This Act creates a new offense of Aggravated Criminal Mischief with enhanced penalties (class D felony) applicable when an individual knowingly damages or tampers with critical utility infrastructure intending to disrupt utility services. In recent years, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI have issued repeated warnings about domestic terrorists and extremist groups targeting critical utility infrastructure. Bulletins issued through DHS’ National Terrorism Advisory System in 2022 warned of a heightened threat environment based, in part, on “continued calls for violence directed at U.S. critical infrastructure.” Physical and computerized attacks on electric utility equipment have reached a 10-year high in 2022. Recent attacks in Washington and North Carolina have caused substantial outages and damage to the power grids in both states.
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This Act creates a professional loan-to-grant incentive program to encourage Delawareans to pursue careers in nursing at long-term care facilities. Funding for the incentive program is to be appropriated annually by the General Assembly, in an amount not less than $1 million. Qualifying nursing students who agree to fulfill a 4-year service obligation at a long-term care facility may apply for loans to assist with expenses associated with (a) prelicensure education at a (i) State Board of Nursing approved nursing education program that is authorized to prepare persons for licensure as a registered nurse or a (ii) State Board of Nursing approved practical nursing education program, or (b) a graduate-level education at an advanced practice registered nurse program accredited by a national accrediting body. Individuals who have been employed for at least 1 year as a nurse in a Delaware long-term care facility and who have obtained qualified educational loans are eligible to apply for loan repayment under this Act. Loan repayment will be subject to the availability of funds and will be allocated at the discretion of the Delaware Higher Education Office. An applicant may receive only 1 loan payment per year, not to exceed $5,000, and may not receive more than 4 loan repayments under this program. The program will be administered by the Delaware Higher Education Office.
This concurrent resolution designates February 2024 as “Turner Syndrome Awareness Month” in the State of Delaware.
This Concurrent Resolution honors and recognizes the leadership and achievements of African Americans and urges the celebration of Black History Month.
This concurrent resolution designates the week of February 11-17, 2024, as “Children of Alcoholics Week” and calls upon Delawareans to break the silence and talk to their family and friends about alcoholism.
This concurrent resolution hereby designates January 23, 2024 as ‘Maternal Health Awareness Day” in the State of Delaware.
This concurrent resolution designates February 2024 as “Career and Technical Education Month” in the State of Delaware to urge all citizens to become familiar with the services and benefits offered by the career and technical education programs in their communities, and to support and participate in these programs to enhance their individual skills and productivity.
This Act adds wages earned as a result of required additional work hours to the definition of “compensation” for purposes of calculating pensions in the County and Municipal Police/Firefighter Pension Plan. Currently such mandatory ordered additional work earnings are not included in the pension calculation.
This Senate Resolution recognizes the We Are The Moms Foundation for its contributions toward raising awareness of firearm violence in the State of Delaware and providing support to victims’ families.
This resolution directs the Delaware Department of Human Resources to publish a report detailing hiring and promotional practices, specifying jobs requiring degrees, outlining findings from the 18-month review of state positions, and providing insights into recent changes' impact on over 350 Family Service positions. The resolution directs the department to present recommendations for extending similar changes to other state jobs. The Secretary and the Department are directed to develop a comprehensive written progress report, encompassing these aspects, to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2024, ensuring transparency and accountability in the state's pursuit of a more inclusive workforce.