Rep. Ed Osienski

This Act makes several changes to the civil asset forfeiture proceedings of this state. It repeals the legal presumption that money, negotiable instruments or securities found in close proximity to controlled substances or records or with trace amounts of controlled substances are forfeitable. Such evidence is still admissible and may be considered by the Court in a forfeiture proceeding. It puts the burden of proof on the State to prove all elements of a forfeiture case by a preponderance of the evidence. Under the existing statute, it is the burden of an innocent owner to prove that they did not have knowledge of or consent to the use of their property in an unlawful act. It prohibits the forfeiture of currency less than $500. It prohibits forfeiture unless a criminal charge is brought. It requires the person holding seized property to be financially responsible for all fees associated therewith in the event the property is ordered by the Court to be returned. It allows a claimant property owner who substantially prevails in a forfeiture proceeding to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. The language in this section is modeled after a provision of the federal forfeiture statute, at 28 U.S.C. § 2465 that was put in place in 2000 as part of federal civil asset forfeiture reforms. It aligns forfeiture provisions in Title 11 with the forfeiture provisions in Title 16. It requires the Department of Justice to collect and annually report statistics regarding civil asset forfeiture.

This Act makes the crime of “patronizing a prostitute” a class E felony rather than a misdemeanor where the person from whom prostitution is sought is a minor.

This Act revises §§ 4732 and 4733 of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, Subchapter III, Chapter 47, Title 16 of the Delaware Code, pertaining to the regulation of the manufacture, distribution and dispensing of controlled substances. The revisions provide that out-of-state practitioners who wish to prescribe controlled substances in Delaware pursuant to a practice privilege, interstate compact license, telehealth registration, or military registration, must obtain a Delaware controlled substance registration. This Act will ensure that these out-of-state practitioners are subject to Delaware regulation with respect to prescribing controlled substances to Delaware patients.

Due to the rapidly increasing costs of materials and labor, combined with the frequency in which developers have gone out of business or otherwise been unable to complete work required within developments, this Act increases the funding required to be secured by a developer to ensure the developer fulfills the developer's obligations to construct and complete improvements within a subdivision. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates overtime pay rules for non-exempt employees working for the Delaware Department of Transportation. Starting July 1, 2024, these workers will receive time-and-a-half pay for any hours worked beyond 37.5 hours in a single week. The change applies specifically to the DOT and ensures that overtime compensation begins once an employee exceeds the standard 37.5-hour threshold.

This Act clarifies portions of Chapter 49 of Title 6 and Chapter 63 of Title 21 of the Delaware Code pertaining to motor vehicle dealers. These additions and modifications are intended to further improve our State’s franchise laws and ensure that Delaware consumers have a stable, reliable, convenient, and competitive retail network for automobile sales and service. This Act is an effort to continue to ensure that the relationship between dealers and the manufacturers and distributors is as fair and equitable as possible and provides the highest level of consumer protection. The Act includes the following provisions: Definitions. The Act amends § 4902 of Title 6 and clarifies the definitions of “motor vehicle” and “new motor vehicle” to reflect technological advances and changes in industry business practices in the state, and adds a definition of “electric motor vehicle”. The Act defines the new terms “sell,” "selling," "sold," "exchange," "retail sales," and "leases". Warranty and Predelivery Obligations to New Motor Vehicle Dealers. Dealers are required by contract to perform warranty work for manufacturers. The Act amends § 4903 of Title 6 in order to ensure that dealers are fairly paid for performing manufacturer-directed repairs related to warranty repairs, maintenance programs and recall work. Intrusive Audits. Dealers are required by existing law to wait up to 30 days for payment for motor vehicle warranty repairs in order to allow the manufacturer to review and approve payment submissions. Manufacturers are also allowed to later audit such repairs and payments. The Act affords manufacturers a full 6 months to audit warranty claims but will reasonably prevent intrusive and time-consuming audits after 180 days, unless the audit involves cases of alleged fraud. Franchise Termination Compensation. Under existing law, manufacturers must repurchase certain motor vehicles, parts and special tools in the event of the termination of the dealer’s franchise agreement. The Act amends § 4907 of Title 6 and specifies a 90-day timeframe for payment and clarifies that it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to cover the cost of returns. Return of Unnecessary Tools & Equipment. The Act allows a dealer a limited opportunity to return and be reimbursed for the cost of certain tools and equipment that were required as a part of an electric vehicle program or agreement between that dealer and the manufacturer, if the dealer determines within two years after receipt that such tools and equipment are unnecessary or that sales volume and utilization are low enough to prevent the dealer from realizing a reasonable return on those forced investments. Failure or Refusal of Manufacturer to Accept Returns. The Act amends § 4913 of Title 6 by providing that it violates Chapter 49 for a manufacturer to fail or refuse to accept the return or to fully reimburse a dealer for the cost of parts, tools, equipment, chargers and other infrastructure required under the franchise agreement, or as part of a program, policy, or other initiative related to the sale or service of electric motor vehicles. Sale & Subscription of Over-the-Air Features. The Act allows manufacturers to directly sell options, add-ons, features, improvements and upgrades by remote transmission to consumers, provided that the dealers are afforded an equal opportunity to sell the same products and services, and further provided that the manufacturer reasonably compensates the dealer for direct sales or subscriptions to the dealer’s customers for a specified period of time. Association Standing. The Act adds a new § 4920 to Title 6 on the subject of Association Standing. Franchise laws have been enacted in all 50 states to recognize compelling state interests in protecting consumers and in regulating the disparity in bargaining power between motor vehicle manufacturers and their franchised dealers. Because dealers have a single source for their new motor vehicles, parts and accessories, many are reluctant to raise a single voice to object to unlawful activity by their manufacturer. The Act grants statutory standing to a large association of dealers to bring a legal action, in very limited circumstances, to ensure compliance with applicable law. Licensing. The Act amends provisions of §§ 6301 and 6302 of Title 21 of the Delaware Code related to the Sale of Motor Vehicles. The Act adds definitions of “new motor vehicle,” “new motor vehicle dealer,” “used motor vehicle,” and “used motor vehicle dealer” to § 6301. Section 6302 is amended to provide that a manufacturer, importer, or distributor who was licensed as a motor vehicle dealer is not eligible to receive any additional licenses. The Act is supported by the Delaware Automobile and Truck Dealers’ Association, Inc.

Early, sustained exposure to peanut and egg proteins in the infant diet significantly reduces the risk that an infant will develop a peanut or egg allergy, saving lives and future health care costs. Following multiple clinical studies, the current guidance of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, which is followed by pediatricians, recommends that by age 6 months, all infants should be introduced to both peanut and egg protein and that unless contraindicated, all infants should regularly consume peanut and well-cooked egg protein until they reach the age of 1 year, to reduce the risk of developing peanut or egg allergies. This Act requires that all health insurance plans subject to requirements under Delaware law, including Medicaid, provide coverage, at no cost when prescribed to infants, of at least 1 early peanut allergen introduction dietary supplement and at least 1 early egg allergen introduction dietary supplement. This Act applies to all policies, contracts, or certificates issued, renewed, modified, altered, amended, or reissued after December 31, 2025.

This Act revises the experience rating methodology for assigning unemployment assessment rates to employers under the Unemployment Insurance Code in Delaware, replacing the current benefit wage ratio methodology with the benefit ratio methodology used by 19 other states. The new methodology is meant to be more responsive to changes in the economy over time, to better sustain the solvency of the Unemployment Trust Fund, and to be easier to administer. The unemployment assessment rate for an employer under this new methodology would be calculated by combining a benefit ratio assessment, an employer size add-on, and an employer industry add-on. The supplemental tax for operations and technology costs that is already included in the Unemployment Code would continue to be added to each employer's overall assessment rate. This bill also reduces new employer unemployment assessment rates and phases in a permanent taxable wage base over three years- $12,500 for calendar year 2025, $14,500 for calendar year 2026, and $16,500 for calendar year 2027 and thereafter. The new methodology would be in effect beginning calendar year 2027. Until the effective date of that new tax rate structure, this Act would also provide temporary relief to employers who pay unemployment tax assessments in calendar year 2025 and 2026 by reducing new employer tax rates, simplifying tax rate schedules, reducing or holding constant overall employer tax rates, and reducing the maximum earned rate. This Act also makes technical corrections to existing Code to conform to the Legislative Drafting Manual and reinserts a historical provision that applied only to 2023.

This Act creates a Voluntary Firearms Do-Not-Sell Registry in which an applicant may voluntarily enroll for the purpose of being prohibited from obtaining a firearm. An individual on the Registry may request removal from the Registry no sooner than 30 days after the individual is entered on the registry. Once an individual requests removal from the Registry, the individual must be removed from the Registry no sooner than 30 days after the removal request. A person who transfers a firearm to an individual in violation of this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a class G felony for a subsequent offense. An individual who makes a false statement or representation regarding their identity when requesting inclusion or removal from the Registry shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 342 differs from House Bill No. 342 as follows: (1) Defines the terms “firearm” and “transfer” to increase clarity and ensure consistency with other parts of the Code; (2) Clarifies that unlicensed persons are also prohibited from selling a firearm to an individual enrolled on the Registry; (3) Requires a licensed dealer to facilitate the Registry check on behalf of the unlicensed seller in the same way it completes a background check on behalf of the unlicensed seller under § 904A of Title 24; (4) Clarifies that a person, rather than an individual, may be liable for selling a firearm to an individual enrolled on the Registry; (5) Clarifies that a person must knowingly sell or transfer a firearm to an individual on the Registry to be in violation of this Act; and (6) Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act creates a civil penalty for any sale or display of ammunition that allows the ammunition to be accessible to a purchaser or transferee without the assistance of the vendor or an employee of the vendor. Ammunition in an enclosed display case, behind a counter or other customer access preventing device is not considered accessible for purposes of this section. This Act also requires that a deadly weapons dealer must include with their license application and renewal application a description of their theft and loss prevention policies and procedures as well as a report of all ammunition losses or theft within the prior year. Finally, the Act increases the maximum monetary penalty for violation of the provisions requiring a license to sell deadly weapons, sale to those under 21 or intoxicated persons, failing to keep required records, or failing to comply with the requirements for background checks between unlicensed persons. It takes effect 1 year after its enactment. This House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 270 differs from the original in the following ways: It specifies that information related to theft and loss prevention policies and procedures is not subject to FOIA It changes the word “person” to “licensee” in sections 902 and 905. It specifies that the content of loss and prevention policies are not a basis for denial of a deadly weapons dealer license. It reduces all of the monetary penalties. It removes the shoplifting enhancement. It changes jurisdiction over the offense from JP Court to the Court of Common Pleas.