Sen. Ernesto B. Lopez

This Act allows the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue a conditional license at the request of the Justice of the Peace for a Driving Under the Influence offender whose charge is still pending, but whose license has been suspended by the Division of Motor Vehicles. The conditional license can only be issued on the condition that the offender submit to continuous sobriety monitoring. This Act ensures that a person can enter a sobriety monitoring program, but not face the loss of full licensure that would negate the benefits of entering and participating in such a program.

This bill corrects an unintended consequence of House Bill No. 15 of the 148th General Assembly, signed into law by the Governor on June 24, 2015, by preventing double taxation of premium ceded to a series captive insurance company or protected cell. This bill also precludes premium taxation of series limited liability companies, exclusive of any series thereof, when premium is written only in the series of such of series limited liability companies.

This legislation eliminates front footage calculations as the sole method of collecting sewer assessments for county sewer users. It provides a broad list of possible methods of determining the amount of the sewer assessment for each property, including, but not limited to front footage, usage, fixtures, Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDUs) or other factors. The methods are the same as those currently in Chapter 67 of the Delaware Code for sewer charges.

This Act clarifies that the reviews of child and maternal deaths are confidential and may not be used in any proceedings. It ensures that the committees and panels who do the work on behalf of the Child Death Review Commission are protected.

This Act amends the Charter for the City of Lewes to make residents who are not property owners or leaseholders in the City or in an area to be annexed ineligible to vote in a special annexation election. This Act also creates a new Section 40, providing for the indemnification of City officers and employees in criminal, civil, quasi-judicial, and administrative actions in appropriate circumstances.

This Act makes updates to how reports of child abuse and neglect are handled by the various members of the multidisciplinary team. The Act codifies the multidisciplinary team and case. The Act adds additional duties to the Investigation Coordinator, law enforcement, the Department of Justice and the Division of Family Services that are current best practices but not required by law. The Act reorganizes the section pertaining to the Division of Family Services to reflect current best practices. The Act allows nurse practitioners to take emergency protective custody. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act allows motor vehicles with a registered gross weight of 5,000 pounds or less to be assigned any type of number plate and motor vehicles with a registered gross weight of greater than 5000 pounds but less than 10000 pounds may be assigned any type of number plate except an “RV” plate.

This bill clarifies that the reviews of child abuse and neglect deaths and near deaths are confidential and should not be used in any proceedings. It ensures that the committees and panels who do the work on behalf of the Child Protection Accountability Commission are protected. Finally, the bill clarifies that any duties of the State for public disclosure in these cases under the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act will not be fulfilled by these confidential reviews conducted by the Commission as Delaware’s Citizen Review Panel.

This bill enhances Delaware's attractiveness as a captive insurance domicile by creating a streamlined and inexpensive regulatory regime for captive insurance companies that are dormant.

This bill implements a portion of the federal requirements in the bipartisan Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act to promote greater “normalcy” for youth in foster care. Specifically, it provides a limitation from liability provision for foster parents who exercise the reasonable and prudent parent standard for those youth in their care to allow their participation in age appropriate activities. Section 2523(b) provides certain criteria to determine whether a decision is reasonable and prudent, including: the wishes of the child; the wishes of the child’s parent; best interests of the child; the child’s age, maturity, and any potential risk factors to the child or others; and the appropriateness of the activity and experience for extracurricular, cultural, or social enrichment.