Rep. Ruth Briggs King

This Act adds clarity to the statutory changes made by Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 151 of the 151st General Assembly related to driver’s licenses for foster children. This Act clarifies that during the initial 6 months of a Learner’s Permit, a foster parent is liable for the negligent driving of the foster child up to the limits of the foster parent's applicable insurance coverage. This Substitute differs from the original bill in that it clarifies the language that refers to the insurance coverage and clarifies such language in both the new subsection and in the existing Code.

Currently, all health insurance plans subject to requirements under Delaware law must include at least 1 formulation of epinephrine autoinjectors on the lowest tier of the carrier's drug formulary for individuals who are 18 years of age or younger. This Act expands this requirement to all covered individuals, regardless of age, by January 1, 2024. This Act also makes a technical correction to §§ 3571Y of Title 18 to add standard language about applicability, which is already in § 3370D of Title 18.

This Act eliminates the requirement of a daily average of no less than 25 full time employees to operate a beer garden. Beer gardens are presently the only liquor establishments that have a statutory staffing requirement. This Act also includes beer gardens along with taprooms and taverns as establishments the Commissioner may deny a license if an existing same establishment is within 1200 feet, by accessible public road in an incorporated city or town, or 9/10 of a mile in an unincorporated or rural area.

This bill expands record retention requirements for licensed producers, adjusters and appraisers from 3 to 5 years. The bill also makes technical changes to conform to the Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates May 25, 2023, as “Africa Day” in Delaware.

This Act is the first leg of a constitutional amendment that requires the Governor to select judicial candidates from a list provided by a Judicial Nominating Commission. Although the Governor currently selects judicial nominees through a Judicial Nominating Commission created by Executive Order, this bill codifies the Judicial Nominating Commission into the State Constitution. The Judicial Nominating Commission shall consist of 12 members appointed by the Governor, provided that 4 members reside in New Castle County; 4 members reside in Kent County; and 4 members reside in Sussex County. No member shall hold elective constitutional office during the member’s term on the Commission.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates the month of May 2023 as "Lyme Disease Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.

The State of Delaware previously offered an employer match for state employee contributions to the deferred compensation program. The purpose of the match was to help state employees save and build wealth for retirement and to enable state government to recruit and retain talent by offering a valuable retirement savings benefit. In July 2008, during the Great Recession, the State suspended the employer match to cut costs. Every year since fiscal year 2008, the General Assembly has written in the annual appropriations bill: “It is the intent of the General Assembly that this program be reinstated when funding becomes available.” This Act updates the laws governing the employer match in anticipation of the General Assembly restoring the match this session and increases the maximum match to $20 per pay period. This Act also eases restrictions on which participants are eligible for the match. To help employees who are unable to save for retirement because of their student loan burden, this Act enables a match for employee’s student loan payments with employer contributions to their deferred compensation account. Congress enabled employers to make this type of matching contribution with the passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act, which was included in the Federal Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. This Act provides the Plans Management Board with the discretion to determine which plan the matching contributions should be deposited into.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes Asian American and Pacific Islander Month and celebrates the contributions, culture, and resilience of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in the State of Delaware and the United States.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes the month of May 2023 as "Healthy Vision Month" in the State of Delaware.