Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker

Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates October 2024 as "Depression Awareness Month" throughout the State of Delaware. It directly affects residents by encouraging the state to promote understanding of depression as a treatable medical condition rather than a personal weakness. The resolution includes a general encouragement for expanded efforts to inform Delawareans about depression awareness, but it does not create new funding, mandate specific programs, or alter existing laws.

The primary purpose of this Act is to remove the requirement that a public school district employee who donates leave to another employee must donate 2 days of leave for the other employee to receive 1 day of leave. Further, this Act repeals Chapter 187 of Volume 81 of the Laws of Delaware ("this law"). Adopted in 2017, this law was designed to provide full-time employees of the State, including employees of school districts, with the ability to donate leave to other employees for use in connection with the birth or adoption of a child under 6 years of age. This law has never taken effect as the law does not take effect until the Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") receives a letter from the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") stating that the tax treatment of the expansion of the donated leave program contemplated by this law will receive the same tax treatment as Delaware’s current donated leave program. OMB has not requested this letter from the IRS because, based on OMB's research, OMB does not believe this law would receive the same tax treatment by the IRS and because the General Assembly subsequently enacted Chapter 285 of Volume 81 of the Laws of Delaware, which provides 12 weeks of paid leave upon the birth or adoption of a child 6 years of age or younger for those continuously employed for at least 1 year as full-time employees of this State, including employees of school districts. Sections 1 and 2 of this Act re-enact portions of Chapter 187 of Volume 81 of the Laws of Delaware that would have also applied to the existing donated leave program for catastrophic illness. Specifically these provisions are intended to do the following: (1) Clarify how much leave employees of a public school district who do not accrue annual leave must use before being eligible for donated leave. (2) Clarify the interaction between donated leave and leave available under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual, including transferring existing definitions to a central definition section and transferring provisions that are substantive law out of defined terms. This Act is named in honor of Christopher Chujoy, a special education instructional aide in the Red Clay Consolidated School District. Mr. Chujoy was diagnosed in August 2022 with stage IV cancer. Mr. Chujoy used up all of his available sick time before his passing and his situation raised the issue that is the primary purpose of this Act.

Maddy summaryThis legislative resolution designates September 2024 as Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month in Delaware to highlight the health condition and its impact on the community. The document provides background information on the disease, noting that it affects over 3,000 residents in the state and that the vast majority of patients are from minority backgrounds. It also mentions current efforts by local healthcare providers and a planned statewide data collection program to improve care and policy. Ultimately, the bill serves as a formal acknowledgment rather than a law that changes funding or medical procedures.

This Act protects consumers by regulating home improvement contracts. Among other things, this Act provides the buyer with a right to cancel home improvement contracts within 3 days (5 days for those over the age of 62 or with a disability); limits contract deposits and material deposits; and time periods in which construction must begin. It also prohibits confessions of judgments and hasty debt transfers. Where the court finds a party to a home improvement contract wilfully violates a provision of this new subchapter, the court must award to the prevailing party costs, expenses, and reasonable attorneys’ fees. This Act also creates a requirement that individuals convicted of 2 or more offenses of home improvement fraud after January 1, 2025, must be subject to debarment. This debarment will preclude these individuals from operating a business which engages in home improvement services or from employing other individuals to engage in home improvement services. Debarred individuals may work for a company which engages in home improvement themselves, so long as they are not in control of the company in question. This bill also enhances penalties for home improvement fraud for those with prior convictions for home improvement fraud; and creates enhanced penalties for individuals who engage in home improvement services while operating companies which are not registered with the Delaware Department of Labor’s Contractor Registry. This Substitute differs from the original House Bill No. 427 in that it eliminates original lines 156-181 which contained sentencing enhancements that the Act would otherwise have added for those convicted of home improvement fraud who are found not to have complied with the home improvement protections set forth in Chapter 36 of Title 19. It changes the definition of “debarment” in original line 113 and “qualifying conviction” in original lines 131-133 to provide greater clarity. It changes the enhanced penalties for violations of home improvement fraud from those set forth in original lines 137-143.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the month of June as "Caribbean American Heritage Month" within the State of Delaware. It serves as a formal recognition of the significant cultural, historical, and professional contributions made by Caribbean Americans to the state and the nation. The resolution highlights the achievements of notable figures with Caribbean roots, such as Bob Marley and Kamala Harris, to underscore their impact on various fields including arts, government, and business. By passing this measure, the Delaware General Assembly aims to celebrate and honor the diverse heritage of Caribbean communities during the specified month.

This act adds adult sibling of a decedent to the definition of next of kin in Chapter 47 of Title 29 of the Delaware Code relating to the Division of Forensic Science. This expansion of the definition of next of kin will, for example, allow the Medical Examiner to release the personal property of a decedent to an adult sibling of a decedent, when there is no other next of kin. It will also allow the Medical Examiner to provide a copy of a post mortem examination report to an adult sibling, upon written request, when there is no other next of kin.

This bill provides important consumer protections for property insurance contracts by improving the reliability of mailed notifications of policy cancellation or renewal. Section 1 of this bill requires insurers to deliver any homeowners’ notices of cancellation or nonrenewal by USPS certified mail or USPS Intelligent Mail barcode. Further, whereas currently an insurer can cancel or non-renew a policy because of two non-weather-related claims over the lifetime of the policy, this legislation provides a reasonable claims lookback period for non-weather-related claims, as is already the case for claims in other portions of this subsection of the Code. Section 2 of this bill precludes an insurance carrier from refusing to renew a homeowners’ policy based on non-weather claims unless 2 or more claims occur within the 36-month period immediately preceding the expiration of the current policy period.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates November 2024 as Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month in Delaware to highlight the prevalence and challenges of conditions where the immune system attacks healthy body tissues. The resolution aims to educate the public about autoimmune diseases, which affect over 23.5 million Americans and include conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. By recognizing this month, the state intends to draw attention to the need for improved research funding, standardized diagnostic testing, and effective treatments for these chronic illnesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates October 6, 2024, as "National Coaches Day" throughout the State of Delaware to honor sports coaches. It serves as a formal recognition of the role coaches play in teaching life skills and motivating athletes, rather than creating new laws or funding. The resolution applies to all sports coaches within the state and marks the date as an official observance.

This bill codifies the prosecution’s obligation under Brady v. Maryland, a United State Supreme Court case, which requires the prosecution to provide evidence favorable to an accused. The purpose of this bill is to ensure the fairness and finality of criminal trials and guilty plea by requiring that the accused in every criminal case promptly receives all information and evidence favorable that is material to guilt or to punishment. The bill sets for what the prosecution must mandatorily disclose to the defense, which includes information relating to the credibility of a police officer and impeachment evidence of government witnesses such as favorable treatment of the witness’s criminal charges. The bill sets forth the process and timing of such disclosure and requires the prosecutor on the case to file a certificate of compliance with the Court. The bill provides a process by which the State can seek a protective order relating to the disclosure of information it must disclosure if the State can show that disclosure would create a substantial risk of physical harm, intimidation, bribery, economic reprisals or unnecessary annoyance or embarrassment.