This Senate Resolution pays tribute and extends a fond farewell to Secretary of the Senate Joy C. Bower upon her retirement after 32 years of distinguished service to the Senate.
This bill requires transparency in the use of risk assessment instruments and requires empirical data that the instrument does not increase or magnify bias against any protected class.
In 2018, the General Assembly enacted House Bill No. 204 of the 149th General Assembly, Chapter 200, Volume 81 of the Laws of Delaware, ("HB 204"), with "the goal of modernizing the pretrial process, reducing reliance on monetary conditions, improving the efficiency and outcomes for the criminal justice system, and ensuring the safety of the community." HB 204 has resulted in the release of violent offenders into our communities, leading to more Delawareans being victimized. Therefore, this Act repeals HB 204, replacing HB 204's provisions with the law in effect before the enactment of HB 204 and bringing back greater safety for law abiding Delawareans and accountability for defendants. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law, and previous law being returned to the Delaware Code, to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
In January of 2015, the Office of Civil Rights & Public Trust was created by the Attorney General to establish a centralized office within the Department of Justice for the investigation of matters concerning civil rights enforcement and the prosecution of matters concerning violations of the public trust. This office must remain an independent entity within the Department of Justice to avoid conflicts with other Department of Justice duties and thus effectively enforce laws protecting the public trust and civil rights. Thus, this Act creates the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust within the Department of Justice which will be separate from the other Divisions within the Department of Justice and have a Director who reports directly to the Chief Deputy Attorney General, to avoid conflicts of interest with the work of the other Divisions. This Act also clarifies the current scope of the Department of Justice’s ability to investigate and bring civil rights actions to protect the civil rights of all Delawareans.
In 1994 the 137th General Assembly created the crime of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. In the intervening decades, the length of the minimum required sentence of 3 years and 5 years for defendants with 2 prior felonies has not changed. Instead, in 2019 the 150th General Assembly removed the requirement of consecutive sentences and removed the prohibition on suspending portions of the sentence and earned good time. Felony offenses committed with firearms are some of the most dangerous and violent crimes that can be committed by criminals. The trend of leniency is not commensurate with the seriousness of the offense, nor does it adequately protect victims of crime. This Act increases the minimum penalty to 5 years and to 10 years for defendants with 2 prior felonies. This Act also restores the requirements that defendants be sentenced consecutively and prohibits suspension of the sentence. This Act is intended to enhance public safety by appropriately punishing criminal use of firearms.
This Act revises the requirements for the shape of a Complete Community Enterprise Districts (“District”) to maximize the use of transit, walking, and bicycling by residents and employees. Specifically, this Act does all of the following: 1. Eliminates the minimum size. 2. Requires the District to contain more than 1 parcel and that part of at least 1 parcel be within a ½ mile from a bus or rail stop or station. 3. Requires the District to include adjacent neighborhoods within a ½ mile from a bus or rail stop or station. 4. Prohibits a district from being in the shape of a linear corridor and requires that each parcel of land in the District is zoned to maximize the use of transit, walking, and bicycling. 5. Requires that a District be part of a master development plan that maximizes the use of transit, walking, and bicycling by residents and employees. This Act also repeals the definition of "isoperimetric quotient" because the term is being removed and replaced with paragraphs (3), (7), and (9) of § 2104 of Title 2, in the revised requirements for a Complete Community Enterprise District.
This Act reconciles discrepancies between § 8705 of Title 9 of the Delaware Code and § 2903 of Title 25 of the Delaware Code, clarifying that all taxes assessed against real estate by Kent or Sussex Counties are governed by § 8705 of Title 9 and that the date on which Sussex County considers a tax delinquent is July 1. The Act also clarifies that the duration of a lien for municipal taxes for a municipalities in Kent and Sussex Counties is 10 years unless a period greater than 10 years is provided for in the municipality’s charter.
This Act amends the Fiscal Year 2020 Bond and Capital Improvements Act to (1) reauthorize Appoquinimink School District project local shares; (2) redistribute Community Reinvestment Funds from the African American Heritage Institute to the Peoples Settlement Association and the Redding House Foundation; (3) redistribute Municipal Infrastructure Funds to the Ocean View Historical Society and amend the project description for the Town of Laurel; (4) reprogram Department of Correction funding from the Central Violation of Probation Conversion from Level IV to Level V Design and Construction to the JTVCC Perimeter Fence, Motor Pool Building Conversion to a Level V Vocational Skills Training Center, and Maintenance and Restoration; (5) revise the amount used for a feasibility study at Delaware State University and add authorization for renovations of a community building; (6) authorize the Department of Correction to use Maintenance and Restoration funding for drug treatment space, a design and location study for Plummer Community Correction Center, and a conversion of the Central Violation of Probation center; (7) authorize the use of City of Wilmington Education Initiatives funding for recreational equipment at Kirkwood Park for use by Stubbs Elementary School; (8) authorize the State via the Complete Count Commission to enter into a contractual agreement with a non-profit for census activities in Kent and Sussex counties; (9) transfer a Delaware National Guard vehicle storage facility to the City of Harrington; (10) authorize for a transfer of property from the Delaware National Guard to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; (11) authorize a transfer of property from the Office of Management and Budget to the United States Government; (12) authorize additional reimbursements from the Community Transportation Fund; (13) authorizes the Department of Transportation to enter into contractual agreements with the Riverfront Development Corporation; (14) authorize the Department of Transportation to enter into agreements with the City of Wilmington and the Riverfront Development Corporation related to the redevelopment of South Market Street; (15) authorize the Brandywine School District to use minor capital improvement funds for site planning activities of the Charles W. Bush Early Education Center; (16) authorize the transfer of funds from the Office of Management and Budget to the Town of Laurel; and (17) allocate funding from the Delaware State Housing Authority to the Ministry of Caring.
Designating February 6, 2020 as "Ronald Reagan Day" in Delaware.
