This Concurrent Resolution creates the Victims' Bill of Rights Committee to study and make findings and recommendations regarding the Victims' Bill of Rights.
This resolution recognizes August 26, 2023, as "Women's Equality Day" in Delaware.
This Resolution recognizes and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the National Wild Turkey Federation and acknowledges its significant contributions to wildlife management, habitat conservation, and outdoor traditions in the State of Delaware.
This bill increases the assessments charged to insurance companies to fund the increased costs of the operation of the Fraud Prevention Bureau.
This resolution encourages support for the counties of this State in their effort to research and study the needs and finances of the volunteer fire services and paid ambulance entities of the State of Delaware.
This substitute adds emphasis to the prohibition that interim alimony may not be awarded to a party that is convicted of a violent felony. This Act prohibits an individual from receiving alimony who is convicted of committing a violent felony, where the victim is their spouse or a child under the age of 18 of either party to the divorce or annulment proceeding. Under current Delaware law an individual can abuse their partner or child and may still be awarded interim alimony or alimony. This Act mandates that such an unjust result shall be entirely prohibited.
This Act clarifies what constitutes a sawmill under Delaware law and adds definitions related to agriculture and silviculture. This Act recognizes forest products as unadulterated materials and makes clear their importance to support a thriving industry that maintains sustainable and healthy forests. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Delaware is one of five states that does not have an open container law, which is in direct violation of federal regulations. This Bill bans open containers of alcoholic beverages in motor vehicles and provides a civil penalty for an offense. A violation of this section would not be entered on an individual’s driving record.
This bill adds workforce and affordable housing programs to the current list of realty transfer tax eligible expenditures for New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties.
This is the first leg of a constitutional amendment to protect our communities from gun violence. While there is a legal presumption that people arrested in Delaware will have an opportunity to post bail while awaiting trial, this right is not universal. The state constitution already allows individuals charged with capital offenses (murder) to be held without bail “when the proof is positive or the presumption great” that the defendant committed the crime. This proposed amendment bill would expand this provision to include the charge of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Crime data statistics reveal that the overwhelming majority of arrests for gun crimes involve individuals that have previously been arrested for other felony offenses. Carrying a firearm during the commission of a felony demonstrates a calculated willingness by the perpetrator to use a weapon in the furtherance of his or her criminal activity. By virtue of its availability, someone who makes the conscious choice to carry a gun while engaging in serious illicit acts is more likely to use it to threaten, intimidate, injure, or kill their victims. Allowing people that have been arrested for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony to be quickly released back into the community undermines the public faith in the criminal justice system and creates a climate of fear and intimidation. This proposed amendment would deny individuals who have demonstrated a willingness to use a gun in the commission of crimes against their fellow citizens an opportunity to commit additional offenses while awaiting adjudication on their pending charges.
