This Act permits a terminally ill individual who is an adult resident of Delaware to request and self-administer medication to end the individual's life in a humane and dignified manner if both the individual's attending physician and a consulting physician agree on the individual's diagnosis and prognosis and believe the individual has decision-making capacity, is making an informed decision, and is acting voluntarily. This Act uses terms and definitions that are consistent with other Delaware laws in Title 16, specifically Chapter 25 (regarding advance health-care directives) and Chapter 25A (regarding Delaware Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment). This Act also provides the following procedural safeguards: 1. No one may request medication to end life on behalf of another individual. 2. An individual cannot qualify for medication to end life under this chapter solely because of the individual's age or disability. 3. Both the individual's attending physician and a consulting physician must confirm that the individual has a terminal illness and a prognosis of 6 months or less to live, has decision-making capacity, is making an informed decision, and is acting voluntarily. 4. The individual's attending physician must also provide specific disclosures to the individual to ensure that the individual is making an informed decision, including the presentation of all end of life options which include comfort care, hospice care, and pain control. 5. The individual must be evaluated by a psychiatrist or a psychologist if either the attending or consulting physicians are concerned that the individual lacks decision-making capacity. 6. The individual must complete a witnessed form requesting medication to end life and there are limitations on who can witness the signing of the form. 7. The attending physician must offer the individual the opportunity to rescind the request for medication to end life before writing a prescription for the medication. 8. Two waiting periods must pass before the attending physician may prescribe the medication to end life. 9. An insurer or health-care provider may not deny or alter healthcare benefits otherwise available to an individual based upon the availability of medication to end life or otherwise coerce or require a request for medication to end life as a condition of receiving care. 10. A health-care institution may prohibit a physician from prescribing medication to end life on the health-care institution's premises. 11. The cause of death for an individual who self-administers medication under this Act must be listed as the underlying terminal condition and a request or prescription for or the dispensing of medication under this Act does not constitute a suicide, assisted-suicide, homicide, or euthanasia. 12. People acting in good faith and in accordance with generally accepted health-care standards under this Act have immunity, but those acting with negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct do not have criminal or civil immunity. 13. The Department of Health and Social Services must develop rules and regulations to collect information regarding compliance with this Act, complete an annual statistical report of information collected under this Act, and may review samples of records maintained under this Act. This Act is known as "The Ron Silverio/Heather Block End of Life Options Law" in memory of Ron Silverio and Heather Block, who were passionate advocates that passed away without this option becoming available to them.
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This bill provides for election day registration for presidential primary, primary, special, and general elections whereas currently the deadline is the fourth Saturday prior to the date of the election. Moreover, same day registration at polling places will be permitted with submission of valid government issued identification or other generally accepted proof of identification.
This Act replaces Senate Bill No. 69 (150th General Assembly) and does the following: (1) Creates an application process to obtain a handgun qualified purchaser card, to authorize the purchase of a handgun, or a firearms qualified purchaser card, to authorize the purchase of firearms other than a handgun. Like Senate Bill No. 69, this Act then requires licensed importers, manufacturers, or dealers, as well as unlicensed persons, to require an individual to present the individual's handgun qualified purchaser card or firearms qualified purchaser card before selling or transferring a firearm to an individual. (2) Requires that an applicant complete a firearms training course within 2 years before the date of application, similar to what is required by Delaware’s concealed carry permit law. (3) Sends to law-enforcement information that is already collected at the time of sale and required under federal law to be made available to law-enforcement. This change assists law-enforcement in the criminal investigations they already conduct. This Act differs from Senate Bill No. 69 in the following ways: (1) It makes clear that § 904A of Title 24 is not intended to prohibit law-enforcement officials from keeping records of sales and transfers of firearms for their use during criminal investigations or prosecutions. (2) It exempts individuals licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon from the requirements under this Act to complete a firearms training course. Individuals licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon must already complete a firearms training course to be licensed. Finally, this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This concurrent resolution establishes the Non-Acute Patient Medical Guardianship Task Force to study and make findings and recommendations regarding the needs and options of non-acute hospital patients in need of medical guardianship services. A recent study concluding in 2017 found that hospital patients who did not have acute medical needs were often abandoned in hospitals. These patients often lack financial means to pay for a guardian to make medical decisions. The Office of Public Guardian does not have sufficient resources to intervene to make timely medical decisions for such non-acute patients. In addition to harming these non-acute patients with prolonged hospital stays, patients with acute medical needs are not timely and adequately served because hospital beds are occupied by such non-acute patients. This concurrent resolution establishes a task force to study and make recommendations on these issues.
This Resolution recognizes April 2019 as "Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.
This Act requires that accumulated snow and ice be removed from services of a vehicle before it is operated and imposes a civil penalty for a violation. This Act also creates a civil penalty for each instance where snow or ice dislodges from a moving vehicle and causes property damage or personal injury but this penalty is not an exclusive remedy for property damage or personal injury.
This Act restricts access to tobacco products and tobacco substitutes to individuals under age 21 by doing all of the following: 1. Prohibits sales of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes to individuals who are under 21. 2. Imposes a civil penalty for sales to individuals between the ages of 18 and 21. 3. Repeals the ability of a parent or guardian to purchase tobacco products or tobacco substitutes for a minor. 4. Revises the framework by which an employer may use an affirmative defense to the improper sale of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes, aligning the affirmative defense with the minimum age increase. 5. Adopts best practices for enforcement measures by modifying the prohibition against the purchase of tobacco products by minors. 6. Prohibits individuals under age 21 from entering vapor establishments. This Substitute Bill differs from Senate Bill No. 25 as follows: 1. Revises the definitions of "tobacco product" and tobacco substitute" for clarity and makes corresponding changes to related statutes. 2. Allows employees under age 21 who are employed by a vapor establishment on the effective date of this Act to continue working at the vapor establishment if the vapor establishment provides the required documentation to the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement. 3. Makes this Act effective 90 days after enactment. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act creates the Delaware Large Capacity Magazine Prohibition Act of 2019. The Act includes clear definitions for the term “large-capacity magazine,” as an ammunition feeding device with a capacity to accept more than 15 rounds of ammunition. After enactment, possession of large-capacity magazine will be a class B misdemeanor for a first offense and a class E felony for any subsequent offense. Those who possess a prohibited large-capacity magazine when this Act takes effect must, by June 30, 2020, relinquish the large-capacity magazine to a law-enforcement agency in this State. This Act establishes a buyback program for large-capacity magazines, to be overseen by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
This Act creates an application process to obtain a handgun qualified purchaser card, to authorize the purchase of a handgun, or a firearms qualified purchaser card, to authorize the purchase of firearms other than a handgun. This Act then requires licensed importers, manufacturers, or dealers, as well as unlicensed persons, to require an individual to present the individual’s handgun qualified purchaser card or firearms qualified purchaser card before selling or transferring a firearm. In addition, similar to Delaware's concealed carry permit law, this Act requires an applicant to have completed a firearms training course within 2 years before the date of application. Finally, this Act sends to law-enforcement information that is already collected at the time of sale, and required under federal law to be made available to law-enforcement. This change will aid law-enforcement in criminal investigations they already conduct.
This bill allows school districts and charter schools in Delaware to utilize external camera systems on school buses to catch motorists that illegally pass school buses and punishes these motorist by issuing them a civil penalty. The purpose of this bill is to protect children as they are in the process of boarding and exiting the school bus and to spread awareness of school bus traffic safety. At least 16 states have implemented similar legislation, including Pennsylvania in 2018. This is a discretionary program that is not required, but is encouraged to be used by the Delaware school districts and charter schools.