Rep. Sean Lynn

This bill provides that every member of the General Assembly or person elected to state office shall disclose as part of their financial disclosure if they have received more than $10,000 in the last 10 years due to the sale of land, development rights, an agricultural conservation easement, a forest preservation easement or any other type of easement to the State of Delaware, any county, any municipality, any public instrumentality, or any government agency or organization.

This bill changes the age of a person to whom another person can sell, give or transfer a firearm or ammunition for a firearm from 18 to 21. However, this bill permits a person to sell, give or transfer a firearm or ammunition for a firearm to a person under 21 years of age if the person under 21 is an active member of the United States Armed Forces or a law-enforcement officer or possesses a license to carry a concealed deadly weapon. The prohibition against the sale or transfer of a firearm to a person under 21 does not apply if that person is over 18 and the firearm is a shotgun or muzzle-loading rifle or if the ammunition is for such weapons. This bill does permit the transfer of a firearm or ammunition to a person under 21 so long as such transfer is without compensation and the person transferring is the parent or guardian of the person under 21 or has the permission of the parent or guardian. This bill increases the age from 18-21 for the person who must directly supervise a child under the age of 16 who is in possession of a firearm, BB, air, or spear gun.

The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 mandated that states allow families that receive child care assistance to continue receiving that assistance for at least 90 days after losing their job provided they are seeking employment during that time. The federal law did not expressly stipulate that states must allow families to qualify for and begin receiving assistance so that they could search for a job, however 14 states have enacted policies to expand eligibility to those families. This legislation codifies the federal intent that families be eligible to continue receiving assistance for 90 non-consecutive days in a year, and extends that eligibility to families who want to start receiving assistance in order to seek employment for up to 90 days.

This Act increases the state employees' pension plan burial benefit from $7,000 to $10,000 effective July 1, 2016. This benefit has not been changed since July 2001.

This Act establishes a framework for assessing needs, planning and implementing projects, and providing a funding source to enhance and accelerate Delaware’s efforts in cleaning up its contaminated water resources, ensuring that all our citizens have safe drinking water, reducing flooding, and protecting jobs in agriculture and tourism. Most of the State’s waters do not meet water quality standards to support their designated uses, such as for drinking, swimming or supporting aquatic life. This Act increases the level and reliability of funding available to restore Delaware’s streams, rivers, bays, and groundwater through construction of much needed wastewater, drinking water, and drainage projects and increased use of agricultural best practices. Over the next 5 years, more than $500 million in water and wastewater system upgrades are needed statewide, including systems for underserved communities and numerous at-risk systems currently operated by homeowner’s associations in Sussex County. More than $150 million in stormwater upgrades are needed throughout the State along with more than $75 million for removing toxic pollutants from various waterways. In addition, demand for agriculture cost-share funds used to reduce pollution from nutrients far surpasses available resources. This Act creates a Clean Water Trust, supported by dedicating several existing revenue sources and a proposed new dedicated Clean Water Surcharge that will be levied on personal income tax payments and business license fees. The surcharge will be capped at $40 for individual tax filers, $80 for individuals filing a joint return, and $45 for business licenses. The Clean Water Surcharge will be used for capital projects, not to grow government; the allowance for administrative expenses is capped at 10% after the first 2 years and companion legislation creating a constitutionally protected “lock box” is being introduced to provide permanent protection against the fee being diverted for operating expenses. Total revenues from the surcharge are estimated to be approximately $20 million annually. The dedicated Clean Water Surcharge could leverage as much as $50 million in total financing annually for clean water investments and support more than 800 direct and indirect jobs per year. The Trust will be managed by a 5-member Board comprised of the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Secretary of Finance, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and Social Services, and an appointed member with financial expertise. The Trust is authorized to issue Clean Water Revenue Bonds for projects approved by the General Assembly and will administer the funds through the already existing Water Infrastructure Advisory Council with the goal of assisting municipal and county governments and others in implementing more affordable water quality projects through low-interest loans, grants, and public-private partnerships. The Trust and the Council are required to develop a Clean Water Plan with an annually updated 5-year Strategic Plan. The Trust is required to undergo an audit each year and to report annually to the General Assembly on its activities and its progress toward meeting the goals of the Clean Water Plan.

Confessions are powerful evidence of guilt. This Act adopts the Uniform Law Commission's Uniform Electronic Recordation of Custodial Interrogations Act to promote truth-finding, promote efficiency, and protect constitutional values. To accomplish this, this Act mandates audio recording or audio and video recording of the custodial interrogation process by law enforcement when the interrogation relates to a crime described in § 4201(c) of Title 11, which designates certain crimes as violent felonies, or to a delinquent act. Recognizing that a blanket requirement of recording electronically all interrogation is not feasible, this Act provides 6 exceptions to the recording mandate: (1) exigent circumstances, (2) an individual's refusal to be recorded, (3) interrogations occurring in other jurisdictions, (4) when the interrogator reasonably believes that the offense involved is not one the Act mandates must be recorded, (5) when the interrogator or interrogator's supervisor reasonably believes electronic recording would reveal a confidential informant's identity or jeopardize the safety of the officer, the person interrogated, or another individual, and (6) equipment malfunctions. Further, this Act requires the prosecution to notify the defense of an intention to introduce an unrecorded statement and of the exception that permitted the lack of recording. This Act requires the prosecution to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that an exception applies. This Act also prescribes remedies for violations of the electronic recording requirement, including the giving of a cautionary instruction to the jury. Finally, this Act requires the Attorney General to adopt rules to implement this Act, which are to be enforced by each law enforcement agency.

This Act includes Department of Transportation employees who work on interstate, expressway, arterial, and collector roads in the classification of employees who are eligible to receive hazardous duty pay. This Act contains a delayed effective date provision to ensure this Act takes effect in fiscal year 2019. Funding for this Act will be drawn from funds that would not violate Article VIII, § 12. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Resolution recognizes March 19th as Celebrating Women in Public Office Day in Delaware.

This Bill modifies the impact of criminal history on an applicant's eligibility for licensure. It gives the Board discretion to grant waivers for a felony convictions for crimes committed against a person where more than 3 years have elapsed, and more than 2 years have elapsed for other felonies. The Board is precluded from considering a conviction where more than 10 years have elapsed since date of conviction. The Bill authorizes the Delaware Department of Correction to establish prison barbering training programs. These programs will provide a means for inmates to satisfy licensure requirements while incarcerated and help with employment opportunities upon release.

This Concurrent Resolution does all of the following: (1) Expresses the General Assembly’s opposition to the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules (“the repeal”). (2) Urges the United States Congress to either review the repeal as permitted under the Congressional Review Act, within 60 days of receipt of the Federal Communications Commission’s order as required by the Act, or enact legislation reinstating and requiring the preservation of net neutrality. (3) Requests that the Secretary of the Senate to send copies of this Resolution to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, U.S. Senate Majority Leader, U.S. Senate Minority Leader, and the Members of Delaware's Congressional Delegation.