Sen. Brian Pettyjohn

This is an omnibus bill that updates several aspects of the Delaware Public Utility Code, Title 26, including the following: (a) Expanding the public notice options for the Public Service Commission in order to reduce costs, increase transparency, and raise public awareness of Commission proceedings; (b) Amending the statute which sets the salary of Commissioners to provide for a salary as appropriated in the annual State Operating Budget; (c) Increasing the utility assessment rate; and (d) Eliminating references to the Water Supply Coordinating Council, which reached its sunset date of January 31, 2022.

This Act amends the renewal period for obtaining background checks for employees of the Department of Labor who have access to Federal Tax Information. This amendment is necessary to conform to revisions of the federal Internal Revenue Service in Publication 1075, which shortened the renewal period from 10 to 5 years. The language is intended to allow conformity with this and any future revisions to the renewal period.

This Act resolves ambiguities in the current law and confirms the ability of a spouse who owns real property as tenant by the entirety, acting alone, to convey that spouse’s interest in such real property to both spouses, as tenants by the entirety or otherwise, or to the other spouse.

This Act updates the makeup and duties of the Council of Apprenticeship and Training to meet the current needs of the DOL, the apprenticeship workforce, and employers. It clarifies the duties of the Council, the membership of the Council, and term limits for council members.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates October 12, 2023, at "National Farmer's Day" in the State of Delaware.

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 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 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 Act updates the Legislative Oversight and Sunset Act, the governing statute for the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee (“JLOSC”), to reflect updated and modern review practices and standards. The more significant changes include: - Establishing the term “entity” to denote the organization that is under review. “Agency” has been the term used, but when discussing JLOSC reviews, “agency” could mean either the organization under review or the more common usage of any State agency. Because JLOSC’s reviews routinely include references to or assistance from State agencies that are not under review, using the term “entity” to mean the organization that is under review creates a distinction intended to avoid confusion. - Clarifying quorum, including the impact of participating virtually in a meeting. - Creating a new type of review, a focused review, to replace the antiquated and rarely-used rules review and distinguish a focused review from a “full review.” A full review is the standard review that JLOSC has historically performed, in which the entire entity is assessed. A focused review, in contrast, looks at specific components within an entity. A focused review is a more efficient assessment when only certain areas of an entity need to be reviewed. - Clarifying JLOSC’s powers and duties, including updating JLOSC members’ duties versus staff duties to reflect current, modern practices. - Clearly establishing 3 types of reports produced in JLOSC’s work: self-reports from the entity under review, staff reports from JLOSC staff, and annual reports from JLOSC summarizing the work performed each year. - Codifying the confidentiality with which JLOSC and its staff have treated records from an entity under review and exceptions or waivers of confidentiality. - Establishing that a record protected against public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act does not lose its protection by virtue of the entity submitting the record as part of its review. - Clarifying the purpose and standard for conducting a performance evaluation. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. Some of the types of technical corrections include changing the plural to the singular wherever appropriate and consistent with both the Drafting Manual and § 304 of Title 1; replacing passive voice with active voice; and, to increase readability, breaking down large, block paragraphs into lists where possible.

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.