| HB 28 | Signed | Morris | This bill creates a special license plate for Whitetails Unlimited. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES. |
| SJR 1 w/ SA 1 | Signed | Buckson | This Senate Joint Resolution directs the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families to explore participating in the federal title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program to increase support to relative guardians and facilitate permanency solutions for Delaware youth in foster care. | DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH & THEIR FAMILIES TO EXPLORE PARTICIPATING IN THE FEDERAL IV-E GUARDIANSHIP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. |
| SB 98 w/ HA 1 | Signed | Poore | This Act allows Dental Clinicians possessing a DDS or DMDS to participate in the Health Care Provider Loan Repayment grant program. The Act also extends the time in which providers may apply for a Health Care Provider Loan Repayment grant from six months to two years following completion of their graduate education. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE HEALTH CARE COMMISSION HEALTH CARE PROVIDER LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM. |
| HB 132 w/ HA 1 | Signed | Bush | Section 1 of this Act amends § 6504 of Title 10 to correct two erroneous cross-references (the cross-references will now correctly reference Title 12 rather than Title 10 of the Delaware Code).
Section 2 of this Act corrects § 3301(d) of Title 12 by updating the definition of the term “fiduciary” to be consistent with 2019 updates to § 3322 of Title 12, the effect of which was that when an agent is delegated duties by a fiduciary, such delegation neither causes the agent to cease to be a fiduciary nor causes the agent to be a fiduciary.
Section 3 of this Act amends § 3332(b) of Title 12 to add a cross-reference to, and incorporation of criteria from, § 3340 of Title 12, thereby emphasizing that satisfaction of the criteria of § 3340 of Title 12 means that a trust is administered in Delaware, but also emphasizing that § 3340 of Title 12 is a non-exclusive list of the criteria that may mean that a trust is administered in Delaware.
Section 4 of this Act amends § 3338 of Title 12 to: (1) expressly state that a consent to a nonjudicial settlement agreement under this section must be in writing; (2) permit parties to issue a written nonobjection, rather than a written affirmative consent, to a nonjudicial settlement agreement under this section (much as parties can do under § 3342 of Title 12, which is a similar statute; and as also contemplated under Court of Chancery rules for consent petitions); (3) emphasize that the permitted subjects of a nonjudicial settlement agreement for a trust, including those expressly listed in subsection (e) of this section, remain subject to the material purpose requirement of subsection (c) of this section; (4) make it clearer that the ability of a nonjudicial settlement agreement to resolve the interpretation or construction of the terms of a trust under paragraph (e)(1) of this section applies to any (and not just all) of the terms of a trust; and (5) expressly state (and thus make it clearer) that, in addition to other types of modifications to the terms of a trust that were already expressly listed in subsection (e) of this section, the terms of a trust may be modified by a nonjudicial settlement agreement under this section—though, again, any such modification will continue to be subject to the “material purpose” requirement of subsection (c) of this section, as is already the case, including for those matters currently expressly listed in subsection (e) of this section.
Section 5 of this Act amends § 3339 of Title 12 to make it clearer that: (1) a designated representative may be appointed via the methods specified in § 3339(a)(4) and (5) of Title 12, when those appointed under the methods given precedence under previous paragraphs of subsection (a) are not serving—in other words, when those appointed are unwilling or unable to serve (and not merely when such persons have been “appointed” in the sense of being named or nominated under the methods given precedence under previous paragraphs of subsection (a)); and (2) the limitation of § 3339(a)(4)b. of Title 12 that, in the stated circumstance under paragraph (4), does not allow a trustor to appoint a designated representative that is related or subordinate to the trustor, also applies to the trustor such that in such circumstance, the trustor cannot appoint himself or herself as the designated representative.
Section 6 of this Act amends § 3340 of Title 12 to make it clearer that: (1) a trust’s satisfaction of any of the criteria listed in § 3340(1) through (3) of Title 12 conclusively means that the trust is administered in Delaware (such that satisfaction of such criteria does not lead merely to a rebuttable presumption); and (2) the criteria listed in § 3340(1) through (3) of Title 12 are not the exclusive means by which a trust is, or is considered to be, administered in Delaware.
Section 7 of this Act amends § 3536 of Title 12 to make it clear that a former spouse of a trust beneficiary who has a claim against such beneficiary, such beneficiary’s estate, or such beneficiary’s property is considered a creditor of such beneficiary, thereby affording the beneficiary the protections of § 3536 of Title 12. The amendment is distinguishable from the factual situation addressed by, and is not intended to conflict with, Garretson v. Garretson, 306 A.2d 737, which held that a current spouse of a trust beneficiary who has a claim against such beneficiary is not considered a creditor of such beneficiary.
Section 8 of this Act amends § 3570(4) of Title 12 to make it clearer that the term “disposition” under Delaware’s Qualified Dispositions in Trust Act can include a transfer to another trust (and not merely to a trustee or trustees).
Section 9 of this Act amends § 3573 of Title 12 to provide that the limitations on qualified dispositions applicable to the spouse of a transferor as imposed by § 3572 of Title 12, do not include transfers to trusts for which the spouse: (1) is given (a) written notice of the transfer, (b) a copy of the Qualified Dispositions in Trust Act, (c) a copy of the trust instrument of the receiving trust, (d) a list of the property subject to the transfer, (e) disclosure of all material information relating to the value of such property; (f) disclosure of the estimated value of the property, and (g) the basis for such estimate; and (2) consents in writing to the transfer after receipt of the foregoing.
Section 10 of this Act amends § 3585(c)(3) of Title 12 to update a cross-reference so that the current reference to § 3303(d) of Title 12 will now refer to § 3339 of Title 12, which is the more precise reference in light of recent statutory changes.
Section 11 of this Act amends § 61-604(a)(5) of Title 12 to: (1) include limited liability companies and statutory trusts as entities whose ownership by certain types of charitable trusts will be treated in the same way as partnerships owned by such trusts; and (2) make it clearer that any of those types of entities will receive such treatment even if such entities are disregarded for federal income tax purposes.
Section 12 of this Act amends § 1513 of Title 13 to make it clearer that a spouse’s beneficial interest in a trust created by another person is not included within the term “marital property,” which is defined by this statute, because such an interest falls within the statute’s exclusion of gifts from the term “marital property.” In addition, consistent with § 3315(b) of Title 12, language has been added to § 1513 of Title 13 to confirm that a discretionary interest in a trust is not a property interest under existing Delaware statutory law and, therefore, is not included in the definition of “property acquired” by a spouse (as such term “property acquired” is used in § 1513 of Title 13).
Section 13 of this Act amends § 2704(e)(4) of Title 18 such that the term “trust-owned life insurance policy” now includes a policy owned by an entity that is disregarded for federal income tax purposes and that is wholly owned by a trust (in addition to such a policy that is directly owned by a trust).
Section 14 of this Act provides an effective date. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10, TITLE 12, TITLE 13, AND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DECEDENTS’ ESTATES AND FIDUCIARY RELATIONS. |
| SS 1 for SB 80 | Signed | S. McBride | Senate Bill No. 80 codifies the current practice in Delaware of not requiring proof of citizenship or a specific immigration status on an application for a professional license. By affirmatively providing eligibility for professional licenses regardless of immigration status, Senate Bill No. 80 brings Delaware into compliance with a federal requirement in place since August 22, 1996, under 8 U.S.C.S. § 1621(d), and provides public notice of this policy. Senate Bill No. 80 also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 80 differs from Senate Bill No. 80 by also codifying the current practice of allowing an applicant for a professional license who does not have a social security number to submit instead, an attestation stating that if the applicant obtains a social security number in the future, the applicant will update their application with that social security number. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO IMMIGRATION STATUS REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL LICENSES. |
| SB 108 w/ SA 1 | Signed | Poore | This Act revises the State's Gold Alert Program to include missing children and increase dissemination of information to the public to better assist the State's search efforts.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
| AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE GOLD ALERT PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN MISSING PERSONS. |
| HB 139 w/ HA 1 | Signed | Spiegelman | This Act amends the Charter of the Town of Townsend in the following ways:
1. It requires the Town Council to determine rules for Town Meetings after being sworn in at the Town Council reorganization meeting in June of each year.
2. It removes the requirement that a copy of ordinances, codes, rules and regulations be printed for each official of the Town.
3. It allows the Mayor to vote on Town matters, whereas before, the Mayor could only vote in the event of a tie.
4. It clarifies the procedures for disqualification and removal from office for the Mayor and Council members, as well as election procedures and term of office.
5. For a councilperson to be elected mayor, they must have sat as a councilperson for at least twelve consecutive months, although if no such members of the council qualify, the Mayor will be elected from the sitting members.
6. All candidates must successfully pass a background check as provided by the Town.
7. If within 90 days of the swearing in, a newly sworn in Councilperson is disqualified, the candidate with the next highest number of votes shall be appointed to fill the remainder of the term.
8. The Town Manager will now have the ability to authorize and approve reimbursements.
9. It revises the section of the Charter regarding the Police Force.
This Act also makes technical changes to the Charter as deemed appropriate.
| AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF TOWNSEND. |
| HB 141 w/ HA 1 + SA 1 | Signed | Morrison | This Act requires all candidates for statewide office, the General Assembly, and all elected county offices, to request a criminal history background check, no later than the filing deadline, from the State Bureau of Identification. The State Bureau of Identification must, within 10 days of receipt of the request, provide the Commissioner of Elections with a report of the candidate’s criminal history or a statement that the Bureau’s Repository contains no information relating to the candidate. The Commissioner of Elections must then determine if the candidate is qualified under Section 21 of Article II of the Delaware Constitution to be considered a candidate and have their name appear on the ballot. The candidate will be considered a provisional candidate until the Commissioner of Elections determines the candidate is qualified. The information obtained by the Commissioner of Elections, from the Bureau, will not fall under the definition of public record in Chapter 100 of Title 29. The candidate must pay the cost of the criminal history background check, but the cost may be reimbursed from the candidate’s campaign funds as an authorized campaign expenditure. This Act will take effect January 1 after enactment. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 11 AND 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CRIMINAL HISTORY BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR CANDIDATES FOR STATE AND COUNTY PUBLIC OFFICE. |
| HB 156 | Signed | K. Williams | This Act establishes the comprehensive framework for the regulation of pet insurance transacted in Delaware. The Act reflects the adoption of the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s Pet Insurance Model Act, with adjustments made to conform the model act to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual, including using the singular tense of a word rather than the plural tense. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PET INSURANCE. |
| SS 2 for SB 72 | Signed | Poore | In 2017, the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Public Law No. 115-97, suspended many itemized deductions from individual federal taxes until January 1, 2026, including the itemized deduction for costs to maintain membership in a labor organization. Senate Bill No. 72 created a tax credit for resident individuals equal to the annual cost, not to exceed $500, to the individual to maintain membership in a labor organization. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 72 made the annual cost to a resident individual to maintain membership in a labor organization an itemized tax deduction, not to exceed $500. Senate Amendment No. 1 to SS 1 for SB 72 sunset this itemized deduction when the federal tax deduction for costs to maintain membership in a labor organization is restored.
Like SS 1 for SB 72, Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill No. 72 creates an itemized tax deduction for the annual cost to a resident individual to maintain membership in a labor organization. SS 2 for SB 72 differs from SS 1 for SB 72 as follows:
1. It does not allow an individual to take this deduction if the individual has taken a deduction on their federal income tax return for any cost to maintain membership in a labor organization.
2. It clarifies that this exemption does not include payments that are not deductible under federal law for amounts paid to or through a labor organization for employee benefits, pension contributions, other compensation, or that were used in connection with lobbying or political expenditures, or settlement or investigatory costs or assessments of a government entity.
3. Does not define “labor organization”, because under § 1101 of Title 30, it has the same meaning as when used in federal law in reference to federal income taxes.
If an individual deducts any cost to maintain membership in a labor organization from their federal income tax return, that deduction flows through to the state return. By limiting this deduction to individuals who have not taken a deduction on their federal income tax return for any cost to maintain membership in a labor organization, SS 2 for SB 72 does not need to sunset, because if federal law restores or creates a similar deduction in the future and an individual uses that deduction, the individual cannot claim the same deduction again on their state income tax return.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PERSONAL INCOME TAX. |
| HB 227 w/ HA 2 | Signed | Lambert | This Act makes various amendments to the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act to improve compliance with its testing and reporting requirements. First, this Act requires physicians to take a training program every 2 years relating to the provisions of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act. Second, it requires the Division of Public Health to develop electronic forms to be used at a child’s 12 and 24 month well visit that record lead screening results and are shared with the Divison. Third, it clarifies that laboratories and health care professionals involved in blood lead level analysis must report results to the the Division of Public Health. Finally, it requires the Division of Public Health to share data with school nurses relating to whether an enrolled student has been screened for lead poisoning. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16 AND 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LEAD POISONING PREVENTION. |
| SB 178 | Signed | S. McBride | Under § 3716(e) of Title 19, the Family and Medical Leave Program (FMLP) allows the Department of Labor (Department) to approve private benefits in existence on May 10, 2022, as a private plan under the FMLP, for applications submitted by January 1, 2024. This Act revises the appeal process when the Department denies an application under § 3716(e) so that the hearing is conducted by the Secretary of the Department instead of the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Appeal Board (Appeals Board). The primary function of the Appeals Board is to conduct hearings on denials of individual claims for benefits under the FMLP, but individuals will not be eligible for these benefits until January 1, 2026. Thus, the Appeals Board does not otherwise need to be established in 2023, and the expertise members need is in areas other than those needed for appeals of decisions under § 3716(e) of Title 19. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO COMPARABLE PRIVATE PLANS UNDER THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE PROGRAM. |
| HB 228 | Signed | Bush | Section 1 of the bill amends Delaware’s file-and-use statute for insurance rate filings to extend the timeline for filing and reviewing insurers’ rate filing by (1) requiring rate filings to be filed at least 60 days in advance of the proposed effective date, and (2) authorizing the Commissioner to extend the timeframe to review the filing and postpone the effective date of the filing pending completion of the extended review. Section 2 of the bill sets forth the process for when the Commissioner proposes to deny a rate filing and requires that a filing may not become effective until a final order is issued. Section 2 of the bill also corrects technical errors in the current law. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE RATE FILINGS. |
| SB 185 w/ SA 1 | Signed | Mantzavinos | This Act extends the date that the requirements created by Senate Bill 283 in the 151st become effective to allow the Division of Professional Regulation more time to implement these requirements. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CONTINUING EDUCATION. |
| SS 1 for SB 182 | Signed | Walsh | This Act is a substitute for Senate Bill No. 182. Like Senate Bill No. 182, this act does all of the following:
(1) Grants the Department discretion to reject or accept an application that is incomplete or contains inaccurate information.
(2) Permits the contractor to submit a new application for registration if the Department rejected the application because it was incomplete or contains inaccurate information.
This Act differs from Senate Bill No. 182 in that it makes a technical correction to remove unnecessary language added to § 3607(b)(2) of Title 19 by Senate Bill No. 182. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION ACT. |
| HS 1 for HB 174 | Signed | S. Moore | This Act requires a referral to a school-based mental or behavioral health specialist for any student after their second unduplicated infraction resulting in out-of-school suspension in a semester. This Substitute bill clarifies that the referral is to a school-based mental or behavioral health specialist rather than the school-based problem-solving team and the referral occurs after 2 unduplicated disciplinary violations, in a semester, result in an out-of-school suspension rather than 2 out-of-school suspensions. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO STUDENT DISCIPLINE REFERRALS. |
