Sen. Brian Pettyjohn

This Act modernizes fishing, hunting, and trapping license and associated waterfowl and trout stamp specifications to include digital formats. This Act refines the definition of waterfowl consistent with the gamebird waterfowl definition in existing code for determining when a waterfowl stamp is required to hunt waterfowl. This Act also eliminates trout catch reporting requirements, clarifies when and where a trout fishing stamp is required for fishing, and corrects certain trout stamp exemptions in the current code.

This Act creates a new Utilities Coordination Council, as recommended by the Utilities Coordination Working Group established by SCR No. 48 from the 150th General Assembly. The purpose of the Council is to review and recommend best practices for efficient utility relocations on transportation projects on Delaware's highways. Additionally, the Council will be responsible for implementation, accountability, and the resolution of any specific utility delays.

This bill will allow all surviving spouses of persons killed in the course and scope of employment to receive the same level of death benefits as the surviving spouses of those persons defined as “covered persons” in Section 6601(2), Title 18 of the Delaware Code, in the event that the surviving spouse remarries. This expansion of the death benefit beyond the surviving spouses of those persons specified in Section 6601(2) will result in all surviving spouses, who decide to remarry, being treated equally under Delaware’s Workers’ Compensation laws.

This Act implements the procedure for the notice of a proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution authorized by the amendment to § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution proposed by House Bill No. 130 by doing the following: (1) Making the Secretary of the Senate ("Secretary") and Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives ("Chief Clerk") responsible for ensuring that a proposed amendment by their respective house is disseminated to the public as required by § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution and this Act. (2) Requiring the notices be published in at least 1 newspaper of general circulation in each county and posted on the Department of Election's and General Assembly's websites. (3) Requiring the Secretary, Chief Clerk, State Election Commissioner, and Director of the Division of Research to review and approve the notice to be disseminated. (4) Requiring the Secretary and Chief Clerk to provide notice of, and certain information about, the dissemination of the notice of a proposed amendment. Because the next General Assembly must concur in the proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution, this Act does not take effect until the passage of the second leg of the constitutional amendment in the 152nd General Assembly.

This bill increases the amount that a tenant may deduct from rent in order to have necessary work done on the rental premises if the landlord fails to repair or maintain the premises after proper notice. The original amount of $200 was selected at the time that the Landlord Tenant Code was drafted in 1996. The amended amount of $400 reflects inflation of rent and cost of repairs.

This Act permits an individual to practice dentistry for the Division of Public Health (Division) under a provisional license. Delaware law provides several routes for entering practice on an interim basis until full licensure can be obtained, however, none of these routes specifically permit hiring by the Division with the intent to practice in a state-supported dental clinic. This Act will assist the Division in recruiting dentists to serve those in need. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This bill increases the minimum amount of property damage that triggers the mandatory reporting of a vehicular collision to police from $500 to $2,000. This bill also increases the minimum amount of property damage requiring police agencies to investigate from $1,000 to $2,000. This increase makes Delaware more consistent with other states and reflects the Legislature’s intention in 1997 to increase the amount annually by $100.

Recent high-profile attacks on judges and their families are a constant reminder to those that choose public service that they may be doing so at the risk of their and their loved ones’ lives. The death of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas’ son, Daniel Anderl, in New Jersey is tragically just one example – numerous instances of threatening and harassing behavior targeted at judicial officers rarely make prime time news but nonetheless impacts them. The rise and use of social media and online access to information has made it more difficult for judicial officers to maintain their privacy. This Act would allow judicial officers to make a written request that their personal information not be published and remain confidential. The Act takes effect 1 year after its enactment to allow for implementation.

This bill adds the Department of Correction, Bureau of Prisons and Bureau of Community Corrections' vehicles to the list of "authorized emergency vehicles" identified in Chapter 41 of Title 21 that are afforded certain privileges when responding to an emergency.

This bill provides that for correction officers and specified peace officers, the amount of ordinary service or disability pension benefits given to state employees shall also include the following: (1) Before January 1, 2022, 2.45% of his or her final average compensation multiplied by years of service above 25 years; (2) On January 1, 2022, 2.5% of his or her average compensation multiplied by the number of years of service up to 20 years, plus 3.5% of his or her average compensation multiplied by the number of years of service above 20 years. The increased multipliers that take effect on January 1, 2022, reflect increased costs, reduced benefits, and the need to recruit and retain qualified and competent correction officers and specified peace officers with a modernized pension benefit. In addition, this bill amends the employee contribution for all correction officers and specified peace officers to a uniform 7%. Specified peace officers means (1) Probation and parole officers employed by the Department of Correction; (2) Capitol Police officers; (3) Department of Natural Resources police officers; (4) University of Delaware Police; (5) State Fire Marshal officers; (6) Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement agents; (7) Justice of the Peace Court constables; and (8) Probation and parole officers in the Serious Juvenile Offender Unit and senior probation officers employed by the Division of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families.