Sen. Spiros Mantzavinos

This House Substitute bill clarifies it is only for new or substantially modified permits and specifies it is only for the following permits: (1) Clean Air permit; (2) Coastal Zone Act permit; (3) Solid waste permit; (4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit and (5) Hazardous waste permit. As in the original bill the applicant is still required to go through a community outreach process for any qualified project, defined as a project within an underserved community or within 3 miles of an underserved community that meets the definition of a “qualified project” under DNREC’s Regulations. Underserved community is defined as (1) A specified geographic area where the percentage at poverty level is greater than twice the State Average Median Household Income as determined by the most recent United States Census or (2) Any specified community in the most current community mapping tool on the Department’s website. It is anticipated that DNREC will have an environmental justice area viewer, or similar tool, as a link on its website. However, under this House Substitute bill the applicant must submit, with their permit application, a Community Outreach Plan. At a minimum the Community Outreach Plan must: (1) identify a facility community liaison; (2) schedule a community meeting in or within 3 miles of the boundaries of the underserved community; (3) provide a written overview of information to be provided in the permit application; (4) publish the community meeting notice on-line and in at least 1 newspaper and, if available, 1 in the predominate non-English language if the underserved community is identified as limited English proficiency, at least 30 days prior to the scheduled community meeting. The community meeting must allow for interaction and questions and answers. The community meeting must be recorded or transcribed and made publicly available. Any written materials and oral and visual presentations must be accurate, free of technical language, and written in plain English consistent with federal guidelines. The applicant must also provide an Underserved Community Outreach Report to DNREC as part of the permit application and review process by DNREC. The Report must include: (1) The community demographics that qualify it as an underserved community; (2) Community liaison’s contact information; (3) Benefits of the qualified project to the community; (4) Proposed activities and their impact on air, water, soil, and health; (5)That releases of emissions over permit levels will be reported in accord with DNREC regulations; (6) Description of operations conditions or control measures that serve to reduce or mitigate pollution associated with the permit application; (7) Compliance history of facility over last 5 years and verification that any fines, penalties and remedial obligations have been fulfilled; and (8) all applicable state and federal permits held by the facility. All material provided by mail or at the community meeting and all notices must also be provided to DNREC. Trade secrets, as defined in Title 6 of the Delaware Code, do not have to be disclosed in any community outreach materials or presentations. Under this House Substitute Bill DNREC must approve, reject, or require modifications to the Community Outreach Plan within 30 days of its submittal. If the proposed Community Outreach Plan complies with the requirements of this Act it must be approved by DNREC subject to any agreed modifications. Once approved by DNREC the applicant must complete the Community Outreach Plan within 3 months. If the Secretary of DNREC determines any false information was provided by the applicant, it will be considered a falsification of the permit application. All cost incurred in complying with these new pre-permit community outreach requirements are to be paid by the applicant. Under this House Substitute bill an applicant’s permit shall not be considered complete until a DNREC approved Community Outreach Plan is completed. This House Substitute bill not only requires the Department to promulgate regulations, within 6 months of enactment, but it adds they must be created in collaboration with a Stakeholder Committee made up of appointees of the Governor, the Secretary of the Department, the Chair of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee and the Chair of the Senate Environment, Energy, and Transportation Committee. This Act will be effective within 30 days of publication of notice by the Register of Regulations that DNREC has advised it that it has promulgated regulations to administer this Act.

The Delaware National Guard is in need of military judges and wants to use qualified military judges who are retired from the Delaware National Guard.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes the expiration date for Delaware's existing laws regarding xylazine, a drug often found in the opioid crisis. By deleting the specific clause that set the current regulations to end on November 29, 2024, the legislation ensures these rules remain in effect indefinitely. The changes directly impact state health officials and law enforcement who rely on these statutes to manage drug testing and control substance issues. Once signed by the governor, the state maintains its legal framework for addressing xylazine without needing to renew it annually.

This Act creates a new state-level Department of Veterans’ Affairs, headed by a cabinet-level Secretary appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Department will take over most of the duties currently handled by the Commission on Veterans’ Affairs and its staff. The Commission will continue in its current form, but under the Department of Veterans’ Affairs rather than the Department of State, and it will continue to advise on the duties of the Department and make recommendations regarding the welfare of veterans in the State. The Department will assume the assets and liabilities of the Commission and current staff of the Commission will become staff of the Department.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a Senate resolution that formally recognizes the importance of creating a statewide registry for cerebral palsy in Delaware. It highlights the condition's impact on muscle coordination and notes that patient registries are valuable tools for medical research and improving patient care. The measure does not establish the registry itself but instead expresses legislative support for the initiative to gather data and share community stories. By passing this resolution, the General Assembly aims to raise awareness and encourage future efforts to develop such a resource.

This bill provides important consumer protections for property insurance contracts by improving the reliability of mailed notifications of policy cancellation or renewal. Section 1 of this bill requires insurers to deliver any homeowners’ notices of cancellation or nonrenewal by USPS certified mail or USPS Intelligent Mail barcode. Further, whereas currently an insurer can cancel or non-renew a policy because of two non-weather-related claims over the lifetime of the policy, this legislation provides a reasonable claims lookback period for non-weather-related claims, as is already the case for claims in other portions of this subsection of the Code. Section 2 of this bill precludes an insurance carrier from refusing to renew a homeowners’ policy based on non-weather claims unless 2 or more claims occur within the 36-month period immediately preceding the expiration of the current policy period.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates November 2024 as Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month in Delaware to highlight the prevalence and challenges of conditions where the immune system attacks healthy body tissues. The resolution aims to educate the public about autoimmune diseases, which affect over 23.5 million Americans and include conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. By recognizing this month, the state intends to draw attention to the need for improved research funding, standardized diagnostic testing, and effective treatments for these chronic illnesses.

This bill codifies the prosecution’s obligation under Brady v. Maryland, a United State Supreme Court case, which requires the prosecution to provide evidence favorable to an accused. The purpose of this bill is to ensure the fairness and finality of criminal trials and guilty plea by requiring that the accused in every criminal case promptly receives all information and evidence favorable that is material to guilt or to punishment. The bill sets for what the prosecution must mandatorily disclose to the defense, which includes information relating to the credibility of a police officer and impeachment evidence of government witnesses such as favorable treatment of the witness’s criminal charges. The bill sets forth the process and timing of such disclosure and requires the prosecutor on the case to file a certificate of compliance with the Court. The bill provides a process by which the State can seek a protective order relating to the disclosure of information it must disclosure if the State can show that disclosure would create a substantial risk of physical harm, intimidation, bribery, economic reprisals or unnecessary annoyance or embarrassment.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates June 15, 2024, as "Delaware Elder Abuse Awareness Day" to highlight the issue of elder abuse within the state. The resolution does not change laws or create new programs but instead encourages all Delaware residents to learn more about protecting older adults from neglect, financial exploitation, and other forms of harm. By recognizing this specific date, the bill aims to increase public awareness and mobilize community action against elder abuse.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates September 2024 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Delaware to highlight the importance of early detection and public education regarding the disease. The resolution does not change laws or allocate funding; instead, it serves as a formal acknowledgment to encourage awareness among residents. By officially recognizing this month, the state aims to promote discussions about screening and symptoms without imposing new requirements on individuals or organizations.