a number plate from view by turning the number plate so that the number plate registration number is not visible. The penalty for violation of this statute is for the first offense, a fine not less than $50 nor more than $200, imprisonment not less than 30 days nor more than 90 days, or both. For each subsequent like offense, such person shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $300, be imprisoned not less than 90 days nor more than 6 months, or both. The Act also makes technical changes to existing code language to conform to the Legislative Drafting Manual. A reference to farm vehicles being exempt from registration is removed, because that exemption was removed from the Code in 2014. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 28 of Article IV of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to create a new crime within the jurisdiction of the Court of Common Pleas, Family Court, or Justice of the Peace Court.
This Act does all of the following regarding suspected human trafficking of children: 1. Ensures the sharing of information between the Child Protection Accountability Commission (CPAC) and the Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council. 2. Expressly requires a multidisciplinary response to these cases, similar to child deaths and serious physical injury. 3. Even though human trafficking of children is child abuse, specifically delineates it throughout the child abuse multidisciplinary investigative response. 4. Codifies a review panel and oversight committee within CPAC for these cases, with the same authority, subpoena power, and immunities provided to the system that reviews child abuse deaths and near deaths. 5. Establishes that the Office of the Child Advocate will staff the review panel and oversight committee. This Act ensures that Delaware law is consistent with federal law requiring states to consider victims of human trafficking as victims of child abuse and neglect, and requiring the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families to investigate these cases. See the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 et. seq.) and Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (Pub. L. 114-22). Finally, this Act makes minor technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
