Rep. Ed Osienski

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes Asian American and Pacific Islander Month and celebrates the contributions, culture, and resilience of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in the State of Delaware and the United States.

This Act prohibits restrictive covenants that prohibit or unreasonably restricts the owner of real property from installing or using a clothesline. The average electric dryer requires 2.1 kilowatt hours (kwh) to complete each load of laundry, although, depending on the settings, this may be as much as 6 kwh per load. This translates to significant CO2 emissions and costs. Seven states have enacted laws that protect the ability of a homeowner to use a clothesline. This Act does not affect the enforceability of any conservation easement or historic preservation covenant or prevent reasonable restrictions on clotheslines if the restriction is necessary to protect any of the following: 1. Public health and safety, such as ensuring safe access to and rapid evacuation of a building. 2. Buildings from damage. 3. Historic or aesthetic values, when an alternative of reasonably comparable cost and convenience is available. This allows communities flexibility to adopt reasonable restrictions that fit the needs and characteristics of their neighborhoods, such as restricting clotheslines to private backyards or requiring them to be retracted when not in use. This Act also revises the heading of § 318 of Title 25 to clarify that § 318 applies to restrictive covenants and roof mounted systems for obtaining solar energy.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates the week of May 8-12, 2023, as "Charter Schools Week" in the State of Delaware and commends Delaware's public charter schools for their efforts in educating Delaware students.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution supports a forthcoming federal resolution recognizing Thomas Garrett as a heroic abolitionist.

This Act amends Chapter 30A of Title 14 to clarify that screening will not be conducted if a parent declines developmental screening or notifies the licensee that the child is already receiving early intervention services or special education and related services. It further clarifies that the child care provider will conduct the screening where the parent or guardian fails to do so only upon receipt of parental consent. Because this section of the code has a version that is effective until July 1, 2024, and a version that is effective thereafter, the change appears in both versions to make clear that it is intended to change the pre and post-July 1, 2024 versions.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution commends the Food Bank of Delaware for its contributions towards ending hunger and addressing the root causes or poverty in the State of Delaware through its increased statewide impact.

This Act adds different levels of criminal liability based on the specifics of a case for directors or managers of facilities who fail to take corrective action to protect patients or residents from criminal activity.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates May 2023 as "Small Business Month" in the State of Delaware.

First responders, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians, and public safety telecommunicators, are crucial to ensuring public safety and health. First responders are at elevated risk for suicide because of the environments in which they work, their culture, and stress, both occupational and personal. This stress can be associated with a specific incident or an accumulation of day-to-day stress. Occupational stress in first responders is associated with increased risk of mental health issues, including hopelessness, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, as well as suicidal behaviors such as suicidal ideation (thinking about or planning suicide) and attempts. Even during routine shifts, first responders can experience stress due to the uncertainty in each situation. During emergencies, disasters, pandemics, and other crises, stress among first responders can be magnified. Relationship problems have also been linked to a large proportion of suicides among the general population (42%). Because first responders can have challenging work schedules and extreme family-work demands, stress caused by relationship problems may also be magnified in this worker group. Suicide is ranked second for causes of death for law enforcement officers. As of December, 2022, there were 133 law enforcement suicides, and in 2021, there were 160. In November, 2022 alone, there were 9 police officer suicides in this country, including one from Delaware. Law enforcement officers face a 54 percent higher risk of suicide than the general population. An officer involved in a high stress event has a 70% chance of suicide following the next incident if intervention is not sought, but with intervention, the number drops to 3%. Police officers are also at an elevated risk for depression, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Law enforcement officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. A study of more than 1,000 firefighters found that nearly 50% had suicidal thoughts at some point during their career, and about 16% reported one or more suicide attempts. A survey of EMTs and paramedics in the United States round that 37% had contemplated suicide, and 6.6% had attempted it. EMS providers are 1.39 times more likely to die by suicide than the public. Studies have found that between 17% and 24% of public safety telecommunicators have symptoms of PTSD and 24% have symptoms of depression. A study in Massachusetts found that the suicide rate for corrections officers was at least 7 times higher than the national suicide rate. Another study showed that 10% of corrections officers considered taking their own life, and about 1 in 3 are dealing with PTDS and depression. For the National Guard, there were 117 suicides in 2021 compared to 121 in 2020. This bill makes clear that suicide is a death in the line of duty for Delaware’s first responders, police officers, firefighters, correctional officers and probation officers, and the National Guard.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes May 11, 2023 as Delaware Local Government Day in the State of Delaware.