This Concurrent Resolution requests the Department of Education conduct a review of mandatory trainings for educators and report back to the General Assembly their findings and recommendations.
This bill directs the Department to pay a statewide rate to all child care providers that is aligned with the New Castle County rate through existing program funds. This service provides support for families with children birth to 12 years of age with access to child care to enable the caretaker to hold a job, obtain training or meet the special needs of the parent or child. The bill would pay licensed child care providers statewide at the reimbursement rate of New Castle County as determined by the 2021 Delaware Local Child Care Market Rate Survey.
This resolution recognizes Senator Nicole Poore, her son Luke Poore, and the entire Poore wrestling family for historic success in Delaware wrestling.
This bill creates the Delaware Digital Right to Repair Act. Currently when an electronic product such as a phone or electronic game breaks, it is only allowed to be repaired by the manufacturer. Parts are not available whether you are a consumer or a local repair shop. This act requires the manufacturer to make parts, documentation, tools, and updates available on fair and reasonable terms.
This Concurrent Resolution requests the Delaware State Fire School propose a plan for the safe disposal of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), due to the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) they contain from Delaware Fire Departments and companies. The Delaware State Fire School is to provide a report to the President Pro Tempore, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Office of the Controller General, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The report is also to include the cost of disposal and the cost to obtain safe, viable, alternatives. The concept would be to fund this disposal foam and remove it from the Delaware Fire Service by a one-time exchange of this foam voluntarily and allowing the Fire Service the opportunity to replace AFFF with a new compliant supply at no cost to them. This report would establish a cost line item for the 2023-24 Bond Bill.
This bill seeks to create the Expanded Protection for Our Communities and Homes (EPOCH) Grant Program through a one-time appropriation of $20 million. The grant money would be distributed to every Delaware police agency that chooses to participate. The distribution would consist of a minimum standard allocation made to each agency and an allocation based on the number of uniformed officers authorized for each agency. EPOCH grants could be used by the recipient agencies to recruit new officers; promote or encourage careers in law enforcement; initially pay the salaries of newly hired officers; pay for overtime to facilitate additional work to address issues of local concern (including traffic enforcement); and implement programs designed to improve public safety in the area of the agency’s jurisdiction. The grant allocations would be available for the agencies to use for up to three years, after which any unused and unencumbered funding would return to the General Fund.
This Resolution enacts the Delaware State Senate Rules of Procedure for Ethics Violations.
This Act provides post-pandemic related relief to both claimants receiving unemployment benefits and employers who are assessed unemployment taxes. This bill will increase the maximum weekly benefit amount payable to claimants seeking unemployment compensation benefits from the Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance from $400.00 a week to $450.00 a week. The funds necessary to pay the increased weekly benefit amounts will be paid from the Unemployment Trust Fund. Delaware currently pays unemployment claimants less per week in benefits than claimants are paid in each neighboring state. The maximum weekly benefit amount has not changed since 2019. The Governor’s agreement to allow federal pandemic funds to be used to replace the funds in the Unemployment Trust Fund that were depleted from the surge of pandemic related claims has made the Unemployment Trust Fund sufficiently solvent so as to allow the Department to offer unemployment tax relief measures to Delaware employers for a one-year period during calendar year 2023, at a time when employers continue to face post-pandemic rising economic challenges, supply chain problems, and difficultly in staffing. This Act will provide temporary relief to employers who pay unemployment tax assessments by reducing the new employer tax rates, reducing or holding constant overall employer tax rates, and reducing the maximum earned rate. This Act will also temporarily simplify the tax rate schedules that are used to calculate unemployment assessments paid by employers. The Department estimates that these unemployment tax assessment changes will reduce the tax obligation of employers an estimated $50 million in 2023. The various tax assessment relief provisions set forth in Sections 2 and 3 of this Act are retroactive to January 1, 2023 and are intended to be in effect for the full calendar year 2023.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates January 22-28, 2023, as "School Choice Week" in the State of Delaware.
This resolution recognizes March 2, 2023, as "Delaware Giving Day."
