Sen. Laura Sturgeon

Currently, there is ambiguity whether a person who is 14 or 15 years of age can be employed by restaurants, hotels, or dining facilities that serve alcoholic liquors. This bill removes that ambiguity and makes it clear that persons 14 and 15 years of age can be employed in such places where alcoholic liquors are served, but cannot be involved in the sale or service of alcoholic liquor.

This Act revises Chapter 12 of Title 3 of the Delaware Code which governs the use of pesticides. This Act will direct the Department of Agriculture to classify neonicotinoid pesticides designed or intended for use in outdoor applications as restricted use pesticides and establish a list of chemicals that belong to the neonicotinoid class of chemicals to be included under this classification. Neonicotinoid pesticides are suspected of having adverse effects on pollinating insects and may contribute to the disappearance of bee populations, commonly referred to as "colony collapse disorder." Under the Act, as a restricted use pesticide, neonicotinoids designed for outdoor use could only be purchased and used by certified and licensed pesticide applicators, or persons working under the direct supervision of a certified and licensed pesticide applicator.

This resolution recognizes the Easterseals/CAI Volleyball Challenge occurring May 14 at William Penn High School, an event that raises funds for an organization providing services and support to Delawareans with disabilities and senior citizens and their families.

The Act, which shall be known as the 2022 Delaware Relief Rebate Program, creates a “relief rebate” which is a one-time direct payment of $300 per Delaware resident taxpayer. This relief is intended to help Delawareans grappling with significant inflation at the grocery store and gas pump. Payment of the $300 will be made by the Delaware Department of Finance to resident individual income taxpayers who filed a 2020 personal income tax return. This payment will be made to each taxpayer, including those who jointly filed. No action on the part of a taxpayer is required to receive the $300. In order to quickly provide this payment to Delaware taxpayers, provisions pertaining to tax intercepts by other government entities and Delaware State agencies shall not apply. The amount received by individual taxpayers will not be subject to Delaware income taxes. Any written protest for the disallowance of the payment of the $300 relief rebate under this Act shall be processed consistently with existing provisions in Title 30. Records of the Department with respect to the provisions of this Act are subject to existing protections from disclosure under Delaware laws. A timely filed tax return includes extensions. This Act also temporarily suspends the limitation on refunds of taxes under Title 29 of the Code until DEFAC refund estimates include the 2022 Delaware Relief Rebate Program. Costs associated with the administration and issuance of payments under this Act will be funded by delinquent tax revenue authorized to be retained by the Department of Finance in the annual budget act. Finally, this Act requires the Department of Finance to establish a process to provide the relief rebate to resident adults who did not file a 2020 state income tax return by identifying adult residents through existing databases held by other state agencies, such as the Division of Motor Vehicles. The Department of Finance will then work with the Department of Technology and Information to implement a process by which eligible residents who have not been identified by other means can apply for and receive the relief rebate, subject to verification of their identity and eligibility.

This Act repeals the outdated requirement for the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families (DSCYF) to seek approval before “mixing” youth who have been adjudicated delinquent with youth who do not have a delinquency history in the same facility. The mixing statute was codified in 1987, and since then, DSCYF has developed rigorous safety protocols and uses evidence-based assessments to determine appropriate placements for children in the care of the department. The current practices of DSCYF have eliminated the need for mixing approval, which in some cases require DSCYF to seek a court order. In addition, the Family Court conducts regular review hearings for youth in DSCYF custody, allowing opportunities for the department, the child’s attorney, the child (if age appropriate), and the judicial officer to monitor many factors relating to the child’s placement, including safety. This Act retains the prohibition on dependent or neglected children being placed in a detention facility unless charged with or found to have committed a delinquent act.

This Act updates the crime of official misconduct to ensure appropriate accountability of public servants who abuse their positions of power and public trust. The statute establishes a grade in the penalty for the official misconduct to be commensurate to the gravity of the misconduct. In addition, this statute conforms the discrimination language to the language used in the Hate Crimes statute. It also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Act will be known as the “Abuse of Power Prevention Act.”

This Concurrent Resolution observes April 2022, as the 2022 Month of the Military Child in the State of Delaware.

This resolution recognizes April 11-17, 2022 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes March 29, 2022 as "National Vietnam War Veterans Day" in Delaware.

This Resolution recognizes April 2022 as "Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.