This concurrent resolution recognizes June 25, 2023 as World Vitiligo Day in Delaware.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes the importance of community health workers as well as "Community Health Improvement Week" in the State of Delaware.
This Resolution proclaims June 19, 2023. as Juneteenth National Independence Day in Delaware and encourages the people of Delaware to reflect upon the significant roles and many contributions of African Americans and to celebrate this day with appropriate activities and events.
This Act prohibits municipal ordinances that require the eviction of tenants for criminal activity by a tenant, member of the tenant's household, or a guest. This Act does not change a landlord's ability to exercise discretion and evict a tenant for criminal activity or other material lease violations under § 5513 of Title 25 and is consistent with, and avoids conflicts with, the protections for victims of domestic abuse, sexual offenses, or stalking under § 5316 of Title 25. This Act is a recommendation of the African American Task Force, established under Senate Bill No. 260 (150th General Assembly). In addition, the 2020 Statewide Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, a report produced by the Delaware State Fair Housing Consortium, lists the removal of crime-free housing ordinances and legislation banning such ordinances as one of its goals for ensuring that people within the protected classes have equal access to housing. Currently, at least 6 municipalities in Delaware have crime-free housing ordinances. Generally, these ordinances require landlords to include an addendum on their lease agreements prohibiting a tenant, member of the tenant’s household, or a guest from committing a criminal activity within a specified distance of their unit. If a tenant, member of the tenant’s household, or a guest commits a certain number of criminal activities within a specified time period, the landlord must initiate eviction proceedings. If a landlord does not file to evict the tenant, the landlord may lose their rental license. Crime-free housing ordinances are problematic for the following reasons: 1. The definition of criminal activity is generally vague and open to interpretation, and may include low-level offenses such as trespassing, loitering, and disorderly conduct. 2. The standard for what is considered criminal activity does not require an arrest or conviction, and instead, can consist of merely an allegation or contact with the police. 3. These ordinances penalize victims of crime for seeking help from the police. 4. These ordinances can result in evictions of tenants based upon racially motivated complaints by neighbors. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a charter issued to a municipal corporation.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution proclaims Monday, June 12, 2023, as “Women Veterans Day” in the State of Delaware.
This bill repeals the requirement that the Housing Director provide notice of the allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and Housing Development Funds to the state senator, the state representative, and the chief executive officer of the local jurisdiction in which the project receiving the allocation is located. These notification requirements are duplicative of federal requirements to notify a jurisdiction’s chief executive officer of an allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Additionally, such notification requirements are considered to be impediments to fair housing choice. The 2011 and 2020 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice reports, identified the notification requirements as impediments to fair housing. The reports were jointly prepared by Delaware State Housing Authority and local governments that receive HUD funding in fulfillment of their obligation to conduct fair housing planning. Furthermore, the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), a nonpartisan organization that represents state housing finance agencies, discourages the use of notification requirements in their 2017 Recommended Practices in Housing Credit Administration report.
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes the young men participating in the 2023 session of Delaware’s Boys State and commends its sponsor, the American Legion Department of Delaware.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes September 2023 as "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.
This Concurrent Resolution commends the 2023 Delaware Behavioral Health Professional of the Year, Dana Carey, and all of the District/Charter Network Behavioral Health Professionals of the Year.
This bill grants authority to the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to adopt regulations related to the operation of temporary nurse staffing agencies that staff temporary nurses in long-term care facilities in the State and assigns oversight within DHSS to the Division of Health Care Quality. The bill requires temporary nurse staffing agencies to (1) register annually with the Division of Health Care Quality; (2) validate the qualifications of all provided nurses provided; (3) maintain records of all provided nurses' credentials, job requirements, and required immunizations; and (4) provide all such records upon request to DHSS and to the long-term care facility where the employee is placed. The bill also requires temporary nurse staffing agencies to report annually to DHSS regarding various factors, including its employee placements, costs charged to long-term care facilities, and wages paid to temporary nurses.
