Sen. Dave Lawson

This bill repeals the Delaware Advanced Clean Air Program and adopts the Delaware Low Emissions Program thereby terminating the Electric Vehicle Mandate.

This Act creates a right to free legal counsel for a relative seeking to adopt a child in the relative’s family after parental rights over the child have been terminated and the child is in the custody of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. Relatives of a child for whom adoption is being sought who are eligible for free legal counsel in adoption proceedings include siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, first cousins, first cousins once removed, great-grandparents, grandaunts or granduncles, half-siblings, stepparents, stepsiblings, stepaunts or stepuncles, or stepgrandparents. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Maddy summarySCR 43 is a ceremonial concurrent resolution recognizing Christian Holy Week and Passover as significant observances within Delaware. It does not create new laws or policies, nor does it directly affect any specific groups or individuals. The resolution formally acknowledges these religious events at the state level, aligning with Delaware's tradition of honoring diverse cultural and religious milestones. This is purely a symbolic gesture with no regulatory or financial impact.

Maddy summarySCR 45 is a symbolic resolution designating April 11-17, 2025, as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware. It officially recognizes this period to raise public awareness about maternal health disparities affecting Black women in the state. The resolution does not create new laws, alter policies, or impose obligations; it serves solely as a formal acknowledgment of the issue. This is a procedural, non-binding gesture to highlight an important health equity concern.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases Delaware's personal income tax exclusion for pension income from $12,500 to $25,000 annually. It directly affects Delaware residents who receive pension income, allowing them to exclude more of that income when calculating their state taxable income. The key provision doubles the amount of pension earnings that are exempt from state taxation. This change reduces the state tax burden for qualifying pensioners without altering other tax rates or brackets.

This Act strengthens Delaware’s existing Right to Farm laws by expanding protections for agricultural operations against nuisance lawsuits. Specifically, this Act removes the current requirement that an agricultural operation have existed for 1 year or more in order to benefit from statutory protections against nuisance suits. Under this Act, an agricultural operation cannot be deemed a nuisance as long as it is operating in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal requirements and is not being conducted in a negligent or improper manner. This protection cannot be used against a federal, state, or local agency that is enforcing air, water quality, or other environmental standards under federal, state, or local law. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This resolution addresses the issue of workplace violence in healthcare, encourages preventive measures, promotes collaboration and support for healthcare workers, and proclaims the month of April 2025 as “Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention & Awareness Month” in the State of Delaware.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR 35) symbolically designates March 29, 2025, as "National Vietnam War Veterans Day" in Delaware. It honors Delaware’s Vietnam War veterans, their families, and the broader service of veterans and support organizations during the conflict, referencing historical context like the 1973 troop withdrawal date. The resolution has no legal effect or policy changes - it solely recognizes the day through a formal statement by Delaware’s legislature. It was introduced by Senator Lawson and passed unanimously by both chambers on March 27, 2025.

Like House Bill 46, this Act ensures that no physician or medically authorized person shall perform an abortion upon a child under the age of 16 without having obtained parental consent, except in cases of medical emergency or if the Family Court adjudicates that the minor is mature and well-informed enough to make the decision independently, or obtaining parental consent is not in the best interest of the minor, such as in cases of abuse, neglect, or coercion. This Act differs from House Bill 46 by removing additional references to the former notice requirement in Chapter 17, Subchapter VIII, of Title 24, and by clarifying that a legal guardian may grant the consent required by this Act.

This Act requires that an enacted state agency regulation will automatically expire unless explicitly reauthorized by the General Assembly to continue. This Act creates the Joint Committee on Oversight of Agency Regulations (“Committee”) to engage in review and oversight of regulations adopted by State agencies and recommend to the General Assembly whether or not the regulations should be allowed to expire. Like laws in states such as Colorado and Utah, this Act does all of the following: (1) Requires that all regulations adopted by an agency during the 12-month period preceding each October 31 expire at 5:00 p.m. on the following June 30 unless the General Assembly enacts a law to remove the expiration of the regulation. (2) Establishes criteria for the Committee’s review of State agency regulations. (3) Establishes a process for the Committee’s review and oversight of State agency regulations, including the requirement of a staff report, public hearings, and Committee recommendations to the General Assembly. (4) If the Committee recommends a regulation not be allowed to expire, requires the Committee to draft and introduce a bill that removes the expiration of each regulation the Committee recommends not be allowed to expire. (5) The Committee Chair, Vice Chair, and members receive the same additional compensation as the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee.