Currently the US FDA is reviewing a New Drug Application (NDA) of a pharmaceutical product containing cannabidiol (CBD) to treat patients with rare pediatric seizure disorders. If approved, this drug will be required to be prescribed and dispensed like other FDA approved products. However, to make sure that this product and future FDA approved marijuana containing products are available to patients as soon as possible, a change in Delaware law is required. This bill would exempt federally lawful FDA approved marijuana containing products from Schedule I of the state’s Controlled Substances Act until they are rescheduled under Delaware law. This would allow patient access to new therapies without an administrative delay, and allow FDA approved marijuana containing medicines to be prescribed, dispensed and regulated like other FDA approved pharmaceutical products. Illegal possession or sale of these drugs would be prosecuted as any other violation of the Controlled Substance Act.
Sponsored bills
This bill will increase the public transparency of education funding information by directing the Department of Education to: 1. Establish, in collaboration with stakeholders, a statewide approach for districts and charter schools for reporting expenditures at the school level and the school’s share of central office expenditures so that per-pupil expenditure data is consistent and comparable across the State. 2. Report per-pupil expenditure data with key information that provide context on differences in funding such as school type, student demographics, and student outcomes. 3. Provide optional trainings to increase understanding of the data. As a result, this bill is intended to enable all taxpayers, parents, and schools to understand their school spending and resources in order to make data-driven decisions for students.
This bill creates a special license plate for honorably discharged veterans of the United States military.
This bill allows first-time home buyers to pay their portion of the realty transfer tax at the rate that was in effect prior to the increase that took effect on August 1, 2017. The credit is calculated as 0.5% of the first $400,000 in home value, with a maximum allowable credit of $2,000. This legislation is retroactive for any first-time home buyer who entered into a transaction for the transfer of real estate on or after August 1, 2017. The seller in any transaction with a first-time buyer will still pay the current tax rate. The bill also removes a provision that applied to contracts entered into prior to 1971, since such provision is no longer relevant. For ease of application, the new definition of "first-time home buyer" is cross-referenced in the already existing Code provision directing the counties to exempt such buyers from any county-imposed realty transfer tax. This reduction in the tax rate for first-time home buyers will be effective for transactions entered into on or after the effective date of this Act.
This bill allows the background plates (animal welfare, farmland preservation, Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute, Delaware Equine Council, and Keep Delaware Beautiful) issued by DMV to be displayed on trailers up to 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). It also increases the size of trucks that can display the plates from ¾ ton (10,000 pounds GVWR) to 26,000 pounds GVWR.
Cybersecurity attacks, including data breaches, corporate theft, and sabotage perpetrated by state and non-state actors throughout the world present unique threats to Delaware residents, governments, businesses, and critical infrastructure. Statewide coordination is required to effectively ensure cybersecurity protection. Cyber-attacks have increased significantly, providing evidence that information security must be strengthened to guard against threats. The State must leverage every partnership and mechanism available to combat the growing number of cyber-attacks and breaches. Trends show attacks growing by 64% annually. 84% of organizations have experienced cyber-attacks in the last 12 months. This bill strengthens Delaware’s defenses by facilitating multi-industry coordination among critical sectors such as communications, emergency services, energy, financial services, healthcare, water, and government. The primary objectives of the Council will be to focus on sharing and analyzing cyber threat intelligence in a collaborative manner.
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 Bill eliminates the prohibition against the mere possession of a body-gripping trap with a jaw spread in excess of 5 inches, while maintaining the prohibition against actually using one in Delaware. This modification is necessary because many licensed Delaware trappers legally trap in other states where such traps are legal and it also allows trap collectors to possess the larger traps while maintaining the prohibition against their actual use.
This Bill authorizes the Thoroughbred Racing Commission to be a member of the new Interstate Anti-Doping and Drug Testing Standards Compact. Under the Bill the Thoroughbred Racing Commission would become a member of an interstate Compact with other party states for the establishment of uniform standards for drug testing of horses participating in horse racing. The Harness Racing Commission will not be a member of the Compact. The purpose of the Compact is to establish uniform requirements among the party states for the drug testing of horses participating in horse racing. The Compact Committee would be comprised of one representative from each party state.
This Act adds the requirement that vehicles stop at railroad signals for all on-track equipment. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.