Rep. Kim Williams

This Act updates the school stability law for children in the custody of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (DSCYF) following passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). ESSA requires Delaware to eliminate the provision “awaiting foster care placement” under § 202(c), Title 14 in accordance with the federal McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act by December 10, 2017, and instead create a distinct provision regarding school stability for children in the custody of DSCYF. [42 U.S.C. §§ 11431 to 11435; ESEA section 1111(g)(1)(E)(i)-(iii)), 20 U.S.C. §6311(g)(1)(E)]. This Act clarifies that children in the custody of DSCYF remain entitled to attend their school of origin if it is in their best interests to do so, or are eligible for immediate enrollment in a new school. Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Act take effect on the effective date of final regulations published in the Register of Regulations and promulgated under authority granted by § 202A(d) of Title 14, which is created by Section 2 of this Act.

This bill eliminates the use of an enrollment preference for students living within a 5-mile radius of a charter school. This change was supported by a majority vote of the Enrollment Preferences Task Force established by House Bill No. 90 of the 147th General Assembly. The Act will take effect immediately. For any charter school using the 5-mile preference at the time of enactment, the school is required to eliminate the preference through notification to the authorizer prior to the 2018-2019 school year. The bill allows a new preference for students located in the portion of the regular school district that is geographically contiguous with the location of the charter school.

This Bill adds 3,4-dichloro-N-[2-(dimethylamino)cyclohexyl]-N-methylbenzamide (U-47700) to Schedule I of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. U-47700, also known as “Pink,” is a synthetic opioid recently encountered by law enforcement and public health officials and is being abused for its opioid properties. It is available over the Internet and is marketed as a “research chemical.” The safety risks to users are significant and the public health risks include large numbers of drug treatment admissions, emergency room visits and fatal overdoses. On November 14, 2016, the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency temporarily placed U-47700 in Schedule I for a two-year period, finding that this synthetic opioid has a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and lacks accepted safety for use under medical supervision. By Emergency Order dated December 15, 2016, the Secretary of State temporarily placed U-47700 in Schedule I. This Order is effective for 120 days. The permanent addition of U-47700 to Schedule I is required in the interest of public protection.

This bill would require that a resident 65 years of age or older claiming a tax credit against school taxes must be a resident of the state for at least 10 years before qualifying for such credit. The current requirement is only for 3-year residency. This bill makes a conforming change in the Code provision governing reimbursements from the General Fund. It also eliminates language related to 2001 taxes, which is no longer relevant. This change will be effective for tax and fiscal years after January 1, 2017. Those residents who would have become eligible over the last three years under the prior version of the statute will remain eligible.

Pay for Success arrangements, whereby a government enters into a contract that ties payment for service delivery to the achievement of measurable outcomes, are an innovative tool being used by state and local governments. This Resolution tasks the Office of Management and Budget, Department of Finance, and the Office of the Controller General with evaluating the potential for the State to enter into a Pay for Success contract with a report due to the members of the General Assembly by December 31, 2017.

Since 1996, students across Delaware have participated in school choice. Currently, reorganized school districts, vocational technical school districts, and charter schools do not follow the same processes thus causing confusion and barriers for families seeking to access choice for their children. This Act aims to streamline the school choice process, making it easier and clearer for parents, guardians, and school administrators to navigate. This Act requires reorganized school districts, vocational-technical school districts, and charter schools to use a standard online application receipt and processing tool approved by the Department that is offered at no charge. It also clarifies that the application deadlines apply to all students, regardless of age or school. Additionally, it will prohibit schools from asking for additional information that does not directly pertain to an enrollment or program criterion. The bill will make the timing uniform for the ranked waitlist process. It aligns the sibling preference across all school types and eliminates the separate charter school April 1st enrollment requirement of 80% and moving to May 1st to allow for parents to make a final, informed decision. Under this bill, in the event of a mid-year termination of a pupil’s enrollment, the sending reorganized school district, vocational-technical school district, or charter school and the receiving reorganized school district, vocational-technical school district, or charter school shall enter into an agreement providing for the pro-ration of student funding based on a formula prescribed by the DDOE.

This bill lowers the current tax rate by .05% for each bracket. The bill creates a new tax bracket at $125,000 with a rate of 7.05% and an additional bracket at $250,000 with a rate of 7.80%. The bill also provides a tiered reduction of the otherwise available itemized deduction based upon the individual's taxable income.

Advance deposit wagering (“ADW”) has been the only growing segment of the pari-mutuel industry for more than a decade, is practiced nationwide especially in all of our surrounding states, and has been practiced by Delaware residents without authority or regulation, providing no contribution to the State’s racing industry. This Amendment provides for proceeds of advance deposit wagering that is conducted in the state to be used to support and improve the horse racing industry in Delaware by improving purses, supporting breeding, and ensuring that the industry is adequately regulated for the protection of all participants.

This Act increases State tax levied and imposed on both domestic and foreign limited liability companies. This increase generates additional revenue for the State of Delaware.

This Act removes the ability of members of the Interagency Resource Management Committee to appoint designees to serve in their stead.