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.
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This bill names the hill west of Mill Creek situated on New Castle County parcel number 0803100018 where the Spring Grove Mill House sits as “General Washington’s Hill of Deception”. This is the site of one of the most impactful combat event that occurred on Delaware soil during the Revolutionary War.
This Act provides that March 9 will be known as 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion Day and will be commemorated in this State by appropriate ceremonies to honor the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion members. In commemorating such a day, citizens are encouraged to write and mail letters to family, friends, military personnel, and veterans to recognize postal employees and the important service these employees provide in connecting us to each other.
Maddy summarySB 70 amends Delaware law to allow licensed genetic counselors to directly order genetic tests, which previously required physician authorization. This change directly affects licensed genetic counselors and their patients in Delaware, streamlining access to genetic testing. The key provision removes the prior requirement that counselors obtain orders from physicians for genetic tests, enabling counselors to make these clinical decisions independently within their scope of practice.
This Act renames the Delaware State Police Training Academy as the "Colonel James L. Ford, Jr. State Police Training Academy" in honor of Colonel Ford’s lifelong dedication to public service. It acknowledges his distinguished career with the Delaware State Police, where he held various leadership roles, ultimately serving as Superintendent. The Act also recognizes his significant contributions to law enforcement training, education, and public safety, as well as his service as Cabinet Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security.
This Act provides protections and rights to victims of sexual assault by doing all of the following: • Codifying the core sections of Delaware's Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) testing policy, adopted in May 2022. • Enacts the recommendations of the Victims' Bill of Rights Committee (VBR Committee), established under SCR 99, (152nd General Assembly) providing rights to victims regarding information about the location, status, and preservation of biological evidence. These protections and rights for victims of sexual assault are in addition to existing requirements for DNA analysis performed by the Division of Forensic Science (DFS) laboratory under Chapter 47 of Title 29 and the Victims’ Bill of Rights under Chapter 94 of Title 11. Section 1 revises the definitions in Chapter 47 of Title 29 by transferring definitions from § 4713 of Title 29, updating existing definitions, and creating new defined terms that reflect current practices. Section 2 updates existing requirements under § 4713 of Title 29 that apply when the DFS laboratory receives, analyzes, and classifies biological samples and obtains DNA results, by doing all of the following: • Adding the names of the state and federal DNA databases. • Referencing current law-enforcement procedures, including the names of Delaware’s criminal justice case management systems. • Requiring the Department of Justice, or a law-enforcement agency authorized by the Department of Justice, to inform DFS if the investigation has determined that no crime occurred in the case connected to a biological sample that has been submitted. This enables DFS to comply with NDIS policies and procedures related to when DNA results can be included in the National DNA Index System. • Adding the VBR Committee’s recommendations preventing the destruction of biological samples from unsolved sexual assault cases based on the victim’s age at the time of the alleged offense. For adults, these biological samples may not be destroyed until 20 years after the collection of the evidence and if the victim was under 18 years of age, until the victim is 40 years old. • Adding references to the new SAK-specific provisions under § 4713A of Title 29 and § 9403B of Title 11. Section 3 adds additional requirements that apply when the DFS laboratory conducts DNA analysis of SAKs, codifying Section 5 and Section 7 of the existing SAK testing policy. Section 4 adds definitions related to biological evidence to Chapter 94 of Title 11 for the Victims’ Bill of Rights. Section 5 adds the following to the Victims’ Bill of Rights: • Requirements that apply to investigating law-enforcement agencies, codifying provisions in Section 3 and Section 4 of the existing SAK testing policy. • The VBR Committee’s recommendations regarding victims’ rights to information about the location, status, and preservation of biological evidence, such as learning the status and results of DNA testing. Victims of unsolved sexual assault cases have the right to notice before biological evidence is destroyed, to request that this evidence be preserved, and to designate another person to receive information about the status of biological evidence on their behalf. Section 6 updates how victims receive notifications from law-enforcement agencies that are required under the Victims’ Bill of Rights, to allow for implementation of the victims’ rights to information about biological evidence. All of the following changes were recommended by the VBR Committee and are identical to the language in Senate Bill No. 17 (153rd): • Allowing law-enforcement agencies to send notifications electronically. • Providing that victims are responsible for providing a law-enforcement agency with changes to the victim’s contact information. • Allowing a victim to indicate and change their preferred method of contact by law-enforcement agencies, including a preference not to be contacted, and law-enforcement agencies must use the victim’s preferred method of contact when possible. Sections 7 through 9 revise the definitions of “DNA” and “DNA profile” in Part II of Title 11 for criminal procedure so they align with the definitions in Chapter 47 of Title 29. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act establishes the Office of Suicide Prevention to address suicide prevention and to do the following: (1) Serve in coordination with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families as a place to reach all suicide prevention resources in the State. (2) Assist the suicide prevention coalition in its mission. (3) Provide suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention vision and guidance to stakeholders throughout the State. (4) Work with community level prevention organizations to promote best practices in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. (5) Oversee suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention funding application processes and seek grant funds to further suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. (6) Prepare an annual report for the General Assembly and Governor that outlines the work of the Office and progress made towards suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, beginning on October 15, 2026. (7) Create the State’s Suicide Prevention Plan, with approval of the suicide prevention coalition, and update it no fewer than every three years. The Act provides that the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health will choose a Director to carry out the Office’s duties.
This Act provides financial support to owners who adopt a horse that retired from serving with the Department of Correction, State or Capitol police, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, or the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The owners of these retired-law enforcement horses may be reimbursed up to $3,000 annually for veterinary care expenses and farrier services paid by the owner for the care of the retired law-enforcement horse. The Department that the retired law-enforcement horse assisted shall issue veterinary care and farrier services reimbursements and promulgate regulations to create a reimbursement process for retired law-enforcement horses. This Act also makes structural changes to incorporate the support for retired law-enforcement animals into a single subchapter. This Act changes subchapter VII of Title 16 from the Retired Law-Enforcement Canine Act into the Retired Law-Enforcement Animals Act. This Act moves all the definitions into their own section, and adds and modifies definitions, as needed, to account for the addition of horses. This Act is effective immediately and shall be implemented 6 months after enactment. This Act does not apply to law-enforcement horses that retire before the implementation date of this Act. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Current law allows pensioners to be employed in a Governor-appointed position or as a temporary, casual, seasonal, or substitute employee, including as a substitute teacher, but only after a 6-month separation of service period if the pensioner is under age 65 and limits annual earnings by temporary, casual, seasonal, or substitute employees to $50,000 before an individual’s earnings affect the amount of the individual’s pension. To alleviate staffing shortages in schools and state agencies with 24-hour shifts, this Act removes the earnings limit beginning calendar year 2025, lowers the age when the separation of service period applies to individuals who are under 59 ½ years old, and reduces the required separation of service period to 3 months. This Act also clarifies that the pensioners may be employed as substitute teachers by charter schools under the same requirements as school districts. To comply with federal law, this Act makes the bona fide 3-month separation period applicable to all pensioners employed under § 5502(a) of Title 29. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
In the 151st General Assembly, SS1 to SB 258 was passed, which permitted pet owners to pursue compensatory damages without limitation for veterinary bills incurred to care for a pet that was injured by the negligence, reckless, or intentional acts of another individual or that individual's pet. This act removes a sunset provision that would have these changes expire on October 14, 2025.