Maddy summaryHCR 52 is a resolution that formally recognizes the last Monday of May as Memorial Day.
This bill expands line-of-duty benefits to cover previously covered persons, such as retirees, whose death is the proximate result of actions by a person seeking retaliation against the previously covered person for performing the duties of their former office or position.
Maddy summarySenate Concurrent Resolution 80 designates May 2025 as "Lyme Disease Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware. This resolution aims to raise public awareness about Lyme disease.
This Act creates a right to free legal counsel for certain relatives seeking to terminate parental rights and adopt a child in the relative’s family who has been in the custody of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (“Department”). The right to free legal counsel applies at all stages of the termination of parental rights proceedings, including any appeals. This Act also requires the Department or a licensed agency with which the Department contracts to prepare and file the social study and report required as part of the termination of parental rights and adoption proceedings at no cost to the relative. To qualify for free legal counsel, all of the following must be true: 1. The petitioner must be a relative of the child. Relative means as defined in § 1101 of Title 13. 2. The petitioner has guardianship of the child who is the subject of the termination of parental rights and adoption petitions. 3. The guardianship order was entered in favor of the petitioner when the child was in Department custody and is in effect throughout the termination of parental rights and adoption proceedings. 4. The petitioner filed the guardianship petition that resulted in the guardianship order on or after July 1, 2026. 5. The Family Court determines that the petitioner is indigent. This Act is a substitute for and differs from Senate Bill No. 79 in 2 ways. First, it adds an indigency requirement that the petitioner must meet to qualify for free legal counsel in termination of parental rights and adoption proceedings. Second, it provides that free legal counsel for guardians seeking termination of parental rights and adoption is only available if the underlying petition for guardianship of the child is filed on or after July 1, 2026, when this Act goes into effect.
Maddy summarySenate Concurrent Resolution 64 designates May 2025 as "Small Business Month" in the State of Delaware. This resolution serves as a formal recognition of the importance and contributions of small businesses within the state.
This Concurrent Resolution designates May 7, 2025, as "4-H Day" in the State of Delaware and calls upon Delaware's citizens to recognize the many contributions of the State's 4-H programs.
Maddy summarySenate Bill 68 establishes the specific fees, known as pilotage rates, that will be charged by the Pilots' Association for the Bay and River Delaware. This bill sets these rates for the years 2026, 2027, and 2028.
The Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is the percentage of electricity that utilities must source from renewables. This is presently set at 25% and will increase annually, culminating at 40% in 2035. Delaware does not currently have enough renewable energy to meet the present mandate, let alone future RPS requirements. Renewable energy is also in short supply on the regional power grid. If it is available, consumers are paying additional distribution charges to transmit it to Delaware. If renewable energy is not obtainable, Delaware utilities are paying penalties to the state for failing to achieve the RPS mandate. In each of the last two years, Delmarva Power has spent about $13 million annually in such state mandated compliance fees. All these cost multipliers are being passed along to consumers, making power more expensive for Delaware ratepayers. This bill recognizes the current flawed public energy policy that has resulted in renewable energy demand significantly outpacing supply. This legislation seeks to provide relief to Delawareans by rolling back the Renewable Portfolio Standard to 10% and maintaining the RPS requirement for the next 10 years, providing sufficient time for renewable generation capacity to meet demand. After the 10-year period expires, the RPS percentage will resume scheduled annual increases.
This Joint Resolution establishes the Small Restaurant Regulatory Reform Task Force, established for the goal of reducing unnecessary burdens created by the regulations promulgated by the Department of Health and Social Services. By June 1, 2026, the commission is to identify the unnecessary burdens created by the regulations, concrete steps that can be taken to ease the burdens, and what state funding, if any, would be necessary to ease those burdens.
This Act provides that commissioned constables have the authority to direct traffic, if they are doing so while in the performance of the lawful duties of employment. In addition to explicitly granting constables this power under § 5609 of Title 24, the Act adds constables to the list in § 4103 of Title 21 of persons invested by law with the authority to direct, control, or regulate vehicle and pedestrian traffic. These changes will enable constables to provide additional public safety support to employers such as schools, which may benefit from assistance with directing traffic during busy times of day such as pickup and drop off. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
