Sen. Laura Sturgeon

This Act provides supplementary appropriations to certain Grants-in-Aid recipients for Fiscal Year 2024. Section 1 – Government Units and Senior Centers $ 29,361,705 Section 2 – One-Times and Community Agencies $ 31,912,877 Section 3 – Fire Companies and Public Service Ambulance Companies $ 10,109,451 Section 4 – Veterans Organizations $ 608,591 GRAND TOTAL $ 71,992,624

This Act amends §134, Title 17 of the Delaware Code to allow for Secretary’s designee to sign traffic resolutions within incorporated towns and cities. The same authority already exists for traffic resolutions in unincorporated areas.

This Act requires drivers to change lanes or reduce their speed while approaching a stationary vehicle displaying warning signals, including vehicle hazard warning lights, road flares, traffic cones, cautions signs, or any non-vehicular warning signs.

Currently, every adult operating or riding as a passenger on a motorcycle is required to have a helmet in their possession and wear eye protection while operating or riding a motorcycle and every person up to 19 years of age must wear a helmet and eye protection. This Act requires that everyone who obtains a new endorsement for a motorcycle on or after the effective date of this Act, or someone riding with the newly endorsed person, to wear a helmet and eye protection for the first 2 years after the newly endorsed person receives the endorsement. In 2022, Delaware experienced 10 motorcycle fatalities where the rider was not wearing a helmet. Over the last 5 years, among crashes involving a Delaware licensed motorcycle rider, 25% of fatal and serious injury crashes involved a rider in their first 2 years of having a motorcycle endorsement. Helmets and eye protection are already required for those operating with a temporary motorcycle instruction permit as required under § 2703 of Title 21 of the Delaware Code and no passengers are allowed. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia currently require all motorcyclists to wear a helmet. According to research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, helmets are highly effective in protecting motorcycle riders’ heads in crashes and significantly reduce deaths and serious head injuries in crashes. This Act creates a civil penalty for violation of the helmet law, both the existing law and the law created by this Act.

This Resolution provides the official revenue, refund, and unencumbered funds estimates for Fiscal Year 2023.

This Act appropriates $194,560,278 to provide one-time funded projects through the Office of Management and Budget.

Section 1 of this bill moves the date of primary elections for statewide office, county office, and municipal office to the fourth Tuesday in April, which is the date of the presidential primary (in presidential election years). The dates for submitting and withdrawing notification of candidacy have been adjusted accordingly. Section 2 of the bill changes the deadline for a minor political party selecting its candidate at the party’s convention. Section 3 of the bill changes the deadline for filing certificates of nomination from September 1st to April 1st. Section 4 changes the “closed” period in which a voter is not allowed to change his or her political affiliation to match the 60-day limit in 15 Del. C. § 3189 for presidential primaries. Section 5 provides that the Act is applicable to all primary elections after October 1, 2024.

This Resolution provides the official revenue, refund, and unencumbered funds estimates for Fiscal Year 2024.

This concurrent resolution designates October of each year as “Dyslexia Awareness Month” in Delaware. According to the United States National Institute of Health, dyslexia is a learning disability that can hinder a person’s ability to read, write, spell, and sometimes speak. Dyslexia is the most common learning disability in children and persists throughout life with 10 percent of the population or one out of every 10 people in the United States suffering from dyslexia. Children with dyslexia who are identified as dyslexic and provided with effective reading instruction in kindergarten and first grade, will have significantly fewer problems learning to read at grade level than children who are not identified as dyslexic or provided help until third grade or after. Proper diagnosis, early and appropriate treatment, and support from family, teachers, and friends will greatly increase a child’s academic success and self-esteem; however it is never too late for adults with dyslexia to learn to read, and process and express information more efficiently. October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month, reminding students and their parents that living with dyslexia can be tackled with early intervention. Each year during the month of October, conferences are held around the United States to promote awareness, research, and early identification of dyslexia.

This Concurrent Resolution commends and congratulates the Secretary of Education Scholars for 2023.