Sen. Marie Pinkney

This resolution marks May 17, 2024, as the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case and honors the courage and fortitude of all who sparked the action leading to the Bulah v. Gebhart and Belton v. Gebhart cases in Delaware. It also recognizes that the work against institutional racism must be continued by all Delawareans.

House Bill 162 authorizes the process of natural organic reduction to be used in this State. Natural organic reduction is the gentle, respectful process that accelerates the decomposition of human remains to soil. This process uses large vessels to hold human remains together with straw, wood chips, or other natural materials for about 30 days. The human remains and organic materials, mixed together with warm air, are periodically turned and the process eventually results in reduction of the human remains to a soil material that can then be provided to the deceased individual's family. Natural organic reduction is considered a more eco-friendly cremation alternative, forgoing the usage of formaldehyde and the release of carbon dioxide and mercury into the atmosphere. The process also uses 1/8 the energy of cremation. Section 3 removes "and by the Attorney General or a deputy attorney general" from § 3163 of Title 16, which was overlooked when Chapter 164 of Volume 68 of the Laws of Delaware was enacted, removing similar language in § 3159 of Title 16. Section 12 of this Act replaces the citation to § 3162 of Title 16 with a citation to § 3159. Section 3162 was transferred to § 3159 when Chapter 31 was reenacted by Chapter 274 of Volume 68 of the Laws of Delaware, but this citation was overlooked. This Act takes effect the earlier of 1 year from the date of the Act's enactment or notice in the Register of Regulations that final regulations to implement this Act have been adopted. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 28 of Article IV of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to expand the scope of an existing crime within the jurisdiction of the Court of Common Pleas, Family Court, or Justice of the Peace Court. This Substitute No. 1 to HB 162 adds requirements to those already set forth in HB 162 for natural organic reduction facilities and changes the permissible chemical limits for final remains after natural organic reduction. This Substitute also sets forth circumstances that preclude remains from being admitted to a natural organic reduction facility. This Substitute defines “final remains” and “last remains” identically in Title 12 of the Delaware Code to allow for the use of either phrase throughout that Title. This Substitute also makes typographical and technical corrections to conform existing and drafted law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act removes assigned salary schedules established for child care licensing specialists and child care licensing supervisors, who are employed through the Department of Education. By removing this language, the Department of Education will be able to provide equitable compensation to early childhood personnel within the Office of Child Care Licensing. Attracting and retaining employees is critical to ensure the State’s child care licensing system is sufficiently staffed. Currently, the statute prevents child care licensing specialists and child care licensing supervisors from equitable pay within the Department of Education, leading to high rates of turnover and inter-Department transfer. A lack of staffing limits the ability of the State to investigate complaints being made against child care centers.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a ceremonial resolution that designates May 18, 2024, as Armed Forces Day in Delaware. It does not create new laws, change policies, or affect any specific groups of people beyond honoring military service members. The measure simply acknowledges the date to recognize the contributions of past and present armed forces personnel.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates May 2024 as Mental Health Awareness Month in Delaware to highlight the importance of mental well-being across all age groups. It calls on citizens and government agencies to increase awareness and support for mental health resources, citing statistics on the prevalence of mental illness and the impact of the pandemic. The resolution also references recent legislative efforts to fund mental health counselors in schools, emphasizing the need for early identification and treatment of mental health conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates May 15, 2024, as Youth Prevention Day in Delaware to raise awareness about substance misuse and mental health issues among young people. The resolution encourages state agencies and community organizations to share evidence-based prevention resources and engage youth in age-appropriate support programs. It is based on statistics highlighting the prevalence of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use among adolescents and recent discussions involving local students and policymakers.

This Concurrent resolution recognizes the Success of the Downtown Development District (“DDD”) Program on the tenth anniversary of its establishment.

Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates May 2024 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month in Delaware to highlight the disease and support research efforts. It does not change laws or require any new funding, but instead serves as a symbolic gesture to raise public understanding of cystic fibrosis, which affects the lungs and digestive systems of thousands of people. The resolution directs that a copy of the proclamation be given to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, aligning with the national theme of fostering community unity around the disease.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes May 9, 2024, as Delaware Local Government Day in the State of Delaware.

This Act updates the Clean Indoor Air Act to include the burning of marijuana or the use of marijuana in an electronic smoking device as a prohibited activity in all the same locations where smoking a tobacco product or using an electronic smoking device is prohibited. Further, the Act updates and clarifies some of the definitions used in this chapter. Several of the defined terms are no longer used in the substantive portions of the chapter because they pertained to exceptions to the Clean Indoor Air Act that were legislatively removed. This bill also makes technical changes to conform to the requirements of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. Finally, the exception on smoking prohibitions for vapor establishments is repealed. The exception for tobacco businesses was removed from the Clean Indoor Air Act in 2002, and this repeal will treat the businesses more alike. In addition, the definition of vapor establishment had proved difficult for agencies to understand and implement properly. This Act is effective January 1, 2025.