Sen. Brian Pettyjohn

With 60% of U.S. households living paycheck to paycheck, 40% of Americans having less than $300 in savings, 33% of Americans having saved nothing for retirement, 95% of Americans having not saved enough for retirement, and 87% of American teens admitting not understanding their finances, financial literacy education in Delaware high schools is needed. This Act, which may be cited as “The Equity and Inclusion in Financial Literacy for All High School Students in Delaware Act”, requires high schools to provide, at a minimum, a 1/2 credit on financial literacy. And, beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2026 through 2027 school year, successful completion of the credit will be required to obtain a high school diploma. This Act requires the credit to include instruction which meets the financial literacy standards for high school students adopted by the Department of Education. This substitute corrects a reference from "course" to "credit" in the synopsis.

This Act adopts the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act ("the Act") authored by the Uniform Law Commission. The Uniform Law Commission “provides states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.” The Act was adopted by the Uniform Law Commission in October 2020 and has been adopted in 10 states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is currently pending in 10 states. The Act protects the public’s right to engage in activities protected by the First Amendment without abusive, expensive legal retaliation. Specifically, the Act combats the problem of strategic lawsuits against public participation, also called “SLAPPs.” A SLAPP may come in the form of a defamation, invasion of privacy, nuisance, or other claim, but its real goal is to entangle the defendant of a SLAPP in expensive litigation and stifle the ability to engage in constitutionally protected activities. While Delaware has an “anti-SLAPP” law (see §§ 8136 through 8138 of Title 10 of the Delaware Code), the law received a score of “D-” from the Institute for Free Speech due to limited types of speech it protects and lack of basic protections provided by the Act.

Currently, the Delaware Volunteer Fire Service Revolving Loan Fund may only obtain funding from the General Assembly through appropriation. This Act would allow for funding and donations to be made by any person, charitable organizations, and counties of the State. When a county contributes to the Fund, the Act requires the Fund ensure county specific contributions are spent on loans to fire companies within that county. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware legislative Drafting Manual.

Section 1 of this Act requires that $7,000 be paid for the funeral expenses of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue. Consistent with a legal interpretation of the existing law by state agencies, Section 1 of this Act continues to enable the payment of funeral expenses for the funeral of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company even if the member was also a state employee entitled to burial benefits under § 8331 of Title 11, § 8395 of Title 11, § 8846 of Title 11, or § 5316 of Title 29. However, Section 1 of this Act makes changes to existing law to make this legal interpretation clear and to specifically identify the state employee burial benefits to which this provision applies. Section 2 of this Act delays the effect of this Act until October 1, 2025, to provide time to implement this Act after the enactment of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations act containing the funding for this Act. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act updates the Delaware Volunteerism Act to specify that high school students may complete their community service with local fire departments to obtain up to 1 elective credit. It also requires schools to notify students of the opportunity to earn elective credit through volunteer work at or before the time students select their classes. This Act also allows the Department of Education to promulgate regulations to implement the Delaware Volunteerism Act. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Section 1 of this Act makes a pattern or practice of violations by a landlord of a Manufactured Home Community of subchapters I through V of Chapter 70 of Title 25 of the Delaware Code, or a provision of a rental agreement, an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud Act, subchapter II, Chapter 70, of Title 25, under specified circumstances. Section 2 of this Act authorizes the Attorney General to file a petition to establish a receivership of a Manufactured Home Community in a Justice of the Peace Court on specified grounds after notice to the landlord. Section 3 of this Act requires the Justice of the Peace Court to send written notice to the Director of Consumer Protection at the Department of Justice within 10 days of its receipt of a petition for tenants’ receivership under Title 25 of the Delaware Code, Sections 5901 or 7061, except in those cases where the Attorney General files the petition.

This Act allows Sussex County to apply an impact fee to building permits within the respective school district for the purpose of collecting funding for the local share of school capital construction programs.

This Act updates the procedures governing the transfer of a manufactured home located in a manufactured home community in order to provide a clearer process and reduce ambiguities that allowed some community owners to prevent the transfer of a lease or a home as well as prevent family members from inheriting the investment made by a deceased family member in a home. This Substitute differs from the original bill to make changes to reflect discussions among the stakeholders, including: - Moves the procedure for inspecting a home prior to transfer from the transfer section to the section that governs the rules for standards for retaining a transferred home in a community. - Creates a 2-step process for the sale or transfer of a home where the homeowner notifies the community owner prior to listing the home, at which time the community owner may conduct an inspection, and a second notification for the sale of the home which triggers the right of first refusal in which the community owner can then purchase the home. - Significantly reducing the time a buyer has to complete repairs. - Clarifies that the notice of non-renewal of a lease by a tenant 60 days prior to the end of a lease term is only for moving the home off of the lot, and selling of the home is governed by § 7013. - Clarifies requirements on lease transfers to heirs and adds limitations for how long the transfers take place depending on whether a previous occupant continues to live in the home after the death of the prior owner. - Clarifies the portions of the tenancy application that must be completed in different situations when a home is inherited. - Clarifies how long an estate has until appropriate action has to be taken. - Removed the requirement that a community owner purchase the home if the buyer’s tenancy application is denied. - Changes the minimum amount that a community owner must offer to a homeowner to prevent the ability of a lease to be transferred in the future to the greater of $1,500 or 36 months of the difference between the current monthly rent and market monthly rent. - Adds a requirement that a seller must disclose to a buyer information about the lease transfer and that a community owner must disclose the rental amount to a prospective buyer. - Makes it clear that a homeowner has to comply with § 7013(c) for the lease to transfer. - Removes a provision in § 7016 that would no longer apply under the changes to § 7013. - Extends the time that a community owner may purchase the ability to transfer the lease up to the time the homeowner provides notice of intent to sell.

Like House Bill No. 15, this Act permits early childhood educators in the public schools to use and encourage play-based learning in their classrooms and in their curriculum. This Act permits local education agencies to provide early childhood professional development in play-based learning, which may include professional development programs developed by the Department of Education. This Act also permits the Department to promulgate regulations for purposes of implementing this Act. This House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 15 incorporates the changes from House Amendment 1 to House Bill No. 15 with respect to the definitions of early childhood education and early childhood educators encompassing education from prekindergarten through second grade, adding topics that may be included in materials developed to provide ongoing early childhood professional development in play-based learning, and making technical corrections for clarity. This House Substitute also updates the definition of “play” and “play-based learning” contained in House Bill No. 15 and adds a definition for “guided play”.

Like Senate Bill No. 165, this Act requires the Department of Education to pilot a revised student improvement component under the Delaware Performance Appraisal System and Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System beginning in the 2025-2026 school year before implementing it statewide. The revised student improvement component must consider factors such as student absences, mobility, and noncompliance that may adversely affect a student’s performance. During the 2026-2027 academic year, the pilot program will expand, allowing for further refinement of implementation and support structures. Participants in the pilot program will be held harmless, so that the revised student improvement component will not factor into overall ratings. The program will be implemented statewide in 2027-2028 for all licensed and certified educators. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 165 differs from SB 165 by holding also holding educators harmless during the pilot program and by making the following technical changes: • Using the word “school” to refer to school districts and charter schools because “local education agencies” is not a defined term in the Code. • Clarifying when the pilot program ends. • Reorganizing the provisions to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.