Sen. Dave Sokola

In 2016, the Legislature provided a reimbursement for teachers employed in Delaware who had to pay the 1-time licensure fee. By using "teacher", we inadvertently excluded specialists including school media specialists, school counselors, school nurses, et cetera. This Bill changes "teacher" to "educator" to include specialists and other educators.

This resolution recognizes the month of May as "Poppy Month" in the State of Delaware.

This Act increases the age requirement for compulsory school attendance in Delaware from 16 to 18 years of age. The age increase is phased in over a two-year period; accordingly, there is a one-year interim period where the compulsory school attendance age requirement will be 17 years old. The Act further provides that a child may be exempt from the age requirement for compulsory school attendance if the child has received a high school diploma or a certificate of performance or obtains permission to withdraw from school from the superintendent of the district in which the child is enrolled or from the president of the board of the charter school in which the child is enrolled. To obtain a waiver from the date of enactment of this Act until August 31, 2018, a child must be at least 16 years old. To obtain a waiver on or after September 1, 2018, a child must be at least 17 years old. The Act preserves the exemption under which a child may be excused from compulsory attendance upon request of the child's parent or legal guardian coupled with supporting written documentation from a qualified health professional.

This bill mandates reporting to the Director of Investor Protection by a broker-dealer or investment adviser that has a reasonable belief that financial exploitation of an eligible adult has occurred or been attempted. It also enables broker-dealers and investment advisers to delay disbursement from an account of an eligible adult where financial exploitation is suspected. This also includes definitions of “eligible adult,” “financial exploitation” and “qualified individual” to be inserted into the Securities Act.

This Bill confirms licensing requirements for school nurses are established by the Professional Standards Board, and evaluation criteria for school nurses are established by the District or Charter School.

This resolution recognizes the week of May 8-12, 2017 as “Teacher Appreciation Week”.

This bill provides for research or transplantation of organs and other anatomical gifts as authorized under federal law among donors who have tested positive for exposure to HIV and intended recipients who have also tested positive for exposure to HIV. Delaware is currently the only state that has laws prohibiting the use of HIV positive organs for HIV positive recipients entirely, including the use of organs as part of a research protocol.

To establish more transparency in government, and to strengthen citizens' faith in the election and redistricting processes that serve as the foundation of democracy in Delaware, this bill establishes an Independent Redistricting Commission for the State of Delaware. The Commission will be responsible for drawing the boundaries of Delaware's legislative districts every ten years, following each decennial census. A pool of twenty-four potential Commission members shall be selected by a bipartisan judicial panel from applications filed with the Commissioner of Elections. The pool will consist of eight current or former Delaware attorneys or former Delaware judges and sixteen other citizens of Delaware. The pool must include eight candidates from each of the State’s two largest political parties and eight candidates that are not a member of either of the State’s two largest parties. Prior to selection of Commission members, the following individuals shall each have the opportunity to strike one candidate from the pool: the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Senate Minority Leader. From the pool of remaining candidates, the Secretary of State will draw by lot until the following conditions are satisfied: 1) The Commission will have nine members, three of whom must be current or former attorneys or former Delaware judges, and six of whom must be other Delaware citizens. 2) Three members of the Commission shall be members of the State’s largest political party, three shall be members of the State’s second largest political party, and the remaining three shall not be a member of either of the State’s two largest political parties. Eligible candidates may not be, and may not have in the five years prior to appointment been, a federal or state lobbyist, an officer of a federal or state political party, an officer of a campaign committee, or an elected federal or state official. Commissioners are also prohibited from running for the General Assembly in the election following the redistricting, and from registering as a federal or state lobbyist for five years following the term as a Commissioner. A preliminary plan must be prepared by the Commission for public distribution, and four public hearings must be held before a Final Redistricting Plan and Report is approved by the Commission. The Delaware Supreme Court shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction to resolve challenges to the Final Redistricting Plan adopted by the Commission.

This Concurrent Resolution commends and congratulates the Secretary of Education Scholars for 2017.

This Act ensures victims of crime are afforded as much information as is available to assist them through the trial, sentencing, and post-conviction phases of a criminal case.