This legislation amends the Delaware Code to establish the Department of Human Resources by transferring various divisions and other organizational units from the Office of Management and Budget to the newly established Department of Human Resources. The powers and duties of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Secretary of the Department of Human Resources are aligned to reflect the transfers of the divisions and other organizational units of the newly established Department of Human Resources. Various sections of the Delaware Code are amended to reflect changes in titles and nomenclature. This bill also establishes Office of Women's Advancement and Advocacy. This bill sets forth that the Office of Women's Advancement and Advocacy will be a unit of the Department of Human Resources. The purpose of this Office is to promote the equality of women in all areas of society. Functions of the Office include fostering and facilitating collaborations between all facets of government and private businesses to eliminate gender-based bias and discriminatory practices, study and report on the status of women in the State, compile and analyze statistics, advise executive and legislative bodies on the effect of proposed legislation, make specific legislative proposals and submit a report to the Governor, Secretary of the Department of Human Resources and the General Assembly at the beginning of every General Assembly of the Office’s activities and recommendations. The bill establishes that the governing body of the Office is the Commission for Women comprised of 9 members. This bill provides that the Office of Women’s Advancement and Advocacy oversees the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame Committee and the Delaware Women’s Workforce Council. The Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame Committee shall have 7 members and the Delaware Women’s Workforce Council shall be comprised of 11 members. Delaware Women’s Workforce Council shall conduct a study of gender-based inequities in workplaces in Delaware, recommend policies to remove gender-based inequities in the workplace, and develop and publish best practices for employers to achieve gender equality.
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This Act clarifies that after a physician-patient relationship has been properly established in accordance with this section, subsequent communications and treatment may be conducted as the doctor and patient deem appropriate. As with all practice of medicine, such subsequent interactions must still meet the standard of care for the given field of medicine. The Act also clarifies that this statute is not intended to limit the practice of radiology or pathology – fields in which it has long been standard for an off-site specialist to examine records created by a treating physician or technician.
This Act increases by 1% the rate of realty transfer tax to be received by the State.
This Act increases the State’s alcoholic beverage tax rates. The rate for beer increases by 2¢ per 12 ounce can. The rate for wine increases by approximately 3¢ per 5 ounce serving. The rate for spirits containing more than 25% ethyl alcohol by volume increases by 15¢ per 750 ml bottle.
This Act alters various fees assessed by the Delaware Secretary of State. The Act provides that most changes to the fees and taxes assessed will take effect on August 1, 2017; however increases to the maximum franchise tax and the late penalty for the filing of an annual franchise tax report shall take effect for the tax year beginning January 1, 2017, and the increase of the assumed par value multiplier for calculation of the corporate franchise tax and the authorized shares multiplier for corporations with greater than 10,000 authorized shares for calculation of the corporate franchise tax shall take effect for the tax year beginning on January 1, 2018.
Sections 1 and 7 of this Act update from $400 to $800 the threshold which triggers the penalty for insufficient payment of estimated tax. The current threshold has been in place since 2000. Because it has not been modified in almost 20-years, the penalties generated as a result of this low threshold are often trivial amounts, which frustrate taxpayers. However, despite the penalties’ low dollar amounts, they still require significant resources to administer and resolve. Sections 1and 7 also provide for an inflation adjustment for the threshold ensuring that it will automatically keep pace with future economic trends. Section 2 of this Act increases tax rates in all existing brackets by 0.15 to 0.4 percentage points and creates a new bracket of 6.95% at $150,000. Section 3 of this Act raises the eligibility age from 60 to 65 in one-year increments over a five-year period for the $12,500 exclusion from income of pensions and other retirement income. Section 4 of this Act eliminates itemized deductions and increases the standard deduction amount from $3,250 to $5,000 for single and married taxpayers filing separately and from $6,500 to $10,000 for taxpayers filing joint returns. In addition, Section 4 reduces from $110 to $85 the amount of the personal credit. Lastly, Section 4 raises the eligibility age from 60 to 65 in one-year increments over a five-year period for the extra, age-based personal credit. Sections 5 and 6 of this Act update cross references.
This resolution recognizes November 2017 as “Native American Heritage Month” in Delaware.
This Act provides for the expense of State government after June 30, 2017, on a temporary basis as appropriated under the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget and for granting authority to continue appropriation lines in the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget, the Fiscal Year 2017 Bond and Capital Improvements Act, and the Fiscal Year 2017 Grants-in-Aid Act.
This Act replaces the current multistate nurse licensure compact with an enhanced version. The enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact allows for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to have one multistate license, with the privilege to practice in their home state and other compact states. Under the enhanced version, all nurses practicing under a multistate license must meet a minimum set of licensure requirements, including a fingerprint federal criminal background check. Nurses who fail to meet these requirements will not be eligible for a multistate license, and multistate privileges will be removed from nurses when disciplinary actions are taken against a home state multistate license. If Delaware fails to enact the enhanced nurse multistate licensure compact, Delaware nurses with current multistate licenses will no longer be permitted to practice in states that have enacted the enhanced version. Currently, 13 states have adopted this enhanced Compact and legislation to adopt it is pending in 15 other states.
Recognizing a fundamental economic change toward businesses that require innovation, The Honorable John C. Carney, Governor of the State of Delaware, issued Executive Order One on January 18, 2017 creating a Working Group of business and government leaders to study methods to improve coordination between the public and private sectors, attract growing businesses and foster economic development throughout the State. The Governor appointed members of the Working Group representing government, business leaders and the community. The Working Group conducted public meetings in the State to receive input from the public on issues related to business development and retention in the changing economy. The Working Group considered research and input from experts in the area of public/private partnerships as well as statutes and data from other states. The Working Group issued a report to the Governor on April 7, 2017 recommending the establishment of a public/private partnership in Delaware to focus on investment attraction, entrepreneurship and innovation, talent development and retention, and research and analysis. Upon consideration of the Working Group report, the General Assembly intends to appropriate funding for the Public/Private Partnership, a nonprofit public/private partnership comprised of leaders in the public, business and the community to build a stronger entrepreneurial environment in the State. The Public/Private Partnership will focus on leveraging private resources to improve business recruitment, retention and expansion, identify and develop a talented workforce, connecting with the global economy and building a stronger entrepreneurial environment. To ensure public accountability the Partnership will submit to the Governor and the General Assembly tax returns, financial statements, organizational polices and will make available for inspection meeting minutes. To make the most efficient use of available resources, this legislation eliminates the Delaware Economic Development Office because the public/private partnership will be conducting business attraction and development functions formerly performed by that Office. This legislation transfers tourism, the Delaware Motion Picture and Television Commission and duties related to administration and the financial analysis of proposed economic development projects to the Department of State. The transfer will improve efficiency, eliminate redundancy and foster business attraction, innovation, tourism, small business development, business retention, minority, women, disadvantaged and veteran owned businesses. Sections 3 through 21 of this Act simply make conforming changes throughout Title 29 and other titles of the Delaware Code where references to the Delaware Economic Development Office appear. The Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism is referenced in its place. The bill also removes some Code Sections that reference funds and functions that no longer exist.