Sen. Dave Wilson

This resolution recognizes the Easterseals/CAI Volleyball Challenge occurring March 8 at University of Delaware Carpenter Sports Building, an event that raises funds for an organization providing services and support to Delawareans with disabilities and senior citizens and their families.

Maddy summaryThis House Concurrent Resolution (HCR 5) designates January 23, 2025, as "Maternal Health Awareness Day" in Delaware. It is a symbolic resolution raising public and professional awareness about maternal health issues, including preventable pregnancy-related deaths and racial disparities. The resolution does not create new laws, funding, or programs - it simply establishes a designated day to highlight existing initiatives like maternal safety bundles and doulas, and to encourage future efforts in maternal care. The bill affects Delaware residents generally by promoting awareness of maternal health challenges.

This Act establishes that State government offices are to close when a National Day of Mourning is declared due to the death of a current or former President.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution designates January 9, 2025, as "Law Enforcement Appreciation Day" in Delaware. It symbolically honors Delaware law enforcement officers for their service without creating new policies, requirements, or funding. The resolution expresses legislative gratitude for officers' dedication to community safety and public protection. As a ceremonial measure, it has no direct legal or financial impact on residents or agencies.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution honors and recognizes the leadership, achievements, and sacrifices of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and urges all citizens of the First State to participate fittingly in the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 20, 2025.

This Act updates the definition of "sexual orientation" throughout the Delaware Code by adding asexuality and pansexuality. Asexuality refers to individuals with little to no sexual attraction to other individuals, although asexual individuals may desire emotionally intimate relationships with other individuals. Pansexuality refers to individuals who are attracted sexually or romantically, or both, to another individual regardless of that individual's sex or gender identity. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

There were 139 traffic fatalities in Delaware in 2021, the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2006. Senate Concurrent Resolution 94 of the 151st Delaware General Assembly set a goal of no more than 100 traffic fatalities per year and tasked state agencies to meet that goal by 2025. Instead of moving towards meeting the General Assembly’s goal, however, traffic fatalities increased to 165 in 2022, deepening the crisis on Delaware’s roads. To reverse this situation, the “Everyone Gets Home Act” makes changes to the Delaware Code to sharpen the Department of Transportation’s focus on the three most common types of fatal crashes: intersection (including driveway); roadway departure; and mid-block pedestrian. This Act clarifies the Department’s authority to designate controlled-access facilities as a safety countermeasure for both intersection and midblock pedestrian crashes and, when the facility designation has received the consent of county government, requires counties to use their own authority to assist the Department in consolidating vehicle entrances and exits to and from the facility. In addition, this Act authorizes the Department to designate roadways as low-speed streets and low-speed local roads in order to address fatal roadway departure crashes related to vehicle speed, and permits counties to request such designations to meet their own traffic safety goals. Finally, this Act expands the Department’s discretion to deploy new traffic-control devices in order to reduce fatal crashes. This Substitute Bill differs from HB 247 in that it does the following: (1) Clarifies that designated low-speed local streets and roads must be designed and operated with a Safe System Approach, as adopted by the United States Department of Transportation. (2) Includes “implementing corridor access management” as a safety countermeasure on designated low-speed local streets or roads. (3) Requires the Department to receive approval from the local law-enforcement agency with jurisdiction over a road before the Department designates such road a low-speed local street or road pursuant to a county or municipal government request. (4) Clarifies that the Department has discretion to adopt various standards for traffic-control devices or applications, even if they are different from uniform state standards, so long as they reduce fatal or serious injuries or are in accordance with a Safe System Approach. (5) Authorizes the Department to acquire property rights along highways to consolidate commercial entrances or to create new commercial interconnections when the Department determines such consolidation or interconnection would likely improve safety. (6) Removes Section 1 from the bill, which required counties to withhold permits for buildings abutting a controlled-access facility if necessary to obtain consent for vehicle access to and from adjacent properties. (7) Removes language that defined “full” and “partial” controlled-access facilities, and removes these terms from the rest of the bill. (8) Removes Section 7 of the bill that authorized the Department to designate and establish partial or full controlled-access facilities in any unincorporated area where there is a high incidence of fatal crashes related to the presence of highway entrances or exits. (9) Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act creates a new license for the use of trotlines in commercial crabbing. This Act prohibits a person from possessing a commercial crab pot license and trotline license at the same time. This Act requires a 3/5 vote by each chamber because it creates a license fee pursuant to Section 11(a) of Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution.

This Act is the product of the work of the Firearms Definition Task Force (“Task Force”), which was created by this General Assembly under Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 102. The Task Force found that while a more limited definition of “firearm” that is consistent with the common understanding of the term is required, a more nuanced approach than that taken in House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 224 is also required. As a result, this Act does the following: (1) Adopts the definition of “firearm” proposed by House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 224. (2) Creates a definition for a new term, “projectile weapon”, defined as those weapons previously included in the definition of a firearm, but which are not within the common understanding of a firearm. (3) Makes clear that a “projectile weapon” is a deadly weapon. (4) Amends the Criminal Code, criminal procedure provisions of Title 11, the Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act (§ 1448C of Title 11 of the Delaware Code), the protection from abuse proceedings law (§§ 1041 through 1048 of Title 10 of the Delaware Code), the sexual violence protective order law (Chapter 72 of Title 10 of the Delaware Code), the lethal violence protective order law (Chapter 77 of Title 10 of the Delaware Code), and other provisions in Title 6, Title 10, and Title 24 of the Delaware Code to appropriately distinguish between when a law is intended to just apply to a firearm or to a firearm and a projectile weapon.

According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of death from cancer in men. It is estimated that about 1 in 41 men will die of prostate cancer. According to ZERO Prostate Cancer, Black men face serious health care disparities regarding prostate cancer. 1 in 6 Black men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime compared to 1 in 8 men overall. Black men are also 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with, and 2.1 times more likely to die from, prostate cancer than white men.  HB 302 requires all group, blanket, and individual health insurance policies to cover prostate screening for men at risk of prostate cancer. This Substitute bill broadens the definition of “prostate screening” to include any medically necessary and clinically appropriate method for the detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer, including a digital rectal exam and prostate specific antigen test, and associated laboratory work. This Substitute bill also clarifies the ages at which prostate screenings must be covered, consistent with the American Cancer Society guidelines, as follows: (1) Age 50 for men at average risk of developing prostate cancer; (2) Age 45 for men at high risk of developing prostate cancer, including African American men and men who have a first degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer; and (3) Age 40 for men at even higher risk for prostate cancer, including men who have more than one first degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer.  This Substitute bill also extends the effective date to health insurance policies modified after December 31, 2025, and makes technical corrections.