Rep. Mike Smith

This bill seeks to create the Expanded Protection for Our Communities and Homes (EPOCH) Grant Program through a one-time appropriation of $20 million. The grant money would be distributed to every Delaware police agency that chooses to participate. The distribution would consist of a minimum standard allocation made to each agency and an allocation based on the number of uniformed officers authorized for each agency. EPOCH grants could be used by the recipient agencies to recruit new officers; promote or encourage careers in law enforcement; initially pay the salaries of newly hired officers; pay for overtime to facilitate additional work to address issues of local concern (including traffic enforcement); and implement programs designed to improve public safety in the area of the agency’s jurisdiction. The grant allocations would be available for the agencies to use for up to three years, after which any unused and unencumbered funding would return to the General Fund.

This bill expedites the issuance of a temporary entrance permit for commercial and economic development projects.

The Delaware Entertainment Job Act is intended to encourage jobs creation, artistic endeavors and investment in the film, television, esports and videogame industry in the State of Delaware, and the attendant benefits for the economy and job growth.  Delaware is one of the only states in the Mid-Atlantic and country without some form of tax credit at a time when production of original content for streaming and at theaters is at an all-time high. Thirty-three states have some sort of production incentive.   This legislation will provide for a thirty-percent, transferable tax credit for an investment in the state in a film, television, esports or videogame production. All qualified productions will be required to have an audit of their expenditures following the completion of production in the state before any credits will be awarded. Further, all qualified productions will be required to provide training through an internship program so that citizens may be able to gain a valuable trade. The credits will be administered by the Delaware Film, Television, and Digital Entertainment Office in cooperation with Department of Finance.

This Act requires a candidate’s political committee’s contribution and expense report, provided to the Department of Elections, to include the primary employer and job title of each person contributing to the committee. The Act requires the Department to review every committee report for any contribution or expense violation and to note the report, on the Department’s website, as either “submitted but not reviewed” or “reviewed and final”. The Act also requires the Department of Elections to provide a telephone number and online form for reporting alleged campaign financing violations with an option for the informant to provide their contact information to the Department. This Act also allows reporting parties who unintentionally receive or make a prohibited contribution to return or reimburse the contribution or pay the contribution to the State Treasurer. The Act also eliminates the ability of anyone who makes or accepts a prohibited campaign contribution from donating the money to a designated Title 30 charitable organization. The Act requires anyone who knowingly accepts an unlawful campaign contribution to pay the money to the State Treasurer for deposit to the General Fund. This Act also makes technical changes to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Concurrent Resolution acknowledges June 2022 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the State of Delaware.

This Act creates a $280 tax credit for resident individuals with $35,000 or less of taxable income in 2022. The purpose of this Act is to encourage persons to join the labor force and to treat employed, lower income individuals similarly to how House Bill 285 exempted unemployment benefits from being taxed.

The state’s pre-application process for land use process, known as PLUS, was created 20 years ago and has served to increase coordination among state and local agencies. In doing so, it has fulfilled its intent of providing predictability and consistency for the development community, especially in the area of major projects. Given that success, this bill assists in expediting the process for economic development projects in the State of Delaware with some exemptions from the PLUS process. A project located in Investment Level 1 or 2 under the Strategies for State Policies and Spending that is consistent with local zoning and any local comprehensive plan that will create full-time jobs is exempt from the pre-application process unless required by the local government or requested by the applicant.

This Act Amends Title 10 of the Delaware Code by allowing automatic Expungement for Juveniles who choose to participate in the Juvenile Offender Civil Citation Program after one year of successful completion of the program. This Program was offered as a viable alternative for Delaware Juveniles who did not wish to have a criminal misdemeanor on their record, especially in a time when these Juveniles may be applying for higher education and employment. However, whereas certain lower-level criminal offenses offer an option for expungement, these Civil Citations do not, and can still be seen on the Juveniles’ records. This Act also obligates the Civil Citation Coordinator to notify any courts or law-enforcement agencies who possess records pertaining to the case to have the records expunged. Such courts and agencies are to provide written notice to the Coordinator to confirm the expungement was completed.

This bill does all of the following relating to the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. First, it adds the Chief Magistrate of the Justice of the Peace Court to the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. Second, it removes the limitations on the use of voting by proxy by members of the Council. These limitations are unnecessary because § 2104(f) provides that the Council promulgate rules of procedure governing its operations so long as they are in accordance with Chapters 100 and 101 of Title 29. Thus, the Council, not the statute, should determine the rules necessary to govern its own operations. Finally, the bill adds the Fatal Incident Review Team of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council to the list of entities that are entitled to receive protected health information without informed consent. The protected health information at issue is essential for the Fatal Incident Review Team to review. Due to federal law, certain providers are prohibited from providing such information even with a subpoena. However, these providers can provide the protected health information if the statute specifically permits such protected health information to be disclosed without informed consent.

The Bill expands the availability of free feminine hygiene products at all public and charter schools.