This Act is a result of the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee’s (“JLOSC”) review of Adult Protective Services. This Act creates the Vulnerable Adult Populations Commission (“Commission”), whose purpose is to improve the response to and reduce the incidents of vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation in this State. The Commission will be comprised of several members from key state agencies, legislators, and the private sector. The Commission’s duties include: (1) Studying Delaware court services and procedures, law enforcement procedures and protocols, and criminal justice data collection and analysis, as they relate to vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. (2) Effectuate coordination among Delaware agencies, departments, and courts to benefit victims of vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. (3) Promote effective prevention, intervention, and service provision based on research and data. (4) Recommend standards to state agencies and departments regarding programs and services that serve perpetrators or victims of vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. (5) Review and provide feedback on legislation relating to vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. (6) Submit an annual, written report to the Governor, General Assembly, Delaware Supreme Court, and the Director and Librarian of the Division of Research.
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Maddy summaryThis bill updates Delaware law to allow low-speed vehicles that weigh up to 3,000 pounds, increasing the previous limit of 2,500 pounds. The legislation applies to four-wheeled motor vehicles traveling between 20 and 25 miles per hour, which must still be driven on roads with speed limits of 35 mph or lower. Owners are required to hold a valid driver's license, maintain insurance, and certify that their vehicle's safety equipment is in working order, while dealers must be licensed by the state. The change simplifies the definition of these vehicles without altering other operational rules or inspection requirements.
This Act permits trucks having 5 or more axles that are hauling farm produce grown in this State and traveling from the farm on which the farm produce is grown to a location at which the farm produce is to be processed or stored, or from a location at which the farm produce is processed or stored to an export facility within this State, to weigh up to 90,000 pounds or combined manufacturer’s gross combined weight rating (GCWR), whichever is less, before a penalty is assessed for exceeding weight restrictions. A truck hauling farm produce is granted this increased weight limit if the truck complies with several conditions aimed at ensuring public safety. Surrounding states have similar increased weight limits for hauling farm produce. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act transfers the sections pertaining to assessment functions and the New Castle County Board of Assessment Review from the subchapter governing the functions of the Department of Land Use to the subchapter governing the functions of the Department of Administration and updates reference to the Department of Land Use to the Office of Finance in Chapter 83 of Title 9. It changes the New Castle County Board of Assessment Review from 8 members appointed by New Castle County Council and 1 member appointed by the County Executive, with the advice and consent of County Council, to 8 regular members and 3 alternate members appointed by New Castle County Council and 1 regular member appointed by the County Executive, with the advice and consent of County Council. It changes the Sussex County Board of Assessment Review from 5 members to 5 regular members and 3 alternate members. It permits Sussex County Council to provide for the term, residency requirement, compensation, and procedure for filling vacancies. It authorizes the appointment of a representative called a “referee” or a panel of 3 members of the Board to hear assessment appeals. It increases the time period in which the appeal process may take place from one month to three months. In all counties, it removes the requirement that a board of assessment or Department or Office of Finance to show the names of the owners, last owners, or reputed owners, the value of the property, and the amount of each owner’s assessment in their written assessments. In all counties, it clarifies that all property subject to assessment shall be assessed at its fair market value as of the date of the most recent reassessment base year in the county in which the property is located. It removes the requirement in Sussex County that the written assessment must state whether unimproved land is timberland, swamp, or marsh, and the number of acres. It provides the Board of Assessment Review for New Castle County the ability to determine the schedule and manner of hearings necessary to handle its higher volume of appeals in a timely manner and increases the time for the Board to provide appealing parties notice of the hearing from 5 to 10 days. Further, it changes the date that the Board of Assessment for Sussex County or its representatives must hear appeals and make additions, alterations, or corrections to assessments from February 15 through March 1 to March 1 through May 31 of each year or until all appeals have been heard and acted upon during a year of reassessment. It removes the requirement that the Board or representatives must sit in their offices during each secular day to hear such appeals. It provides that duplicate assessments may be in the form of a widely accepted electronic file format. It clarifies that when a board of assessment, Department or Office of Finance makes a supplemental assessment that does not alter, amend, or make a new one, it is treated like a general or annual assessment and the notice provisions required of an altered, amended, or new assessment do not apply. In all counties, it provides that any notices required to be given under Title 9, Chapter 83 may be sent by e-mail when the property owner has provided an electronic mail address for notice purposes. In all counties, it provides that each board of assessment or Department or Office of Finance shall publish notices of the place, and the website if made available electronically, where the annual and supplemental assessment roll may be inspected together with a notice of the time and place of the sittings to hear appeals. It changes the publication requirements for such notices in the case of Kent and Sussex Counties to one time in at least 2 newspapers and in the case of New Castle County to the newspaper with the highest general circulation. It clarifies the method for determining taxation value, frequency of assessments, and assessment rate for mobile homes by providing that Ad Valorem assessments for mobile homes shall be developed in the same manner as real property and be predicated on their market value and taxed at the same rate as real property throughout the county and school district in which the mobile home is located and in the name of the owner. In instances where the land is leased, the land upon which the mobile home is located shall be separately assessed and shall not include the value of the mobile home located thereon. It removes the provision that mobile homes be subject to a tax based on their value as rated in a nationally recognized appraisal guide and that a recognized guide be used to determine the assessed value on mobile homes. It removes the provision that for model homes not appearing in a guide, the board of assessors must contact a reputable mobile home dealer to determine value.
This Act addresses the growing concern over the safety of emergency responders. It increases the penalties for persons who violate this section, which requires drivers to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle making use of audible or visual signals, or a police vehicle using an audible signal only. The fines are increased and after two penalties, a person who violates this section will be subject to a 90-day suspension of their driver’s license. This change in fines and loss of driving privileges increases the penalty to make this a serious offense. This Act also clarifies that a driver who is unable to safely yield the right of way must slow to at least 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit. There have been numerous accidents causing personal injury and even death by inattentive drivers. Hopefully, this will help improve awareness and safety and avoid putting our Police, Fire, Ambulance, Paramedics, Fire Police, DelDOT employees, tow truck operators , utility crews and the distressed citizen broken down on our highways in jeopardy.
This Act creates a new license category of speech/language pathology assistant that is licensed and regulated by the Board of Speech/Language Pathologists, Audiologists, and Hearing Aid Dispensers. This addition is needed to address the shortage of speech/language pathology services in the State, particularly in public schools. The speech/language pathology assistant must practice under the supervision of a licensed speech/language pathologist. The parameters of that supervision will be specified in rules and regulations. A speech/language pathology assistant will be able to support and supplement the services provided by the supervising speech/language pathologist subject to the limits of the permissible scope of practice. This Act specifies that to qualify for licensure, the speech/language pathology assistant must hold certification issued by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The requirements for that certification include education, clinical experience, and successful completion of an examination. The applicant must also meet this State’s requirements as set forth in this Act.
This Act provides that the next of kin of a deceased police officer, member of a fire department, or member of the Delaware National Guard is entitled to a Delaware state flag if the deceased person served in at least 1 qualifying entity for at least 10 years and died in the line of duty or while an active member. This Act is a substitute for and differs from Senate Bill No. 221 in the following ways: - Applies to Delaware state flags only. - Removes language that referenced draping a flag over a casket at the deceased person's funeral service. - Removes auxiliary members of a volunteer fire department or a member of service organization providing volunteer ambulance services from list of individuals who qualify for a flag. - Uses the broader term "law-enforcement officer" and clarifies the definition. - Clarifies that a firefighter may be either paid or volunteer to qualify for a flag. - Names the following entities as responsible for providing flags: the Delaware Volunteer Firefighters Association for firefighters, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security for police officers, and the Delaware National Guard for their members.
This Act requires that public school students receive a vision screening, including a test for color blindness, in kindergarten. Students must also receive vision screenings at appropriate intervals in grades 1 through 12, to be determined by the DOE.
This bill seeks to amend sections of Chapter 66 concerning the members of Delaware Volunteer Fire Departments. This bill will hold current members to the same standards as applicants with relation to criminal activity.
For claims for line of duty death benefits for covered persons, which include police officers, firefighters, auxiliary and volunteer ambulance and rescue company members, paramedics, and others, submitted on July 1, 2023, and thereafter, this Act increases the benefits for the beneficiary or beneficiaries from $200,000 to $375,000, payable in annual installments, with the maximum amount paid in any 1 calendar year being $50,000.