Sen. Brian Pettyjohn

Under Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill No. 78 (151st), the Commissioner of Elections (Commissioner) must determine that an individual does not have any disqualifying convictions before the individual can be a candidate for election to a school board. This Act clarifies that an individual who meets the filing deadline for candidates for a school board election are provisional candidates until the Commissioner determines if the individual is eligible to be a candidate and requires the Commissioner to disclose the names of provisional candidates.

This Act adds different levels of criminal liability based on the specifics of a case for directors or managers of facilities who fail to take corrective action to protect patients or residents from criminal activity.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates May 2023 as "Small Business Month" in the State of Delaware.

First responders, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians, and public safety telecommunicators, are crucial to ensuring public safety and health. First responders are at elevated risk for suicide because of the environments in which they work, their culture, and stress, both occupational and personal. This stress can be associated with a specific incident or an accumulation of day-to-day stress. Occupational stress in first responders is associated with increased risk of mental health issues, including hopelessness, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, as well as suicidal behaviors such as suicidal ideation (thinking about or planning suicide) and attempts. Even during routine shifts, first responders can experience stress due to the uncertainty in each situation. During emergencies, disasters, pandemics, and other crises, stress among first responders can be magnified. Relationship problems have also been linked to a large proportion of suicides among the general population (42%). Because first responders can have challenging work schedules and extreme family-work demands, stress caused by relationship problems may also be magnified in this worker group. Suicide is ranked second for causes of death for law enforcement officers. As of December, 2022, there were 133 law enforcement suicides, and in 2021, there were 160. In November, 2022 alone, there were 9 police officer suicides in this country, including one from Delaware. Law enforcement officers face a 54 percent higher risk of suicide than the general population. An officer involved in a high stress event has a 70% chance of suicide following the next incident if intervention is not sought, but with intervention, the number drops to 3%. Police officers are also at an elevated risk for depression, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Law enforcement officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. A study of more than 1,000 firefighters found that nearly 50% had suicidal thoughts at some point during their career, and about 16% reported one or more suicide attempts. A survey of EMTs and paramedics in the United States round that 37% had contemplated suicide, and 6.6% had attempted it. EMS providers are 1.39 times more likely to die by suicide than the public. Studies have found that between 17% and 24% of public safety telecommunicators have symptoms of PTSD and 24% have symptoms of depression. A study in Massachusetts found that the suicide rate for corrections officers was at least 7 times higher than the national suicide rate. Another study showed that 10% of corrections officers considered taking their own life, and about 1 in 3 are dealing with PTDS and depression. For the National Guard, there were 117 suicides in 2021 compared to 121 in 2020. This bill makes clear that suicide is a death in the line of duty for Delaware’s first responders, police officers, firefighters, correctional officers and probation officers, and the National Guard.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes May 11, 2023 as Delaware Local Government Day in the State of Delaware.

The resolution proclaims May 11, 2023, as "Home Care Advocacy Day" in Delaware.

This Act creates a separate offense for theft of a catalytic converter. A first offense of catalytic converter theft is a class A misdemeanor unless the value of the stolen property is $1,500 or more, in which case it is a class G felony. A second offense of theft of a catalytic converter within the previous 5 years is a class G felony, regardless of the value of the stolen property. Where a victim is 62 years of age or older, an adult who is impaired, or a person with a disability, a first offense of theft of a catalytic converter is a class G felony unless the value of the stolen property is $1,500 or more, in which case it is a class F felony. A second offense of theft of a catalytic converter within the previous 5 years is a class F felony, regardless of the value of the stolen property.

Delaware is one of a handful of states that has no cap other than unconscionability on interest rates for short-term consumer loans. Under Delaware case law, the unconscionability of an interest rate is decided by a court on a case by case basis. This Act caps interest rates at 20% for short-term consumer loans of $1,000 or less that must be repaid in less than 60 days and motor vehicle title loans. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes May 2023 as "Older Americans Month" in the State of Delaware.

This resolution designates the month of May as "National Nurses Month" in Delaware.