This bill removes the training minimum wage, which takes effect 90 days after enactment, and youth minimum wage, which takes effect January 1, 2020.
This Act creates the Delaware Federal Employees Civil Relief Act which provides the temporary suspension of judicial and administrative proceedings and transactions in Delaware that may adversely affect the civil rights of Federal workers during a shutdown. This Act only applies to Federal workers who reside in Delaware. The Act permits a Federal worker who is furloughed or required to work without pay during a shutdown to apply to a court or administrative agency for a temporary stay, postponement or suspension of any payment of rent, mortgage, tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, or other civil obligation or liability. A court or administrative agency may grant such relief if it finds that the ability of the Federal worker to pay such obligation has been materially affected by the shutdown. The length of stay may be for the period of the shutdown and 90 days thereafter. This Act also prohibits landlords from evicting a federal worker from premises that are occupied or intended to be occupied primarily as a residence. This Act also prohibits the lapse, termination or forfeiture of the health, life, disability, or motor vehicle insurance policy of a Federal worker without a court order. This Act also places limits on the interest rate that can be imposed on a Federal worker during a shutdown. Finally, this Act empowers the Attorney General to enforce the provisions of the Act and permits a court to impose a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for violations of the Act.
This Act authorizes the Office of Management and Budget to partner with financial institutions and non-profit providers to establish a temporary loan program for furloughed and unpaid Federal employees as a result of the shutdown caused by a lapse in appropriations.
This is the final leg of an amendment to the Delaware Constitution to provide equal rights on the basis of sex. There is no Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution. While Congress passed the Amendment in 1972, it was not ratified by the requisite number of states by the 1982 deadline. Delaware, however, was one of the first states to ratify the Amendment. About half of the states across the country have passed Equal Rights Amendments to their state constitutions in order to provide protection against discrimination based on sex. Without an Equal Rights amendment, women's rights and protections are limited. This Amendment is necessary to correct a constitutional shortcoming, reduce sex-based disparities and to codify our State's value of equality. Section 1 makes clear the General Assembly's intent in proposing this Amendment to the Delaware Constitution.
This Resolution recognizes January 9, 2019, as “Wildland Firefighter Day”.
This Act authorizes the Family Court to interview children who are involved in Protection From Abuse proceedings.
This bill changes the earned income tax credit from nonrefundable to refundable. This bill creates a table for the percentage of earned income credit for tax years 2018 and after. Currently, if spouses file a joint federal return but separate State returns, only the spouse with the higher taxes due can use the State earned income tax credit. This bill eliminates that limitation starting with tax year 2018 and provides that the credit shall be divided equally between such spouses.
This Act expands the Juvenile Civil Citation Program to provide law enforcement officers with the discretion to refer any first-time juvenile offender engaged in any misdemeanor-level behavior to the civil citation program, where the juvenile can be required to participate in counseling, treatment, community service, or any other appropriate intervention. A juvenile who successfully completes the requirements of the civil citation program will not have an arrest or prosecution indicated on their record. Under the current law, officers may make referrals to the civil citation program for only very limited types of misdemeanor offenses. The Act will also allow a second referral to the civil citation program if 1 year has passed since the first referral and the second offense is not for the same misdemeanor. Under current law, a juvenile is not eligible for a second referral until 18 months have passed since the first referral. This Act will also provide access to the Delaware Criminal Justice information System to the civil citation community provider to enable the provider to properly assess referred juveniles. This program provides an alternative to arrest and adjudication, thus avoiding the collateral consequences associated with a criminal record while still allowing the system to compel the juvenile and the juvenile’s family to seek and participate in appropriate services to address root causes of delinquent behavior. The expansion of the civil citation program under this Act is consistent with the mission of the juvenile justice system, which is the rehabilitation and treatment of juveniles, not punishment. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This bill establishes a 20 year retirement for correction officers and specified peace officers. The bill amends the multiplier for calculation of state employee pension benefits for correction officers and specified peace officers from either 1.85%, 2.0% or 2.45% to a uniform 2.5% for the first 20 years, plus 3.5% for years beyond 20 years. The increased multipliers reflect increased costs, reduced benefits and the need to recruit and retain qualified and competent correction officers and specified peace officers with a modernized pension benefit. In addition, this bill amends the employee contribution for all correction officers and specified peace officers to a uniform 7%. Specified peace officers means (1) Probation and parole officers employed by the Department of Correction; (2) Capitol Police officers; (3) Department of Natural Resources police officers; (4) University of Delaware Police; (5) State Fire Marshal officers; (6) Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement agents; (7) Justice of the Peace Court constables; and (8) Probation and parole officers in the Serious Juvenile Offender Unit and senior probation officers employed by the Division of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families.
This Act permits State employees who are employed by the Delaware State Police or Delaware Capitol Police and work in a variety of job titles, all of which are more commonly referred to as "9-1-1 operators," to retire at 25 years without any reduction. Those employees will pay a higher employee contribution rate than other State employees.
