This Act empowers each county to create regulations for the maintenance of for-profit cemeteries and to impose penalties upon those who do not abide by the maintenance regulations.
The Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism was created by 81 Del. Laws ch. 49 and placed in the Department of State. This enactment transferred certain responsibilities for economic development, formerly in the Delaware Department of Economic Development, to this Division. The purpose of this Act is to address administrative housekeeping matters involving this transfer of responsibilities for economic development. Specifically, this Act changes the name of the Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism to the Division of Small Business. The Division of Small Business will remain in the Department of State and be responsible for economic development activities transferred to the Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism in 81 Del. Laws ch. 49. This Act also does the following: (1) Sets a new date for the submission of the Comprehensive State Plan for Economic Development and unifies the economic development reporting requirements of the Division of Small Business. (2) Limits the terms of members of the Council on Development Finance (“Council”) appointed after July 1, 2018. (3) Eliminates the requirement that all Council members be physically present to constitute a quorum for meetings, to foster greater efficiency in making economic development recommendations to the Division of Small Business. (4) Further deletes reference to programs governed by prior acts of the General Assembly such as the Agriculture/Aquaculture Program, the Liberty Court Apartments project, and the Human Investment and Partnership Program, to the extent that these programs are no longer active. Finally this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act grants legal guardians the standing to petition or oppose a petition to change minors' surnames.
This Bill eliminates the prohibition against hunting for deer on Sundays. Additionally, it maintains the applicable agency regulating public lands authority and discretion to regulate, including prohibition of, deer hunting on Sundays. Lastly, the bill allows for the harvesting of deer on Sundays through DNREC’s deer depredation programs.
Currently, the ability of the Department to take licensure action (i.e., suspension, revocation, limitation) is, in certain cases, contingent upon the public school employer first taking employment action (i.e., dismissal, termination). The Department believes that its ability, as the agency issuing professional teaching credentials to educators, to undertake licensure action should be separate from any action by the public school employer. Further, the Department seeks to expand the circumstances in which the Secretary may automatically suspend teaching credentials, specifically to include situations involving felony crimes against a children or where there is a clear and immediate danger to student safety or welfare. This bill removes the requirement of employment action before disciplinable offenses may be handled by the Department, making this licensure disciplinary structure consistent with how other licensed professions are handled in this State. The bill also creates the power to impose temporary emergency suspensions in those rare instances where a teacher poses a threat to student health, safety, or welfare. Finally, this bill creates the confidential letter of concern that is non-disciplinary and may be used in those instances where a teacher’s behavior is not in violation of the code, but indicative of a practice that is a matter of concern. These two provisions also make teacher licensure discipline more similar to other licensed professions in the State.
Section 1 clarifies the Town’s nuisance and dangerous building abatement powers and requires property owners to pay for the abatement costs. This section further clarifies the Town’s ability to grant franchises, licenses, and permits, and impose fees for the same. It authorizes the Town to impose a realty transfer tax, and it increases the maximum penalty for a code violation to $500.00. Section 2 authorizes the Town to annex property and creates procedures for the annexation of property. Section 3 reduces the number of members on the Town Council from seven to five and eliminates the elected positions of secretary, treasurer, and tax collector. This section prohibits individuals convicted of a felony from running for Mayor or Council. This section establishes procedures for holding municipal elections, including the conduct of elections, election notices, voting procedures, and the establishment of the elections board. This section requires voters to be United States citizens. Section 4 establishes the term of office for Mayor and Council as two years, and outlines how the Town Council will transition from seven to five council members. Section 5 clarifies the Council’s ability to fill a vacancy on Council regardless of how that vacancy occurred, and it makes other changes to create consistency with the re-organization of the structure of the Town Council. Section 6 creates an organizational meeting at which a council secretary and treasurer are appointed each year. Section 7 clarifies who can be appointed as the Tax Collector and authorizes the Council to employ other individuals as needed by the Town. This section clarifies when regular meetings are held and allows electronic communication to be used to notify the Mayor and Council of special meetings. Section 8 authorizes the Town to have the same tax collection powers as Kent County and authorizes the Town to recover expenses incurred to collect taxes through legal proceedings. This section authorizes a court or administrative body to award the Town its costs of prosecution when the Town is the prevailing party in a legal proceeding to enforce an ordinance or collect an amount owed to the Town.
This bill removes an out-of-date provision in the Code that authorizes Kent County Government to employ a janitor or janitors for the care of the County Courthouse. The State purchased the Kent County Courthouse from Kent County in 2003.
Since its adoption in 2003, the Manufactured Home Owners and Community Owners Act ("MHOCOA"), Chapter 70 of Title 25, has proven to be an effective tool to protect the rights of tenants in manufactured home communities. During the years since its adoption, a number of issues and concerns have been identified by tenants, community owners, and the courts. This Resolution establishes the MHOCOA Task Force to review the MHOCOA in order to determine what changes, if any, are needed in order to improve this Act so that it supports a balance of protections and rights for all parties involved.
This bill provides for a residential electrician license. A residential electrician license allows for a person to conduct residential electrical work without having to be under the direct onsite supervision of a licensed master electrician, master electrician special, limited electrician, limited electrician special or journeyperson electrician. Electricians with a residential electrician license are permitted to perform electric work performed on or within a residential dwelling or building prior to the dwelling or building being connected to the electric grid, or work to or beyond the breaker panel or fuse box in a residential dwelling or building, or residential low voltage electric work.
This Substitute Act implements certain recommendations adopted by the Lottery & Gaming Study Commission in 2015 and the Video Lottery Advisory Council in 2017, in recognition of significant changes in the regional gaming marketplace and the State’s desire to remain competitive in the face of a proliferation of gaming venues in neighboring states. This Substitute Act adjusts the revenue sharing model in a way that ensures that the State continues to benefit from video lottery proceeds, ensures continued employment and horse racing at the State’s three video lottery facilities, and ensures that the video lottery agents will be able to reinvest capital in their facilities, market their facilities, and maintain their high standards of customer service. Effective July 1, 2018, this Substitute Act does all of the following: 1. Reduces the State’s share of gross table game revenues from 29.4% to 15.5%. 2. Suspends the table game license fee due June 1, 2019, and continues to suspend the fee in subsequent fiscal years if each agent increases expenditures on marketing, wages, and benefits by its pro rata share of the license fee. 3. Increases purses for horsemen by 0.6%, phased-in over two years. 4. Reduces the State’s share of gross slot machine revenues from 43.5% to 41.5% or 42.5% to 40.5%, as applicable, with additional reductions of 2% possible for each video lottery agent starting with the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, based on qualified capital expenditures reaching 3% of video lottery net proceeds. The Substitute Act also removes the prohibition against video lottery agents operating on Christmas or Easter. The Substitute Act differs from the Act with respect to the increases in purses for horsemen, a revised basis upon which to calculate the State’s share of gross slot machine and table games revenues, and requirements for video lottery agents to increase capital expenditures, marketing, wages, and benefits to continue the suspension of table game license fees and receive additional reductions in the State’s share of video lottery net proceeds. Sections 2, 5, and 6 of this Substitute Act are drafted to amend the law in effect at the time the changes are to take effect.
