| HB 152 w/ HA 1 | Signed | Spiegelman | In 2014, the General Assembly created an ignition interlock device program under §§ 4177C and 4177G of Title 21 of the Delaware Code (“IID program”). The IID program provides individuals whose license or driving privileges have been revoked following a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs the ability to drive during their revocation period while putting measures in place to protect the public.
This Act closes a loophole in the IID program that allows a person to avoid installing an IID in certain circumstance and makes changes to §§ 4177C and 4177G to ensure the provisions are consistent and operate in harmony with each other.
This Act also adds a provision clarifying the process for the reinstatement of an individual’s license or driving privileges after the individual has been disqualified from the IID program.
Finally, this Act makes numerous technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislation Drafting Manual, including to ensure consistency of language throughout the provisions included in this Act. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO IGNITION INTERLOCK DEVICE REQUIREMENTS. |
| HB 202 w/ HA 1 | Signed | K. Williams | This bill creates a pilot program for the Red Clay School District to utilize external camera systems on their school buses to catch motorists that illegally pass school buses and to punish these motorists by issuing them a civil penalty. The purpose of this bill is to protect children as they are in the process of boarding and exiting the school bus and to spread awareness of school bus traffic safety. At least 16 states have implemented similar legislation, including Pennsylvania in 2018. As Red Clay School District already has these cameras in operation, this program grants the authority to begin issuing violations to motorist that illegally pass school buses in their district. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE RED CLAY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT BUS SAFETY CAMERA PILOT PROGRAM. |
| SB 195 w/ SA 1 | Signed | Wilson | This Act revises the Charter of Greenwood as follows:
Section 1. Revises the procedures used by the Town to annex property.
Section 2. Authorizes the Town to cancel Town Council meetings and authorizes the use of electronic communication methods to notify council members of special meetings.
Section 3. Clarifies that a majority vote is needed for the Town Council to take action. Quorum is calculated based on a majority of all the sitting council members, exclusive of any vacant council seats.
Section 4. Clarifies that the Town documents its proceedings via meeting minutes.
Section 5. Sets $50,000 as the maximum contract amount that the Town can enter into without public bidding and clarifies the Town’s procedures for evaluating bids and awarding contracts.
Section 6. Specifies that the Mayor may vote on all matters, not just when there is a tie vote, revises the Mayor’s duties, and establishes procedures for appointing individuals to committees.
Section 7. Updates the duties of the Town Council Secretary.
Section 8. Revises the terms of employment for the Town Manager and other employees. This section clarifies that town employees, except for the town manager and police department employees, are at will employees that are hired for an indefinite employment term. This section also eliminates duties of the Town Manager that are obsolete and clarifies that the Town Manager does not have to serve as the Town Treasurer.
Section 9. Eliminates the need of the town solicitor to have an office in Sussex County.
Section 10. Revises the terms of employment for the Chief of Police, including the possibility of the Chief of Police having an employment contact.
Section 11. Updates the Town’s debt collection procedures to clarify the outstanding charges that can be added to tax bills and collected. This section also limits the maximum interest rate on delinquent amounts to 1.5% per month.
Section 12. Eliminates duplicate language and requires the Town Council to adopt a resolution approving the final assessment list, including all additions to tax bills. This section also clarifies that the annual tax list includes additions to tax bills incorporated into the annual assessment list.
Section 13. Authorizes the amount of outstanding debts to remain a lien against a property beyond the 10 year time limit if the property is still owned by the same owner against whom the charges were originally assessed. The section enlarges the time for paying taxes to 60 days and reduces the penalty for unpaid taxes to 1.5% per month. This section also clarifies the collection costs that can be recovered by the Town and eliminates obsolete collection procedures.
Section 14. Eliminates the Town’s ability to regulate activities on the Sabbath Day and clarifies the Town’s ability to establish fines and penalties for outstanding water and sewer accounts.
Section 15. Repeals existing procedures for opening and closing streets and enacts simpler procedures for the Town to follow.
Section 16. Clarifies the Town’s ability to install new sidewalks.
Section 17. Adds additional purposes for which the Town may borrow money and requires public hearing details to be included in a resolution proposing to borrow the money. This section also provides more detail on the procedures to follow when holding a special election to vote on the town borrowing money and creates procedures and authority for the Town to borrow up to $100,000 without going through the public hearing process. It also authorizes the Town to publish a notice of the borrowing that gives members of the public 60 days to challenge the borrowing.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
| AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF GREENWOOD. |
| SB 196 | Signed | Wilson | This Act authorizes the Town of Slaughter Beach to acquire real and personal property located inside and outside the boundaries of the Town of Slaughter Beach. | AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF SLAUGHTER BEACH. |
| HCR 64 | Passed | Schwartzkopf | This Concurrent Resolution provides for a Joint Session of the House of Representatives and the Senate to be convened for the purpose of hearing an address by the Honorable John C. Carney, Governor of the State of Delaware. | PROVIDING THAT A JOINT SESSION OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE BE CONVENED FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECEIVING THE ANNUAL STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS BY THE HONORABLE JOHN C. CARNEY, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE. |
| HCR 67 | Passed | K. Johnson | This House Concurrent Resolution proclaims January 23, 2020, as "Maternal Health Awareness Day" in the State of Delaware. | PROCLAIMING JANUARY 23, 2020, AS "MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE. |
| SA 1 to SB 195 | Passed | Wilson | This Amendment extends the amount of time a property owner has to claim the deprivation of the use of property from 15 to 60 days so that it is consistent with similar provisions in the Code. | |
