This bill removes the training minimum wage and youth minimum wage, which takes effect 90 days after enactment.
This Act requires that home health-care services for Medicaid long-term care services and support providers be reimbursed for services by Medicaid-contracted organizations at a rate equal to or more than the rate set by the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance for equivalent services. This rate floor system is currently used for reimbursement rates for home health-care nursing services paid for by Medicaid-contracted organizations. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Senate Joint Resolution requires the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to engage authoritative federal agencies to identify the administrative structure, legal structure, and resource needs to establish a State nontidal wetlands permitting program effectively shifting the permitting program from the federal to the State level. This Senate Joint Resolution also requires that a report containing the results of this review be completed and made public within 1 year.
This Act implements the procedure for the notice of a proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution authorized by the amendment to § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution proposed by House Bill No. 130 by doing the following: (1) Making the Secretary of the Senate ("Secretary") and Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives ("Chief Clerk") responsible for ensuring that a proposed amendment by their respective house is disseminated to the public as required by § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution and this Act. (2) Requiring the notices be published in at least 1 newspaper of general circulation in each county and posted on the Department of Election's and General Assembly's websites. (3) Requiring the Secretary, Chief Clerk, State Election Commissioner, and Director of the Division of Research to review and approve the notice to be disseminated. (4) Requiring the Secretary and Chief Clerk to provide notice of, and certain information about, the dissemination of the notice of a proposed amendment. Because the next General Assembly must concur in the proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution, this Act does not take effect until the passage of the second leg of the constitutional amendment in the 152nd General Assembly.
This Act is the result of over 6 years of work and collaboration among the Family Court, Department of Justice, Department of Services for Youth, Children, and their Families, the Office of the Child Advocate, private adoption agencies, and the Family Law Section of the Delaware Bar Association to modernize Delaware’s termination of parental rights (“TPR”) statute. This Act makes numerous technical and substantive revisions to conform and update the TPR statute with current practices and procedure, provide clarity to and ease of use for certain portions of the statute, and conform the TPR statute with the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. Notable changes include: (1) Several changes to the grounds for terminating parental rights: elimination of the ground of mental incompetence, addition of murder or manslaughter of the other parent as a ground, and creation of a new ground for parents in private TPR proceedings who have failed to alleviate circumstances causing their children to be dependent or neglected in their care after receiving notice and a reasonable opportunity to address the issues. (2) Reclassifying abandonment of a child under the Safe Arms program from an involuntary TPR to a voluntary consent. (3) Increasing the standard to terminate the rights of only 1 parent from “harmful to the child” to “serious physical or emotional harm to the child.” (4) Eliminating the requirement to note the gender of a child in a TPR petition and, except where necessary in the context of a provision, replacing gender-based identifiers (man, woman, mother, father) with “parent.” (5) Enumerating clear requirements for the contents of a social report and providing DSCYF and licensed agencies more time to complete the social report in non-DSCYF custody cases. (6) Relocating the required statement that a parent has been notified of the parent’s right to file a written notarized statement with the Office of Vital Statistics denying the release of identifying information under 13 Del.C. § 923(b) from the petition to the social report. (7) Eliminating DSCYF’s ongoing obligation to report to the Court after permanent guardianship or guardianship is granted and DSCYF holds parental rights, and codifying Family Court Civil Rule 220 relating to Post-Termination Placement Orders. (8) Clarifying that the Family Court has discretion whether to accept a TPR consent, DSCYF has sole discretion to plan with a parent if it has established a ground to be relieved from planning with that parent, and the time for filing an appeal begins to run after issuance of the Court’s written order. (9) Making technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual, including revising language to use the active voice rather than the passive voice.
This Act permits an individual to practice dentistry for the Division of Public Health (Division) under a provisional license. Delaware law provides several routes for entering practice on an interim basis until full licensure can be obtained, however, none of these routes specifically permit hiring by the Division with the intent to practice in a state-supported dental clinic. This Act will assist the Division in recruiting dentists to serve those in need. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act postpones the effective date of Senate Bill No. 67, enacted in 2019. Senate Bill No. 67 was to become effective on January 1, 2020; however, the Clerks of the Peace for all 3 counties have indicated that they intend to postpone implementation of the requirements set out in Senate Bill No. 67. This postponement is in order to allow additional time for engagement with leaders of faith communities and to identify any additional changes to the marriage registry structure or to its implementation or enforcement.
Recent high-profile attacks on judges and their families are a constant reminder to those that choose public service that they may be doing so at the risk of their and their loved ones’ lives. The death of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas’ son, Daniel Anderl, in New Jersey is tragically just one example – numerous instances of threatening and harassing behavior targeted at judicial officers rarely make prime time news but nonetheless impacts them. The rise and use of social media and online access to information has made it more difficult for judicial officers to maintain their privacy. This Act would allow judicial officers to make a written request that their personal information not be published and remain confidential. The Act takes effect 1 year after its enactment to allow for implementation.
This bill adds the Department of Correction, Bureau of Prisons and Bureau of Community Corrections' vehicles to the list of "authorized emergency vehicles" identified in Chapter 41 of Title 21 that are afforded certain privileges when responding to an emergency.
Senate Bill No. 65 establishes the Focus on Alternative Skills Training Program ("FAST"). FAST will provide tuition assistance, to Delaware residents who have obtained a high school diploma, Diploma of Alternate Achievement Standards, or a Delaware secondary credential, which includes earning a GED, and have enrolled in an approved non-degree credit certificate program. The Workforce Development Board will create a list of non-degree credit certificate programs approved for the FAST program. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 65 differs from Senate Bill No. 65 as follows: 1. Extends eligibility from 18 to 24 months after an individual graduates from high school. 2. Increases the maximum amount of assistance that an individual may receive from $9,000 to $10,000. 3. Allows tuition payments for up to 12 months instead of 6 months. 4. Requires FAST to be implemented within 6 months of enactment, instead of 1 year. 5. Acknowledges the expected availability of federal funds for FAST. 6. Sunsets FAST 2 years after enactment.
