Sen. Dave Sokola

This act will allow a critical need reimbursement to be distributed directly to an institute of higher education or Secretary of Education approved Alternative Routes to Teacher Licensure and Certification program for an eligible teacher who is taking noncredit-earning seminars or workshops or credit-bearing coursework in order to attain a Standard Certification in a state-approved critical need area.

This Act permits the Division of Motor Vehicles to assign special license plates for firefighters, auxiliary members, or volunteer ambulance members to vehicles owned by an artificial entity, including a corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, society, or joint-stock company.

This bill creates a mechanism by which school boards may increase funds for a school district both with and without a referendum. This bill also provides how certain school boards may levy real estate taxes.

This Resolution directs the Department of Transportation to work with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority to produce a report by September 30, 2020, that compares the financial and environmental impacts to Delaware of the current, uncoordinated trash collection system in New Castle County to the impacts of a coordinated system with 1 vendor collecting all of the trash and recycling in an entire neighborhood.

The National League of Families POW/MIA flag, is "a symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoners, missing, or unaccounted for in all U.S. wars" 36. U.S.C. 902. In 1989 the United States required the National League of Families POW/MIA flag be flown on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and Veterans Day. In 2012, Delaware required the National POW/MIA flag to be flown on National POW/MIA Recognition Day. This bill expands the dates on which the flag shall be flown, consistent with federal law and Delawareans' commitment to our veterans.

Recently, the Department of Justice has dismissed misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence in the Court of Common Pleas in Sussex County and refiled the same misdemeanor charges in the Superior Court in Sussex County. This Act ends that practice by vesting exclusive original criminal jurisdiction for a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence in the Court of Common Pleas. If a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence otherwise may be joined properly with a felony within the jurisdiction of Superior Court, the violation of this section is within the jurisdiction of Superior Court.

This bill addresses an on-going problem relating to background checks for employees, volunteers, and contractors of child-serving entities. Currently, a person working a child-serving entity who obtains the required background check must undergo another background check when that person obtains employment at another child-serving entity even if that background check had recently been completed. This put an undue burden on the employee and the State Bureau of Identification who run the background checks. This bill would allow an employee, volunteer, or contractor who is required to obtain a background check to authorize a child-serving entity to share the results of a background check with another child-serving entity so long as the authorization is in writing and provided to the Office of Child Care Licensing. This bill also requires the Department of Education to establish a procedure to allow employees, volunteers and contractors to authorize the sharing of background checks between child-serving entities.

Stands operated by children that serve or sell lemonade or other nonalcoholic beverages on a temporary, occasional basis are a summertime tradition for many children. This Act exempts a stand operated by a child from State, county, and municipal regulations and licensing fees that might otherwise apply. Specifically, this Act defines a "stand operated by a child" as one that operates on a temporary, occasional basis, serves or sells lemonade or other nonalcoholic beverages to others, and is located on private property with the permission of the private property owner. In Sections 2, 3, 4, and 6, this Act exempts a stand operated by a child from State regulations on food establishments and soft drinks and other beverages, requirements related to child labor laws, and retail license requirements. Additionally, Sections 1 and 5 of this Act broadly prohibit a county or municipality from enacting a law, ordinance, or regulation that prohibits or regulates or requires a license or permit for, or imposes a fee, charge, or surcharge on, a stand operated by a child.

This Act aims to make the robbery section of Delaware’s Criminal Code simpler and fairer. The Act deletes the carjacking sections and embeds them within the existing robbery statutes to remove duplication from the code. Under this Act, robbery in the first degree includes the theft of a vehicle where there is physical injury or the use, a display or threat of a deadly weapon or death which is a Class B felony; this carries a 3 year minimum mandatory sentence and a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Robbery in the Second Degree, a Class E felony, is elevated to a Class D felony if the theft involves a vehicle and elements that pose additional risk to public safety. The Act removes minimum mandatory sentences for some conduct and eliminates sentence enhancements based on prior convictions and the age of victim. The ability to impose lengthier sentences for subsequent conduct or for crimes against vulnerable victims rests with the discretion of sentencing judges.

This Act aims to make the burglary section of Delaware’s Criminal Code simpler and fairer. The Act consolidates the crime of home invasion with existing burglary statutes. Furthermore, this Act recognizes the sanctity of the home and the varied schedules of 21st century homeowners by treating the burglary of an occupied dwelling the same whether the crime occurs during daytime or nighttime hours. The Act removes minimum mandatory sentences for some conduct, but preserves for home invasion a 6 year minimum mandatory sentence and a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Finally, the Act eliminates sentence enhancements based on prior convictions and the age of victim. The ability to impose lengthier sentences for subsequent conduct or for crimes against vulnerable victims rests with the discretion of sentencing judges.