Sen. Dave Lawson

This Act is being proposed in hopes of allowing for additional disbursements from a special fund created by the General Assembly to ensure adequate pensions for affected police officers and firefighters, and their surviving spouses. This raises the pension level an individual is permitted to receive and still be eligible for a distribution from the special fund from $35,000 or less to $55,000 or less. It also ensures that those eligible to receive a distribution from the special fund will be able to do so upon enactment, and not have to wait until the current date permitted under the Code.

The Board of Pharmacy (“Board”) has worked for several years to amend Chapter 25, Title 24 of the Delaware Code to update the statute governing pharmacy licensure and practice in this State. The result of these efforts is this Act, which modernizes Chapter 25 to include a licensure system similar to those already in place in many other states, reflects current practices and standards, and clarifies the law. The Board’s priority in amending Chapter 25 was to ensure competence and accountability of individuals, pharmacies, and other establishments regulated by the Board. This Act expands and updates the definitions section to include terms related to current practice, such as “compounding” and “outsourcing facilities.” Board membership terms are increased: Board members will be eligible to serve for a maximum of three consecutive, three-year terms. The Board officers are identified as president and vice president. Several sections are added to the Board’s powers and duties, including the authority to promulgate a Code of Ethics. This Act amends the qualifications for licensure as a pharmacist to set forth clearly objective criteria. With respect to licensure as a pharmacist by reciprocity, the “good standing” requirement is clarified, and a criminal background check requirement is added. The requirements for license renewal, reinstatement, and reactivation are amended to provide that, after a certain time period has expired, a licensee will be required to undergo a criminal background check and the licensee’s disciplinary history will be reviewed. This Act revises the potential Grounds for Discipline of pharmacists to include violation of the Code of Ethics. Available sanctions are broadened to include permanent revocation and potential administrative penalties not to exceed $10,000 for the first violation with further penalties optional for subsequent violations. These changes will serve as a deterrent for licensee conduct posing a risk to the public health, safety, and welfare. This Act strikes the provision for “Counseling of Pharmacists” to align statutory language with actual practice. Disciplinary matters are public and are addressed by the entire Board. The requirements for prescription labeling, pharmacy closing, and prescription departments will be addressed in rules and regulations to allow for necessary revisions as practice standards evolve. This Act also revises the requirements for pharmacies and non-resident pharmacies in the interest of objectivity and consistency. Grounds for discipline and available sanctions are expanded. In particular, the Board will have the discretion to impose an administrative penalty not to exceed $250,000 for each violation with further penalties available for ongoing violations. Further, with respect to non-resident pharmacies, the Board will also have the authority to impose administrative penalties, up to $10,000 per day, for the infraction of delivering drugs into Delaware without a license issued by the Board. This Act adds a new section for licensure requirements for manufacturers, wholesale distributors, outsourcing facilities, medical gas distributors, and retail non-pharmacies. Key personnel will be required to undergo criminal background checks. Possible administrative penalties are revised significantly, from $50 per day, to a maximum of $250,000 for each violation with further penalties available for ongoing violations. The option of this sanction will serve as a deterrent for wrongful conduct by establishments that are often delivering drugs from out-of-state into Delaware. This Act also makes revisions to ensure that statutory provisions are consistent with other Title 24 professional licensing board practice acts. Technical corrections serve to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Act takes effect 1 year after enactment.

On February 18, 2025, the City of Harrington passed Resolution 25-R-02 to seek support from the General Assembly to amend the City Charter. This Act amends the City of Harrington Charter, as requested by the City Council, by doing all of the following: 1. Removing limitations on the number of terms that an individual may serve as Mayor or a member of the City Council. 2. Removing the requirement that City funds be placed in a bank located in the City and allow the funds to be placed in bank approved by the City Council. 3. Changing the annual budget deadline from May 1 to June 1. 4. Changing the deadline for the auditor of accounts to submit an audit report from within 120 days from the end of the fiscal year to within 150 days from the end of the fiscal year. 5. Removing the Clerk of Council from the succession of authority for Mayor. 6. Allowing an approved member of the City Council to sign checks in the Mayor’s absence. This Act also makes additional requested changes, not included in Resolution 25-R-02, by doing all of the following: 1. Moving the deadline to determine the City’s revenue needs from May 1 to June 1 to match the updated budget deadline. 2. Removing the City Treasurer’s authority to approve and countersign checks or warrants for paying bills or other claims against the City, so that the checks or warrants must be approved and signed by the City Manager and the Mayor, or a Council member designated by the Mayor. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual, including adding language to clarify that the Vice Mayor is elected from among the City Council members instead of appointed. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a municipal charter.

The Department of Education (“Department”) currently administers the High Needs Educator Student Loan Repayment Program, the Speech-Language Pathologist Student Loan Repayment Program, and the Mental Health Services Student Loan Repayment Program. Annually, these programs help roughly 600 public school employees, including educators, speech-language pathologists, school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers, through a single application process, by making loan payments directly to student loan lenders. But paying the lenders directly has caused 2 persistent issues: 1. Because the payments are considered taxable income, award recipients have the tax withheld from their paychecks, even though the payments go directly to the lenders. This lowers the award recipients’ take-home pay and can create confusion and hardship. 2. The process involves sending out 600 or more individual checks each year. And many checks are returned or delayed due to changes in lender information or system mismatches. To avoid these issues, the Department recommends combining the 3 different student loan repayment programs into a single program and changing the award process from a system that repays lenders directly to a system that pays stipends to public school employees through the State central payroll operation. These changes would streamline a system that already uses a single application and would do all of the following: 1. Avoid surprise tax impacts and imputed income issues. 2. Reduce administrative burden and failed payments. 3. Provide more timely and transparent support to award recipients. The suggested changes are easy to implement, budget-neutral, and could allow public school employees who previously declined awards due to the tax consequences to benefit from the financial support. This Act makes the changes recommended by the Department by doing all of the following: 1. Eliminates the separate Speech-Language Pathologist Student Loan Repayment Program, Mental Health Services Student Loan Repayment Program, and High Needs Educator Student Loan Repayment Program, and combines them into a single program under § 4163 of Title 14. 2. Shifts payment of awards from paying the lenders directly to paying the award recipients a stipend through the State central payroll operation. 3. Streamlines the process for determining financial need by allowing the Department to focus on collecting the income and loan information that is necessary to fairly allocate program funds. 4. Changes the title of § 4163 of Title 14 from the High Needs Educator Student Loan Repayment Program to the “Public School Employee Support Program for High Need Areas” because the 3 programs are now combined into a single program and the program is no longer a direct student loan repayment program. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR 103) designates November 2025 as "Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month" in Delaware. It is a non-binding resolution expressing the state legislature's recognition of autoimmune diseases and their impact on residents. The resolution does not create new laws, allocate funding, or impose requirements; it solely aims to raise public awareness during that month. It directly affects Delaware residents by highlighting autoimmune health issues through official state recognition.

This resolution designates the month of October 2025 as “Liver Cancer Awareness Month” in the State of Delaware, to raise awareness of the risks, prevention, and impact of liver cancer, and to honor those affected by the disease.

Maddy summarySCR 118 designates October 12, 2025, as "National Farmer's Day" in Delaware through a symbolic resolution. This procedural bill does not create new laws or affect specific groups; it simply recognizes farmers' contributions via a formal state designation. The resolution has no legislative effect beyond raising awareness on that date. It is a ceremonial measure, not a policy change.

This resolution directs the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Delaware Department of Labor and the Delaware Workforce Development Board, to evaluate and report on opportunities for Delaware Pathways to support the creative economy.

Maddy summarySCR 119 is a non-binding Senate Concurrent Resolution designating June 2025 as "Sacred Heart of Jesus Month" in Delaware. This resolution recognizes the religious observance without creating new laws, imposing obligations, or changing state policies. It serves as a symbolic gesture by the Delaware legislature to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus tradition. The designation applies only to the state of Delaware and does not affect citizens, government programs, or legal requirements.

The governance of this State relies on the qualifications and performance of the members of the Governor’s cabinet. The General Assembly finds that the confirmation process is an important step to ensure the qualifications and performance of the Governor’s cabinet. This Act is the second leg of a constitutional amendment to require each holdover member of the Governor’s cabinet to be reconfirmed by the Senate at the beginning of each term of the Governor. The first leg of this constitutional amendment was Senate Bill No. 15 of the 152nd General Assembly, published in Chapter 278 of Volume 84 of the Laws of Delaware. On passage of this second leg by this General Assembly this amendment will become part of the Delaware Constitution. This Act defines members of the Governor’s cabinet as the principal officer of an executive department made subject to § 10 of Article III of the Delaware Constitution by an Act of the General Assembly. Senate Bill No. 16 of the 152nd General Assembly, which was enacted on September 30, 2024, and takes effect on the enactment of this Act, implements this Act by making the principal officer of the following executive departments subject to this constitutional requirement: (1) The Department of Education. (2) The Department of Military Affairs / Delaware National Guard. (3) The Office of Management and Budget. (4) The Department of Health and Social Services. (5) The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. (6) The Department of Agriculture. (7) The Department of Safety and Homeland Security. (8) The Department of Finance. (9) The Department of Transportation. (10) The Department of Labor. (11) The Delaware State Housing Authority. (12) The Department of State. (13) The Department of Correction. (14) The Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. (15) The Department of Technology and Information. (16) The Department of Human Resources. 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 § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly when the General Assembly amends the Delaware Constitution.