Sen. Laura Sturgeon

This substitute bill incorporates the provisions of Senate Amendment 2 to the original bill, including reiterating in the Whereas statements the existing law that requires persons arrested for a violent felony while out on bail awaiting trial for a previous violent felony to be held without bail. It also updates the language regarding the courts' obligation to review bail to reflect current practice and requires reporting on such cases and racial impact by the Criminal Justice Council in its annual report. Finally, it provides a sunset provision so that the bill expires when the constitutional amendment regarding bail is enacted.

This Concurrent Resolution commends and congratulates the Secretary of Education Scholars for 2021.

This Concurrent Resolution commends the 2021 Delaware State Teacher of the Year, Kimberly Stock, and all of the District Teachers of the Year.

This resolution designates June 2021, as "National Immigrant Heritage Month" in Delaware.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution establishes the purpose and protocol for the creation of an annual report on home visiting programs in Delaware. The report is to be prepared by the Department of Health and Social Services in consultation with the Department of Education and the Delaware Home Visiting Community Advisory Board for review by the Governor, the Delaware State Senate, the Delaware State House of Representatives, the Delaware Kids' Caucus, and the Delaware Early Childhood Council no later than December 1 of each year, and is to include a summary of current practices and challenges, as well as program recommendations.

This Concurrent Resolution commends the 2020 Delaware State Teacher of the Year, Rebecca Louise Vitelli, and all of the District Teachers of the Year.

This Concurrent Resolution commends and congratulates the Secretary of Education Scholars for 2020.

This Substitute amends Senate Bill No. 3 by doing the following: (1) Prohibiting the Department of Safety and Homeland Security (“Department”) from retaining a record, data, information, or a report related to the transfer of a handgun for longer than 2 years, except in furtherance of an open criminal investigation or during the course of a criminal prosecution. (2) Redrafting § 1448D(e) of Title 11 to cite to the grounds on which a person is a person prohibited under § 1448 of Title 11, rather than repeating them in § 1448D(e) of Title 11 and potentially create unintentional differences. (3) Making clear that a decision by the Justice of the Peace Court on the denial or revocation of a handgun qualified purchaser card by the Department may be appealed to the Superior Court for a hearing de novo. (4) Delaying the implementation of the requirement to obtain a handgun qualified purchaser card until the Department is ready to implement § 1448D of Title 11 or 18 months from the date of enactment, whichever comes first. Like Senate Bill No. 3, this Substitute does all of the following: (1) Creates an application process to obtain a handgun qualified purchaser card to authorize the purchase of a handgun. While an applicant will incur costs related to fingerprinting and required training, a fee will not be charged to obtain the permit. (2) Requires licensed importers, manufacturers, or dealers, as well as unlicensed persons, to require an individual to present the individual's handgun qualified purchaser card before selling or transferring a firearm to an individual. (3) Requires that an applicant complete a firearms training course within 5 years before the date of application, similar to what is required by Delaware’s concealed carry permit law. An individual licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon is exempt from this requirement as they must already complete a firearms training course to be licensed. (4) Sends to law-enforcement information that is already collected at the time of sale and required under federal law to be made available to law-enforcement. This change assists law-enforcement in the criminal investigations they already conduct. (5) Makes clear that § 904A of Title 24 is not intended to prohibit law-enforcement officials from keeping records of sales and transfers of firearms for their use during criminal investigations or prosecutions. (6) Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This resolution recognizes July 2021 as Uterine Fibroids Awareness Month in Delaware

This bill seeks to address overpopulation of cats and dogs in our state by creating an additional revenue stream for the State Spay/Neuter Program, to relieve some of the funding burden on animal welfare organizations in the state that are involved in reducing the free-roaming cat population, and provide more funding to meet the needs of low-income residents to spay/neuter their pets. First, it increases the fee only on manufactured cat and dog food over 3 years to $100 per each product per brand, which is in line with many other states. The existing $23 fee currently goes into the General Fund; this legislation will add $2 to the amount going to the General Fund. From the balance of the registration fee, funds are allotted to the Department of Agriculture to cover the cost of creating a program that adapts the registrations to distinguish between the types of feed and to cover the cost of maintaining that system. The remaining funds are distributed to the State Spay/Neuter Fund which provides for a statewide spay/neuter program for free-roaming animals and income-eligible pet owners and allows for qualified non-profit organizations to participate in the Program.