Del. Cia Price

Decriminalizes marijuana possession and provides a civil penalty of no more than $50 for a first violation, $100 for a second violation, and $250 for a third or subsequent violation. Under current law, a first offense is punishable by a maximum fine of $500 and a maximum jail sentence of 30 days, and subsequent offenses are a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill creates a rebuttable presumption that a person who possesses no more than one-half ounce of marijuana possesses it for personal use and provides that the existing suspended sentence and substance abuse screening provisions apply only to criminal violations or to civil violations by a minor. The bill decreases the penalty for distribution or possession with intent to sell more than one-half ounce but not more than five pounds of marijuana from a Class 5 felony to a Class 6 felony.

Replaces the terms "husband" and "wife" as well as related terms with gender neutral terms throughout the Code to comport with the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. ___ (June 26, 2015). The bill makes the relevant law regarding children born as a result of assisted conception applicable to both same-sex and opposite-sex married couples. The bill also repeals the statutory prohibitions on same-sex marriages and civil unions or other arrangements between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges and obligations of marriage, and makes conforming changes to various laws involving married individuals and their rights stemming from marriage.

Prohibits any person from making personal use of campaign contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee, or of items acquired using such contributions, for a strictly personal purpose that has no intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the candidate's campaign or public office. Any person who contributes to a candidate or a candidate's campaign committee or who is qualified to vote for a candidate may file a written complaint with the State Board of Elections (State Board) alleging a violation of the personal use prohibition by such candidate, and the State Board is tasked with reviewing the specific use alleged in the complaint. Additionally, the State Board may initiate a review of a specific use of campaign contributions on its own motion. The subject of the review has 30 days to either (i) reimburse the campaign committee the complained-of amount or (ii) provide to the State Board documentation or other evidence that the use of the campaign funds had an intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the campaign or the candidate's public office. If the subject of the review provides such documentation or other evidence, the State Board shall review the response and determine whether the use of campaign funds had any intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefit to the campaign or the candidate's public office. If the State Board determines that there were no intended, reasonable, or foreseeable benefits and the complained-of amount has not been reimbursed, it shall call a public hearing. A person found by a unanimous vote of the State Board to have willfully and knowingly violated the prohibition on personal use of campaign funds must repay to the campaign committee the amount unlawfully converted to the personal use of the candidate or a member of the candidate's immediate family. The State Board may also assess an additional civil penalty, in an amount not to exceed $1,000. The bill also authorizes the State Board to provide, upon request, to any person subject to the personal use prohibition a formal advisory opinion regarding a specific use of campaign funds. The bill also requires the State Board to develop and publish guidance on the personal use prohibition.

Provides that the Board of Corrections shall make, adopt, and promulgate rules and regulations regarding the provision of information on absentee voting to all persons confined in a local correctional facility who may be eligible to vote and information on the process of applying for a restoration of civil rights and of voting rights for those persons who have been convicted of a felony.