| HB 156 w/ HA 2, HA 3, HA 4 | Signed | Spiegelman | This bill updates requirements for handguns used for deer hunting by adding a range and limit to allowable handgun calibers to accommodate changing handgun availability while maintaining public safety and handgun hunting efficacy. This bill also allows for pistol caliber rifle hunting for deer. This bill also makes a technical adjustment to clarify that a handgun or a pistol caliber rifle can be used for deer hunting during any shotgun deer season. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CONSERVATION. |
| HB 312 | Signed | Mitchell | This Act includes “emergency medical technicians” within the definition of employee under the County/Municipal Police/Firefighter Pension Plan. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL POLICE/FIREFIGHTER PENSION PLAN. |
| HB 324 w/ HA 1 | Signed | Kowalko | This Act requires that the Office of Child Care Licensing include application forms, the specific requirements to obtain a license, and due process provisions in regulations to ensure that child care providers have clear notice of what is required, the opportunity to comment on proposed changes, and an opportunity to correct minor deficiencies before they are posted on the Office of Child Care Licensing’s website as an instance of noncompliance.
This Act also repeals language regarding implementation of the current section that is no longer necessary.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
| AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE CHILD CARE ACT. |
| HB 329 | Signed | Carson | This Bill eliminates the prohibition against the mere possession of a body-gripping trap with a jaw spread in excess of 5 inches, while maintaining the prohibition against actually using one in Delaware. This modification is necessary because many licensed Delaware trappers legally trap in other states where such traps are legal and it also allows trap collectors to possess the larger traps while maintaining the prohibition against their actual use. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REGULATIONS AND PROHIBITIONS CONCERNING GAME AND FISH. |
| HB 340 | Signed | Potter | This bill makes several updates and clarifications to the Interactive Fantasy Sports bill signed into law on July 26, 2017. The updates reflect the assignment of the regulation and tax administration to the Division of Gaming Enforcement and the Division of Revenue. This bill also allows for administrative expenses to be paid from the Interactive Fantasy Sports revenues. The bill requires persons who are in positions of control or authority of Interactive Fantasy Sports operators seeking to register in Delaware to submit to criminal background checks and provides for a basis for denial of an operator’s registration application if such individual has a criminal history. The bill also establishes administrative penalties for interactive Fantasy Sports operators who fail to comply with the law. Finally, this bill clarifies that season-long, friends and family games are exempt from licensing and enforcement requirements. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 AND TITLE 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INTERACTIVE FANTASY SPORTS CONTESTS. |
| HB 372 w/ HA 1 | Signed | Paradee | This Act makes it unlawful for a person to manufacture, distribute, sell, offer for sale, possess, purchase, or use a concentrated alcoholic beverage.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 4 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CONCENTRATED ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE. |
| HB 429 w/ HA 3 | Signed | Baumbach | Cybersecurity attacks, including data breaches, corporate theft, and sabotage perpetrated by state and non-state actors throughout the world present unique threats to Delaware residents, governments, businesses, and critical infrastructure. Statewide coordination is required to effectively ensure cybersecurity protection.
Cyber-attacks have increased significantly, providing evidence that information security must be strengthened to guard against threats. The State must leverage every partnership and mechanism available to combat the growing number of cyber-attacks and breaches. Trends show attacks growing by 64% annually. 84% of organizations have experienced cyber-attacks in the last 12 months.
This bill strengthens Delaware’s defenses by facilitating multi-industry coordination among critical sectors such as communications, emergency services, energy, financial services, healthcare, water, and government. The primary objectives of the Council will be to focus on sharing and analyzing cyber threat intelligence in a collaborative manner. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION. |
| HB 432 w/ HA 1 | Signed | B. Short | The Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism was created by 81 Del. Laws ch. 49 and placed in the Department of State. This enactment transferred certain responsibilities for economic development, formerly in the Delaware Department of Economic Development, to this Division.
The purpose of this Act is to address administrative housekeeping matters involving this transfer of responsibilities for economic development. Specifically, this Act changes the name of the Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism to the Division of Small Business. The Division of Small Business will remain in the Department of State and be responsible for economic development activities transferred to the Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism in 81 Del. Laws ch. 49.
This Act also does the following:
(1) Sets a new date for the submission of the Comprehensive State Plan for Economic Development and unifies the economic development reporting requirements of the Division of Small Business.
(2) Limits the terms of members of the Council on Development Finance (“Council”) appointed after July 1, 2018.
(3) Eliminates the requirement that all Council members be physically present to constitute a quorum for meetings, to foster greater efficiency in making economic development recommendations to the Division of Small Business.
(4) Further deletes reference to programs governed by prior acts of the General Assembly such as the Agriculture/Aquaculture Program, the Liberty Court Apartments project, and the Human Investment and Partnership Program, to the extent that these programs are no longer active.
Finally this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS INVOLVING THE TRANSFER OF STATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUNCTIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE. |
| HB 439 | Signed | Carson | This Bill authorizes the Thoroughbred Racing Commission to be a member of the new Interstate Anti-Doping and Drug Testing Standards Compact. Under the Bill the Thoroughbred Racing Commission would become a member of an interstate Compact with other party states for the establishment of uniform standards for drug testing of horses participating in horse racing. The Harness Racing Commission will not be a member of the Compact. The purpose of the Compact is to establish uniform requirements among the party states for the drug testing of horses participating in horse racing. The Compact Committee would be comprised of one representative from each party state. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO HORSE RACING. |
| SB 242 w/ SA 1 | Signed | Walsh | This Act creates Pay for Success contracts. A Pay for Success contract is an agreement between a State agency and either a program intermediary or an investor under which an investor will provide upfront capital to fund a service, program, or economic development initiative. The State agency agrees to repay the program intermediary or investor if the service, program, or economic development initiative meets the performance measures and outcomes agreed to in the contract. An independent evaluator will determine if the performance measures and outcomes are met.
If the State agency contracts with a program intermediary, the program intermediary will manage all aspects of the project, including identifying the investor and the entity or entities that will provide the service, program, or economic development initiative. In other situations, a State agency will contract directly with the investor, who will contract directly with the entity or entities that will provide the service, program, or economic development initiative. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PAY FOR SUCCESS CONTRACTS. |
| HB 455 w/ HA 1 | Signed | Bolden | This Act fulfills recommendations made by the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee by doing the following:
(1) Establishing 2 new, nonvoting members to serve on the State Board of Education ("Board"). The new
members are a former Delaware Teacher of the Year and a Delaware 11th or 12th grade student.
(2) Defining the duties of the Board’s Executive Director.
(3) Clarifying that the Executive Director is selected by the Board; is an employee of the Department of
Education, subject to all of the Department’s employment policies and procedures; but serves at the
pleasure of the Board.
(4) Requiring the Board to rotate its meetings among the 3 counties of this State in such a way to facilitate
parents’, teachers’, and other community members’ attendance.
(5) Establishing the circumstances under which a Board member may be removed, using language standard to
boards and commissions in this State.
(6) Requiring the Board to permit public comment on each agenda item prior to voting on the item and in
proximity to the time at which the Board discusses the item. An exception is provided if, under
Delaware law or Department or Board rules, the item has a formal comment period or a process for making
a record in an administrative matter that has closed before the Board’s discussion of the agenda item.
Examples of matters that qualify for the exception include charter school applications or formal reviews,
amendments to Department of Education and Professional Standards Board regulations, and student
appeals. The intent of the exception is to exclude Board actions that are quasi-judicial in nature and
therefore not appropriate to open to public comment.
This Act also corrects 2 internal references and makes other technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. |
| SB 244 w/ SA 1 | Signed | Walsh | This bill provides technical changes and also creates the Committee on Employment and Social Services consolidating the work conducted by the Welfare Employment Committee and Social Service Advisory Council created by Executive Order Six-Eight signed by then Governor Michael N. Castle. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO WELFARE. |
