This concurrent resolution designates the month of April 2017, as “Alcoholism Awareness Month” and calls upon Delawareans to break the silence and talk to their family and friends about alcoholism.
This Act creates a Chapter 60 in Title 11 relating to providing individuals Fair Notice. Specifically, the Act requires individuals considering a plea of guilty in a criminal court of law be provided information related to the collateral consequences of a conviction. In addition, the Act requires additional notice be provided to a person convicted of a crime at the time of sentencing and upon release.
To establish more transparency in government, and to strengthen citizens' faith in the election and redistricting processes that serve as the foundation of democracy in Delaware, this bill establishes an Independent Redistricting Commission for the State of Delaware. The Commission will be responsible for drawing the boundaries of Delaware's legislative districts every ten years, following each decennial census. A pool of twenty-four potential Commission members shall be selected by a bipartisan judicial panel from applications filed with the Commissioner of Elections. The pool will consist of eight current or former Delaware attorneys or former Delaware judges and sixteen other citizens of Delaware. The pool must include eight candidates from each of the State’s two largest political parties and eight candidates that are not a member of either of the State’s two largest parties. Prior to selection of Commission members, the following individuals shall each have the opportunity to strike one candidate from the pool: the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Senate Minority Leader. From the pool of remaining candidates, the Secretary of State will draw by lot until the following conditions are satisfied: 1) The Commission will have nine members, three of whom must be current or former attorneys or former Delaware judges, and six of whom must be other Delaware citizens. 2) Three members of the Commission shall be members of the State’s largest political party, three shall be members of the State’s second largest political party, and the remaining three shall not be a member of either of the State’s two largest political parties. Eligible candidates may not be, and may not have in the five years prior to appointment been, a federal or state lobbyist, an officer of a federal or state political party, an officer of a campaign committee, or an elected federal or state official. Commissioners are also prohibited from running for the General Assembly in the election following the redistricting, and from registering as a federal or state lobbyist for five years following the term as a Commissioner. A preliminary plan must be prepared by the Commission for public distribution, and four public hearings must be held before a Final Redistricting Plan and Report is approved by the Commission. The Delaware Supreme Court shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction to resolve challenges to the Final Redistricting Plan adopted by the Commission.
This resolution designates April 6, 2017 as “National Tartan Day” and commemorates the outstanding achievements and contributions made by Scottish-Americans to the United States. When the United States was first formed and the thirteen states selected their first governors, nine were of Scottish ancestry. All the members of the first American cabinet had Scottish ancestry. Delaware’s first governor, John McKinly, was born in Northern Ireland of Scottish descent. Americans of Scottish descent have played a vibrant and influential role in the development of this country. However, not until 1997 was this influence recognized by a single-year U.S. Senate Resolution that appeared in the Congressional Record of April 7, 1997. In 1998 National Tartan Day was officially recognized on a permanent basis when the U.S. Senate passed Senate Resolution 155 recognizing April 6th as National Tartan Day. This was followed by companion bill House Resolution 41 which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 9, 2005. President George W. Bush signed a Presidential Proclamation on April 4, 2008 making April 6 National Tartan Day. In April of 2008, then Governor Minner issued a statement celebrating the accomplishments of Scots-Irish Americans in the First State as part of a Scots/Scots-Irish Heritage Month. April 6 commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, which asserted Scotland's sovereignty over English territorial claims, and which was a significant influence on the American Declaration of Independence. Canada has been celebrating "National Tartan Day" since 1993. The idea and motivation for creating a similar American holiday was provided by the Scottish Coalition, a group of national Scottish- American cultural organizations.
Civil forfeiture laws represent one of the most serious assaults on private property rights in the nation today. Under civil forfeiture, police and prosecutors can seize your car or other property, sell it and use the proceeds to fund agency budgets—often without so much as charging you with a crime. This Act protects individual liberty and property rights by standardizing forfeitures across all crimes, simplifying procedures, and addressing counterproductive incentives in the law that distort policing priorities. Importantly, this Act does not change the authority of law enforcement to seize property suspected of being associated with crime or limit in any way prosecutors’ ability to charge and prosecute suspected criminals. Moreover, it ensures that those individuals proven guilty of a crime do not keep the fruits of their crime. In doing so, it strikes the right balance between the individual property rights and public safety.
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 4, 2017, as "Equal Pay Day."
This Resolution recognizes the week of April 3 - 7 as Work Zone Awareness Week in Delaware.
This Joint Resolution opposes the cost allocation of the Artificial Island Transmission Project as unfair and unduly burdensome to the ratepayers of Delaware and urges PJM to join with Delaware in contesting the cost allocation in the proceedings pending before FERC.
