The Act, which shall be known as the 2022 Delaware Relief Rebate Program, creates a “relief rebate” which is a one-time direct payment of $300 per Delaware resident taxpayer. This relief is intended to help Delawareans grappling with significant inflation at the grocery store and gas pump. Payment of the $300 will be made by the Delaware Department of Finance to resident individual income taxpayers who filed a 2020 personal income tax return. This payment will be made to each taxpayer, including those who jointly filed. No action on the part of a taxpayer is required to receive the $300. In order to quickly provide this payment to Delaware taxpayers, provisions pertaining to tax intercepts by other government entities and Delaware State agencies shall not apply. The amount received by individual taxpayers will not be subject to Delaware income taxes. Any written protest for the disallowance of the payment of the $300 relief rebate under this Act shall be processed consistently with existing provisions in Title 30. Records of the Department with respect to the provisions of this Act are subject to existing protections from disclosure under Delaware laws. A timely filed tax return includes extensions. This Act also temporarily suspends the limitation on refunds of taxes under Title 29 of the Code until DEFAC refund estimates include the 2022 Delaware Relief Rebate Program. Costs associated with the administration and issuance of payments under this Act will be funded by delinquent tax revenue authorized to be retained by the Department of Finance in the annual budget act. Finally, this Act requires the Department of Finance to establish a process to provide the relief rebate to resident adults who did not file a 2020 state income tax return by identifying adult residents through existing databases held by other state agencies, such as the Division of Motor Vehicles. The Department of Finance will then work with the Department of Technology and Information to implement a process by which eligible residents who have not been identified by other means can apply for and receive the relief rebate, subject to verification of their identity and eligibility.
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This Act repeals the outdated requirement for the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families (DSCYF) to seek approval before “mixing” youth who have been adjudicated delinquent with youth who do not have a delinquency history in the same facility. The mixing statute was codified in 1987, and since then, DSCYF has developed rigorous safety protocols and uses evidence-based assessments to determine appropriate placements for children in the care of the department. The current practices of DSCYF have eliminated the need for mixing approval, which in some cases require DSCYF to seek a court order. In addition, the Family Court conducts regular review hearings for youth in DSCYF custody, allowing opportunities for the department, the child’s attorney, the child (if age appropriate), and the judicial officer to monitor many factors relating to the child’s placement, including safety. This Act retains the prohibition on dependent or neglected children being placed in a detention facility unless charged with or found to have committed a delinquent act.
This Act removes the exemption in § 543(d)(4) of Title 4 (reduced distance requirements based on population growth) to the prohibition against granting a license for the sale of alcoholic liquor if there is an existing licensed establishment of similar type within either of the following: (1) A ½ mile by accessible public road or street in any incorporated city or town. (2) Within 3 miles by accessible public road or street in any unincorporated or rural area. This Act permits the Commissioner to grant a new license if all of the following apply: (1) The licensee desires to move the location of the license due to the destruction of the building, loss of lease, diversion of highway traffic pattern, or similar reason beyond the control of the licensee. (2) The application meets the requirements of § 543(d) of Title 4 of the Delaware Code and the other requirements of Title 4. (3) The new license does not result in the licensee moving the location more than 500 feet in an incorporated city or town or a ½ mile in an unincorporated or rural area.
This resolution recognizes April 11-17, 2022 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation and community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities throughout Delaware for their dedication to serving their communities with energy saving programs and carbon reduction projects. This Resolution also celebrates DEMEC’s upcoming 43rd anniversary and over 100 years of reliable electric service from Delaware’s local public power utilities by proclaiming April 13, 2022, as DEMEC Day.
This Resolution recognizes April 2022 as "Child Abuse Prevention Month" in the State of Delaware.
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes March 29, 2022 as "National Vietnam War Veterans Day" in Delaware.
This Resolution recognizes April 2022 as "Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.
This resolution recognizes April 2 through 8, 2022 as “Week of the Young Child” in Delaware.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution supports the Department of Education's review of the requirements for educator certification and efforts to strengthen these requirements to include demonstrated knowledge of the essential components of evidence-based reading instruction, known as the "science of reading".