Sen. Laura Sturgeon

This Act requires a public school to provide a breakfast meal and a lunch meal free of charge to a student who is eligible for a reduced-price meal. This Act requires the Department of Education to reimburse public schools for the free meals required by this Act by paying the difference between the cost of the free meal provided to a student and the reduced-price meal.

The Constitution of the State of Delaware creates 3 branches of State Government, the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary, each having certain delineated responsibilities or powers within a framework that limits and separates the powers of each branch from the other. The doctrine of separation of powers is a fundamental part of constitutional government. The Justices of the Delaware Supreme Court have, in quoting William Blackstone, recognized that "whenever the [legislative and executive] powers are united together, there can be no public liberty". In re Request of Governor for Advisory Opinion, 722 A. 2d 307 (1998). This Act's purpose is to require the legislative branch to reasonably restrict or confirm the executive branch in its exercise of emergency powers, thereby maintaining a balance or separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of state government. This Act recognizes the statutory authority of the Governor to act in the event of an emergency or disaster. During protracted emergencies and disasters, particularly those lasting more than 180 days, good governance requires participation by the General Assembly in person or virtually to approve extensions of Emergency Orders. This approval requirement may be waived only when it is not possible for both houses of the General Assembly in person or virtually to convene a quorum. The Governor retains the authority to terminate Emergency Orders without approval when the emergency or disaster has passed. Any new non-weather related emergency order issued within 6 months of the termination of a prior order and based upon substantially similar reasons shall be invalid unless approved by the General Assembly. Additionally, any non-weather related emergency order that requires the closure of any business, industry, religious, or non-profit facility must specifically delineate which type of business or facilities are to be closed. The time limits proposed by this Act are similar to those limits applicable to emergency regulations under the Administrative Procedures Act, 29 Del. C. § 10119. This Act shall become effective immediately upon the ending of the Governor's term of office next occurring after the enactment of this Act.

This resolution recognizes the efforts of Hawks, Inc. in helping with the clean-up of the 11th Street Bridge after Hurricane Ida in 2021.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 2024 as "Child Abuse Prevention Month" in the State of Delaware.

This Resolution recognizes April 11 - 17, 2024, as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.

This Act limits the use of plastic and other beverage container rings, as well as plastic shrink wraps and plastic tops used to connect beverages, by expanding the definitions of “beverage” and “beverage container” and prohibiting beverages from being sold in containers connected to each other with plastic, ring, or ring-like connectors. Juice boxes and other aseptic containers are not defined as beverage containers and are not included in the ban. By prohibiting the use of rings or plastic connectors to package or connect beverage containers, this Act reduces waste and furthers the State’s sustainability goals. It also supports the use of beverage packaging alternatives, which are already being used widely. This Act also updates the findings of the General Assembly to reflect the importance of aluminum and glass as recyclables and the need for increased rates of reuse, circularity, and recycling of these valuable materials. This Act takes effect on July 1, 2025. This Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act allows for correctional officers employed with the Department of Correction to make a written request that their personal information not be published and remain confidential. The Act takes effect 180 days following its enactment. The substitute bill changes the following from the original bill: (1) Adds an applicability section clarifying these privacy protections only apply for correctional officers who serve or have served with the Department of Correction on the enactment date. (2) Retains the original language of “publicly posts” as opposed to “knowingly posts”. (3) Changes the duration period of the written request to two years. (4) Clarifies that a correctional officer that is removed for cause or fired will have their written request immediately removed. (5) Allows for renewal of written requests by correctional officers who remain employed with the Department of Correction. (6) Allows for a correctional officer to revoke their written request. (7) Allows for a correctional officer who retires or leaves the job in good standing to obtain a two-year extension of their written request from the date of their retirement or date of leave.

Over the past decade, an increasing number of states have passed legislation establishing a Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights. At least 18 states have passed such legislation. Of these 18 states, 12 states have a Student Loan Ombudsperson and 13 have a licensing program, with another two states having a registration program instead of a licensing program. This Act is a Substitute for Senate Bill No. 132. Like Senate Bill No. 132, this Act enacts a Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights for this State that does all of the following: (1) Requires student loan servicers to engage in certain practices related to communications with student loan borrowers and cosigners of student education loans and handling of transactions by student loan borrowers and cosigners of student education loans. (2) Prohibits student loan servicers from engaging in certain practices including unfair or deceptive practices or abusive practices. (3) Requires student loan servicers to retain records related to student loan transactions for 7 years and to yearly report non-identifying information about student education loans serviced in this State, including default and delinquency rates, to the Student Loan Ombudsperson. (4) Establishes the Office of the Student Loan Ombudsperson which shall, among other duties, receive, investigate, and attempt to resolve complaints from student loan borrowers. This Act differs from Senate Bill No. 132 as follows: (1) Makes a technical correction to correct an incorrect internal reference. (2) Excludes the State government from the definition of “student loan servicer”. (3) Makes clear the intent to exclude certain types of student loan servicers from the scope of this Act, as these student loan servicers are already regulated by state and federal regulators. (4) Removes an unnecessary “that”. (5) Adds “if applicable” to make clear the student loan servicer’s obligation to provide cosigner information applies only if applicable. (6) Moves from § 2504J of this Act certain requirements of student loan servicers related to cosigners and cosigner release to a new § 2511J of this Act containing protections related to cosigners and borrowers. (7) Specifies that a student loan servicer is only required to provide a written payment history to a student loan borrower or cosigner once each year. (8) Requires a student loan servicer to service a student education loan in conformity with § 2511J of this Act and to file a notice with the Student Loan Ombudsperson every 3 years, or on servicing the student loan servicer’s first student education loan in this State, that includes an address, email address, and phone number for the student loan servicer and an attestation that the student loan servicer understands the student loan servicer’s duties under this Act. (9) Clarifies that the Student Loan Ombudsperson (“Ombudsperson”) has certain powers, not that the Ombudsperson is required to exercise those powers in all cases. (10) Clarifies that the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice and other appropriate agencies are to have access to information available to the Ombudsperson to the extent necessary for investigation purposes. (11) Permits the Ombudsperson to meet regularly with a member of the Consumer Protection Unit to coordinate efforts. (12) Permits the Student Loan Ombudsperson to access, receive, and use any documents, information, or evidence the Ombudsperson deems relevant to the inquiry or investigation, including any documents, information, or evidence in the possession of a student loan servicer. (13) Replaces language related to whom the Student Loan Ombudsperson’s annual report is due with standard report language developed for the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual and adds the Attorney General as a recipient of the report. (14) Delays the effective date of the Act until January 1, 2025.

This Act requires the seller of an interest in residential real property to provide the following to a buyer of the property before closing on the sale of the property: (1) For residential real property that is supplied with potable water by a private well located on the property, a report on the results of testing of the water supplied by the private well that is conducted within 3 months of the signing of a form documenting compliance with the water testing requirements of this Act. (2) For residential real property that is supplied with potable water from a public water system, the results of testing of the water supplied by the public water system performed by the public water supplier that is conducted within 1 year of the signing of a form documenting compliance with the water testing requirements of this Act.

This Concurrent Resolution supports Congressional efforts to proclaim the fourth Thursday in March a National Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day.