Daily Report for 6/18/2024

Governor's Actions

No legislation is Signed by Governor Today

New Legislation Introduced

BillCurrent StatusSponsorSynopsisTitle
HCR 148PassedHeffernanThis Concurrent Resolution requests that medical professionals who engage in the provision of prenatal or postnatal care, delivery, or infant care services to provide parents and caregivers resources on infant and child CPR and basic first aid training.REQUESTING MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS TO PROVIDE PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS WITH RESOURCES ON INFANT AND CHILD CPR AND BASIC FIRST AID TRAINING.
SCR 187PassedPooreThis resolution raises awareness of cerebral palsy and highlights the need for a statewide cerebral palsy registry in the State of Delaware.RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF ESTABLISHING A STATEWIDE CEREBRAL PALSY REGISTRY.
SB 326SignedParadeeThis Act appropriates $168,362,517 to provide one-time funded projects through the Office of Management and Budget.AN ACT MAKING A ONE-TIME SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2025 TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET.
SB 325SignedParadeeThis Bill is the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Act.AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE EXPENSE OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2025; SPECIFYING CERTAIN PROCEDURES, CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS FOR THE EXPENDITURE OF SUCH FUNDS; AND AMENDING CERTAIN PERTINENT STATUTORY PROVISIONS.
SCR 189Passed SenateBucksonThis Senate Concurrent Resolution designates the month of July 2024 as "American Pride Month" in the State of Delaware.DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF JULY 2024 AS "AMERICAN PRIDE MONTH" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
SCR 191PassedBucksonThis Senate Concurrent Resolution proclaims October 6, 2024, as “National Coaches Day” in the State of Delaware.PROCLAIMING OCTOBER 6, 2024, AS "NATIONAL COACHES DAY" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
SCR 190PassedHockerThis Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes November 2024 as "Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware. RECOGNIZING NOVEMBER 2024 AS "AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
HCR 151PassedDorsey WalkerRecognizing the month of June as "Caribbean American Heritage Month" in the State of Delaware.RECOGNIZING JUNE AS “CARIBBEAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH” IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
HA 1 to HB 445PWBWilson-AntonThis amendment contains replacement language for HB 445 that eliminates the private right of action for monetary damages and replaces it with other methods of enforcement.  
HA 1 to HS 1 for HB 147StrickenBaumbachThis Amendment facilitates clarity in the State's land records by making clear that, in addition to a register of wills: (1) A recorder of deeds may also adopt a form to be used by a beneficiary of a transfer on death deed to provide notice of the death of a transferor whose property has transferred to the beneficiary by transfer on death deed. (2) A beneficiary of a transfer on death deed may also present a transferor’s death certificate to a recorder of deeds for filing with a form adopted by the record of deeds or for filing to otherwise establish a transferor’s death. 
HA 1 to HB 438PWBHeffernanThis Amendment to House Bill 438 removes language contained in House Bill 438 stating that schools are not exempt from being considered employers for purposes of the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program. 
HB 448CommitteeDorsey WalkerThis bill allows Delaware residents age 60 and older to deduct their full pensions or other qualified retirement income from State taxable income. This bill contains technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislature Drafting Manual. AN ACT AMENDING TITLE 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INCOME TAX.
SJR 9SignedParadeeThis Resolution provides the official revenue, refund, and unencumbered funds estimates for Fiscal Year 2024.THE OFFICIAL GENERAL FUND REVENUE ESTIMATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024.
SJR 10SignedParadeeThis Resolution provides the official revenue, refund, and unencumbered funds estimates for Fiscal Year 2025.THE OFFICIAL GENERAL FUND REVENUE ESTIMATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025.
SA 1 to SB 321PWBHoffnerThis Amendment adds the Delaware Division of Health Care Quality as an appropriate agency for a person with a disability under guardianship to make a report of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or violation of personal rights. 

Legislation Passed By Senate

BillCurrent StatusSponsorSynopsisTitle
HB 274SignedK. WilliamsEarly, sustained exposure to peanut and egg proteins in the infant diet significantly reduces the risk that an infant will develop a peanut or egg allergy, saving lives and future health care costs. Following multiple clinical studies, the current guidance of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, which is followed by pediatricians, recommends that by age 6 months, all infants should be introduced to both peanut and egg protein and that unless contraindicated, all infants should regularly consume peanut and well-cooked egg protein until they reach the age of 1 year, to reduce the risk of developing peanut or egg allergies. This Act requires that all health insurance plans subject to requirements under Delaware law, including Medicaid, provide coverage, at no cost when prescribed to infants, of at least 1 early peanut allergen introduction dietary supplement and at least 1 early egg allergen introduction dietary supplement. This Act applies to all policies, contracts, or certificates issued, renewed, modified, altered, amended, or reissued after December 31, 2025.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18, TITLE 29, AND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE OF ALLERGEN INTRODUCTION DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR INFANTS.
HB 313SignedNealThis Act ensures that all female inmates in DDOC custody, at level IV or V, receive annual or biennial screening mammograms as recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MAMMOGRAMS.
HB 18SignedOsienskiThis bill amends the Merit System of Personnel Administration by allowing for preference in hiring for casual seasonal employees who are performing the same job duties of a posted merit position. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE MERIT SYSTEM OF PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION.
HB 314SignedMatthewsThis Act does all of the following: (1) Allows for all licensed practitioners that are treating a driver for a medical condition to report findings which allows for Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, or Physician to sign Division paperwork and mirrors verbiage found in Title 24; (2) Updates the name of Medical Council to Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline which ensures compliance with code in handling of individual cases; and (3) Changes the Secretary of Health and Social Services to Secretary of Transportation for determining the status of driver’s license for individuals with a potential medical condition which allows for quicker response and ensures the confidentiality of a driver. Lastly it removes a section from the Medical Licensure Act consistent with the other provisions of the bill.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 21 AND 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DRIVER’S LICENSES.
HB 324SignedBaumbachThis Act makes several changes to the Code relating to the Department of Finance. Section 1 removes a bond requirement for Division of Revenue officers, agents, or employees for faithful performance of their duties. Sections 2 and 3 enable the Department of Finance and the Division of Revenue to fully administer and enforce taxes where jurisdiction is assigned by the Delaware Code without reference to any specific Title. This avoids the need to revise applicable provisions of Title 30 (by enumerating each applicable title) when changes to the law make the Department responsible for the administration and enforcement of tax and tax-related laws established outside of Title 30. Section 4 provides the Division of Revenue the ability to collect the lodging tax imposed under § 8112 of Title 9 on behalf of a county in the State of Delaware and enter into an agreement with a county in the State of Delaware to coordinate the collection process. Sections 5 and 6 transfer and reorganize the personal income tax aspects of the Organ and Bone Marrow Transplantation Tax Credit statute to appear within the appropriate personal income tax subchapter in Chapter 11 of Title 30. Section 7 replaces the term “trailer park” with “recreational vehicle park” to clarify license procedures. This Act makes technical changes to existing Code to conform with the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 29 AND 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE.
HB 345SignedMinor-BrownThis Act requires Medicaid coverage for additional postpartum visits with a doula upon recommendation of a licensed practitioner or clinician.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO COVERAGE FOR DOULA SERVICES.
HS 2 for HB 273 w/ SA 1SignedDorsey WalkerThis Substitute bill adds 5 additional speech-language diagnosis to the 2 diagnoses listed in H.B. 273 and references that all 7 speech-language diagnoses are classified in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) for billing purposes. This Substitute bill broadens the definition of “child” from 1 year to first grade to include all children from birth to age 18. This Substitute bill deletes the definition of carrier since the term is not referred to in these new sections and clarifies that Section 2 refers to group and blanket health insurance policies not individual health policies. This Substitute bill also clarifies that the Act applies to all health insurance contracts delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed after December 31, 2024.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO HEALTH COVERAGE FOR SPEECH THERAPY.
HB 349SignedBushThis bill codifies that the Superior Court Veterans’ Treatment Court is a qualified rehabilitation program under § 4177D of Title 21 of the Delaware Code for persons seeking to have their driver's licenses reinstated after a DUI. This Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE VETERANS' TREATMENT COURT.
HS 1 for HB 19SignedMorrisonThis Act creates a background special license plate for the United Way of Delaware Pride Council. A background special license plate supports a cause and is available for purchase by the public at large, including members of the organization. The numbers, letters, or both, assigned will be the same as the license plate assigned to the owner’s vehicle at the time of the application for the plate. This Act requires a greater-than-majority vote for passage because Article VIII, § 11 of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of 3/5 of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly when a new tax or license fee is imposed.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES.
SB 270SignedParadeeThis Act is the statutory recognition of the recommendations set forth in the June 2, 2023, report of the DEFAC Benchmark Evaluation and Review Panel. This Act builds on the State’s existing appropriation limit methodology by formalizing and maintaining the flexibility inherent in the Budget Stabilization Fund process currently enabled by Executive Order No. 21, approved on June 30, 2018, and the last 6 operating budget acts, including § 65 of the fiscal year 2024 Operating Budget Act. Acknowledging this process in statute includes defining rules for deposits to and withdrawals from the Budget Stabilization Fund and adding an objective and stable measure of sustainable budget growth through an advisory index comprised of certain State economic indicators. This Act requires that only the Governor’s recommended Budget Appropriation Bill consider this methodology and detail proposed plans, if any, deemed necessary or desirable in relation to state revenues or reserve funding. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO BUDGET AND FISCAL REGULATIONS, ESTABLISHING A BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND, DEFINING DEPOSIT AND WITHDRAWAL STANDARDS FOR THE FUND, AND IMPOSING DEPOSIT AND WITHDRAWAL NORMS THROUGHOUT THE ANNUAL GOVERNOR’S RECOMMENDED BUDGET PROCESS.
HB 374SignedK. JohnsonThis Act updates House Bill 455 from the 151st General Assembly by providing the same legal protections afforded providers of contraceptive and abortion services to providers of fertility treatment. In summary, this Act does the following: (1) Clarifies that medical professionals who provide fertility treatment care cannot be disciplined for such services even if such services are illegal or considered to be unprofessional conduct or the unauthorized practice of medicine in another state, so long as such services are lawful in this State; (2) Prohibits health care providers from disclosing communications and records concerning fertility treatment without the patient’s authorization in any civil action or proceeding, with some exceptions; (3) Protects health care providers from out-of-state civil actions relating to fertility treatment that is legal in Delaware, including the issuance of a summons or the enforcement of subpoenas relating to such cases; (4) Creates a cause of action for recouperation of out-of-state judgments relating to fertility treatment that is lawful in Delaware; and (5) Prohibits insurance companies from taking any adverse action against health care professionals who provide fertility treatment and services.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FERTILITY TREATMENT.
HS 1 for HB 326SignedBaumbachThis is a substitute for House Bill No. 326. Non-profit hospitals are granted tax-exempt status on the premise that they serve a vital role in promoting the health and well-being of the communities they serve. Community benefit spending is a means by which hospitals fulfill this obligation. Such spending includes activities like providing uncompensated care, supporting medical research, offering health education and prevention programs, subsidizing community clinics, and addressing social determinants of health. Like House Bill No. 326, this substitute bill requires Delaware’s non-profit hospitals to provide the state and public with an annual report outlining their community benefits spending, bringing Delaware in line with 31 other states, including all of Delaware’s neighboring states, that require reporting. Like House Bill No. 326, this substitute bill defines “community benefits program,” outlines the minimum contents that must be included in a community benefits activity report, and requires that the report be made available to the public. This substitute contains provisions allowing the report to be submitted electronically to State officials on an annual basis. It differs from the original bill in that the deadline for submitting the report is changed from January 31 of each year to 30 days after a hospital files a federal Form 990. This substitute also contains technical changes to reference and accord with appropriate law and regulations, and broadens the list of information that must be included in the community benefits report. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATED TO THE DELAWARE HEALTH CARE COMMISSION.
SB 274SignedPettyjohnAffordable housing is key to building strong communities and neighborhoods. This act provides that the developer of a residential subdivision is provided a percentage credit towards the expense of offsite improvements to state-maintained highways consistent with the percentage of units set aside for affordable housing in a residential subdivision project.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 17 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ACCESS TO STATE-MAINTAINED HIGHWAYS.
SA 1 to HS 2 for HB 273PassedLockmanThis amendment clarifies that the coverages mandated by this bill may be subject to standard policy provisions such as deductibles, coinsurance, allowable charge limitations, coordination of benefits, or provisions restricting coverage to services by a licensed, certified, or carrier-approved provider or facility. 
SB 309 w/ SA 1SignedGayThis Act adopts the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act of 2023 (UHCDA 2023) to supersede the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act of 1993, which Delaware enacted in 1996. The UHCDA 2023 was authored by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) and was developed in a multiyear collaborative and non-partisan process to modernize and expand on the 1993 version of the act. The UHCDA 2023 maintains processes to address how health-care decisions can be made by or on behalf of individuals who lack capacity, including: (1) Allowing individuals to appoint agents to make health-care decisions for them should they become unable to make those decisions for themselves. (2) Allowing individuals to provide their health-care professionals and agents with instructions about their values and priorities regarding their health care and to indicate medical treatment they do or do not wish to receive. (3) Authorizing certain people to make health-care decisions for individuals incapable of making their own decisions, but who have not appointed agents. (4) Setting forth agent, default surrogate, and health-care professional rights and duties. The UHCDA 2023 reflects substantial changes in how health care is delivered, increases in non-traditional familial relationships and living arrangements, the proliferation of the use of electronic documents, the growing use of separate advance directives exclusively for mental health care, and other recent developments. Some updates to the Act include: (1) Removal of administrative barriers that make the creation of an advance health-care directive more difficult. (2) Addition of provisions to guide determinations of incapacity, which is important because an agent’s or default surrogate’s (surrogate’s) authority to make health-care decisions for a patient typically commences when the patient lacks capacity to make decisions. The Act modernizes the definition of capacity so that it accounts for the functional abilities of an individual and clarifies that the individual may lack capacity to make one decision but retains capacity to make other decisions. (3) Authorizing the use of advance directives exclusively for mental health care. (4) Modernizing default surrogate provisions that allow family members and certain other people close to a patient to make decisions in the event the patient lacks capacity and has not appointed a health-care agent. The new default surrogate provisions update the priority list in the 1993 Act to reflect a broader array of relationships and family structures. They also provide additional options to address disagreements among default surrogates who have equal priority. (5) Clarifying the duties and powers of surrogates. For example, to reduce the likelihood that an individual’s health-care needs will go unmet due to financial barriers, the Act authorizes a surrogate to apply for health insurance for a patient who does not have another fiduciary authorized to do so. (6) Modernizing the optional model form to be readily understandable and accessible to diverse populations. The form gives individuals the opportunity to readily share information about their values and goals for medical care. Thus, it addresses a common concern raised by health-care professionals in the context of advance planning: that instructions included in advance directives often focus exclusively on preferences for particular treatments, and do not provide health-care professionals or surrogates with the type of information about patients’ goals and values that could be used to make value-congruent decisions when novel or unexpected situations arise. The form addresses these concerns by providing options for individuals to indicate goals and values, in addition to specific treatment preferences. This Act also adopts some of the optional provisions suggested by the ULC, including that an agent or surrogate has limited ability to consent to the long-term placement of an individual in a nursing home without express authorization. Specifically, without express authorization, the agent or surrogate may not consent to the placement for more than 100 days over the individual’s contemporaneous objection unless (1) no alternative living arrangement is reasonably feasible or (2) the individual is terminally ill. The ULC suggested 100 days in recognition that the federal Medicare program covers up to 100 days of nursing home care for qualified beneficiaries. This Act does not authorize mercy killing, assisted suicide, or euthanasia. In addition to style changes throughout, this Act makes some modifications to the UHCDA 2023 that are consistent with Act and should not disrupt uniform interpretation. These modifications include: (1) Revising language to conform to Delaware court practices. (2) Providing surrogates with the authority to file insurance or benefit claims on behalf of the individual and to appeal such outcomes, in addition to the UHCDA 2023 allowance for a surrogate to apply for insurance or benefits on behalf of the individual. As under the UHCDA 2023, a surrogate does not have the duty to perform these actions and may only do so if no other fiduciary is authorized to do so. (3) Creating an additional disqualification that disallows a potential surrogate from serving if the individual has a pending Protection From Abuse petition against the potential surrogate, the individual has a Protection From Abuse order against the potential surrogate, or the potential surrogate is the subject of a civil or criminal order prohibiting or limiting contact with the individual. Section 2 of this Act adds a new Chapter 25B to the Delaware Code. Chapter 25B will contain Delaware-specific supplements to the UHCDA 2023. These Delaware-specific additions are being placed within their own chapter to promote uniform interpretation of the UHCDA 2023. Chapter 25B includes § 2502B, which relates to health-care institution authorization to petition for guardianship for an individual to whom the institution is providing care. Section 2502B reinforces the work of the Non-Acute Medical Guardianship Task Force, created by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 30 by the 150th General Assembly. That task force’s work resulted in the current § 2519 of Title 16, which offers a process and timeline whereby health-care institutions can take steps to help obtain a guardianship for patients who no longer require acute care and can be transferred to another type of health-care setting. While § 2502B retains the ability for a health-care institution to address the discharge of long-term stay patients without an authorized decisionmaker, it modifies the powers in the current § 2519 by doing all of the following: (1) Allowing health-care institutions to petition of the appointment of a guardian in instances beyond where an individual no longer needs acute care. (2) Reiterating that the health-care institution may only petition if they believe there is no less restrictive alternative that will meet the individual’s needs. (3) Streamlining notice requirements and changing who must receive these notices so that a health-care institution does not send a notice if there is a reasonably available surrogate. If there is a reasonably available surrogate and there is a dispute between the surrogate and the health-care institution about the treatment or level of care needed by an individual, then the parties should seek judicial relief under § 2526 of the UHCDA 2023 as opposed to using the guardianship process. The new Chapter 25B also contains a provision to encourage public awareness and use of advance mental health-care directives. Sections 3 through 11 of this Act update the Delaware Code in light of the adoption of the UHCDA 2023 by updating internal citations, updating terms to match the terms used in the UHCDA 2023, and ensuring a consistent list of default surrogate decisionmakers. This Act is effective immediately and is to be implemented 1 year from the date of enactment. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 12 AND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO HEALTH-CARE DECISIONS.
HCR 155PassedMorrisonThis concurrent resolution recognizes the month of June 2024 as Pride Month in the state of Delaware.RECOGNIZING THE MONTH OF JUNE 2024 AS PRIDE MONTH IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
SA 1 to SB 309PassedGayThis Amendment does all of the following: 1. Combines the list of health-care professionals who may make capacity determinations and the requirements for making those determinations into a single list, and makes corresponding internal citation changes. 2. Corrects a typographical error. 3. Since 50% of all holders of Delaware driver's licenses and identification cards have already indicated their preferences about organ donation via their driver’s license or identification card, the Optional Form is amended to remind individuals that they may have already indicated their preference and to reinforce that no decision needs to be inserted in this part of the form. 4. Clarifies that § 2523 of Title 16 must not be construed to provide immunity for health care that does not meet the generally accepted health-care standards applicable to the health-care professional or institution. This clarification is made because § 2523 covers process decisions, such as whether a professional complies or doesn't comply with a directive or instruction, not the underlying health care or the quality of that health care. 5. Makes this Act effective 1 year from the Act's enactment and corresponding changes. 
HCR 152PassedLonghurstThis concurrent resolution recognizes and honors the young women of Delaware participating in the 2024 session of Delaware Girls State.HONORING THE YOUNG WOMEN FROM ACROSS THE STATE OF DELAWARE PARTICIPATING IN THE 2024 SESSION OF DELAWARE GIRLS STATE.
SS 1 for SB 247SignedHuxtableThis Act creates a clearer and workable system for ensuring that manufactured home communities with health and safety violations and conditions that threaten the health and safety of people in the community cannot continue to raise rents on residents without fixing the conditions and providing a safe community for its residents. This substitute differs from the original bill in that it does the following: (1) Adds definitions to § 7003 for the whole chapter. (2) Creates a section that provides requirements for what a community owner must do when it receives a citation or experiences a failure of services related to water, sewer, or utilities distributed by the community owner, including having to fix the problem within 10 days or give detailed reasons why it cannot be completed in that timeframe as well as provide a surety bond for 150% of the estimated cost if it cannot be done in that timeframe. (3) Specifies that a community owner cannot impose a rent increase if it does not comply with the requirements of new section governing such repairs. (4) Changes the court in which community owners may dispute a citation for purposes of receiving a rent increase from Superior Court to the Justice of the Peace Court. This Substitute also makes the new version of § 7051A sunset on July 1, 2026. It reinserts the current version of § 7051A into the code on July 1, 2026, when the new version sunsets. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 25 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MANUFACTURED HOUSING.

Legislation Passed By House of Representatives

BillCurrent StatusSponsorSynopsisTitle
HB 87 w/ HA 1 + SA 2SignedCarsonThis Act establishes the Delaware Agricultural Production Assistance Program. The Program will provide a subsidy of up to 30% of the premium for eligible producers’ multi-peril crop insurance premium, or whole farm revenue protection premium up to a maximum of $10.00 per acre. The subsidy would be directly paid by the Delaware Department of Agriculture to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation on behalf of Delaware eligible producers. The Department would administer the Program. The Act requires the Department to provide an annual Report to the Chairs of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO A DELAWARE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION INSURANCE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
HA 1 to HB 124PassedMorrisonThis Amendment excludes service dogs from restrictions on barking dogs when the dog is engaged in performing its duties as a service dog. 
HB 155 w/ HA 3, HA 1 to HA 3 + SA 1 + HA 4SignedGriffithThis bill makes the unsafe storage of a firearm in a vehicle a class A misdemeanor if the person knowingly leaves a firearm unattended in a vehicle and the firearm is not stored in a locked box or container, a firearms rack that is on the motor vehicle, or locked in the trunk. This bill also provides that compliance with unsafe storage of a firearm in a vehicle is a defense to carrying a concealed deadly weapon. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO OFFENSES INVOLVING DEADLY WEAPONS AND DANGEROUS INSTRUMENTS.
HB 265 w/ HA 2, HA 3, HA 4, HA 6, HA 7CommitteeMichael SmithThis act requires a commercial entity that knowingly or intentionally provides pornography and other materials defined as harmful to minors to verify the age of individuals accessing the material. Civil liability and a civil penalty are imposed on commercial entities that fail to comply with verification requirements. Additionally, an internet provider or user of an interactive computer service on the internet is not subject to liability. This act is modeled after similar laws in Virginia, Utah, and Louisiana.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 6 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CIVIL LIABILITY AND CIVIL PENALTY FOR PUBLISHING OR DISTRUBITON OF MATERIAL HARMFUL TO MINORS ON THE INTERNET.
SB 235SignedHansenThis Act brings the State in compliance with the federal regulation published by FMCSA on October 7, 2021, to establish a national drug and alcohol clearinghouse as mandated by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). This act established requirements for Division access to and use of driver-specific drug and alcohol program violation information contained in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The Act prohibits the Division from issuing, renewing, upgrading, or transferring a commercial driver license (CDL) or commercial learner’s permit (CLP), as applicable, for any individual prohibited under FMCSA regulations from driving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), due to one or more drug and alcohol program violations. In addition, the Division must, upon notification that a driver is prohibited from operating a CMV due to a drug and alcohol program violation, initiate the downgrade process to remove the CLP or CDL privilege from the driver’s license within 60 days. This Federal requirement must be enacted by states by November 18, 2024.AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 26, TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL DRIVERS LICENSE ACT.
SB 238SignedGayThis Act adds "victim of kidnapping" to the definition section of the Address Confidentiality Act, allowing for kidnapping victims to become eligible for the protections offered by the Address Confidentiality Program. This amendment is recommended and supported by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to better protect kidnapping victims and their families. 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 PROTECTION OF CRIME VICTIMS.
SCR 130PassedBrownThis Resolution proclaims June 19, 2024, as "Juneteenth National Independence Day" in Delaware and encourages the people of Delaware to reflect upon the significant roles and many contributions of African Americans, and to celebrate this day with appropriate activities and events.RECOGNIZING JUNE 19, 2024, AS "JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
SS 1 for SB 252SignedSturgeonSenate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 252 is identical to Senate Bill No. 252 except that SS 1 for SB 252 corrects a spelling error in the synopsis to avoid confusion. This Act requires that the Department of Education (Department) perform audits of educator preparation programs (program) to assess compliance with the evidence-based reading instruction requirements, known as the "science of reading", that were enacted on June 30, 2021, by Senate Bill No. 133 (151st). If a program is not compliant with these requirements, the audit findings must specifically identify each area in which the program is not compliant, and the Department must require that the program take corrective action for each non-compliant area. If a program is compliant with all of the science of reading requirements, the Department shall award the program a specific distinction. This Act also requires that the Department use these audits to identify how teacher preparation in reading instruction can be improved and that the audit findings be included in the reports the Department already publishes about educator preparation programs.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 RELATING TO EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS.
HA 2 to HB 291PassedMorrisonThis Amendment deletes the requirement for a donor's employer and job title to be included in a political committee's financial report to the Department of Elections. This Amendment also requires a party reporting a campaign finance violation, who has knowingly accepted an unlawful contribution, to return the unlawful contribution to the donor as opposed to sending it to the State Treasurer for deposit into the General Fund. 
SB 285SignedBrownThis bill eliminates the requirement that Justice of the Peace Court constables reside within the State of Delaware. The residency requirement was established when Constables were independent officers, and had their own bonding requirements and penalties for failure to do the business of the Court. Constables are now employees of the Justice of the Peace Court and the residency requirement is no longer needed. The removal of the requirement will allow the Justice of the Peace Court to recruit from a larger pool of candidates and to retain existing trained and skilled employees. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR JUSTICE OF THE PEACE COURT CONSTABLES.
HA 2 to HB 265PassedMichael SmithThis amendment strikes 2 words that are not necessary to define "material harmful to minors". 
HA 3 to HB 265PassedMichael SmithThis amendment defines the term "substantial portion" to be more than 33 1/3 of total material on a website that meets the definition of material harmful to minors. This is the same percentage and definition as used by the State of Virginia. 
HA 4 to HB 265PassedMichael SmithThis amendment exempts libraries in the state that are subject to the Delaware Children's Internet Protection Act (Chapter 66C, Title 29) from liability under this act. 
HB 400CommitteeBoldenThis Act moves the date of primary elections for statewide office, county office, and municipal office to the fourth Tuesday in April, which is the date of the presidential primary (in presidential election years). The dates for submitting and withdrawing notification of candidacy have been adjusted accordingly, as have the dates for notice of filing fees and background checks. Section 4 changes the “closed” period in which a voter is not allowed to change his or her political affiliation to match the 60-day limit in 15 Del. C. § 3189 for presidential primaries. This Act is applicable to all primary elections after December 31, 2025. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PRIMARY ELECTIONS.
SS 1 for SB 304SignedSturgeonThis Act makes changes to nonacademic training requirements for school district and charter school personnel to help ensure that mandatory trainings are relevant to student needs and based on best practices. While nonacademic mandatory trainings are essential to addressing critical issues facing Delaware students, school personnel have expressed concerns related to the time burden and relevance of required trainings. Streamlining and modernizing such trainings could enhance their effectiveness and allow school personnel to spend more time meeting the needs of students. To that end, this Act makes the following changes to nonacademic training requirements for school district and charter school personnel: (1) School bullying prevention and criminal youth gang detection training hours are reduced from 3 hours every 3 years to 1 hour every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment. (2) Suicide prevention training hours are reduced from 4½ hours every 3 years to 3 hours every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment. (3) Teen dating violence and sexual assault training hours for school administrators, nurses, and counselors serving students in grades 7 through 12 are reduced from 2 hours every 3 years to 1 hour every 3 years, and new employees must complete 1 hour of training within 1 year of employment. This Act also directs the entities that developed these trainings to work in collaboration with the Department of Education (“the Department”) to review mandatory training programs every 3 years, at a minimum, and update the programs as necessary to ensure that they are relevant to student needs and consistent with best practices. The Department is also responsible under the Act for developing regulations that create a schedule for all trainings under § 4162 of Title 14. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 differs from Senate Bill No. 304 in that it requires the entities that developed the trainings to work in collaboration with the Department to review and potentially update the trainings. In contrast, Senate Bill. No. 304 would require the Department to take the lead in revising and updating trainings in consultation with these other entities. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 also adds an effective date for § 4163 of Title 14 at line 31, to reflect a recent change to the effective date of the statute. Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 304 makes minor 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 REGULATORY PROVISIONS FOR NONACADEMIC TRAINING AND RELATED RESOURCES.
SCR 181PassedMantzavinosThis resolution recognizes June 15, 2024, as "Elder Abuse Awareness Day" in Delaware.RECOGNIZING JUNE 15, 2024, AS "DELAWARE ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY".
SCR 183PassedWilsonThis Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes September 2024 as "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.RECOGNIZING SEPTEMBER 2024 AS "PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
SCR 186PassedPinkneyThis Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes the importance of community health workers as well as “Community Health Improvement Week” in the State of Delaware.RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS AND JUNE 10-14, 2024, AS "COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT WEEK" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
HA 6 to HB 265PassedMichael SmithThis amendment requires the plaintiff to prove the commercial entity that publishes or distributes material harmful to minors did so "knowingly and intentionally" instead of "knowingly or intentionally". This sets a higher burden of proof. 
HA 4 to HB 155PassedGriffithThis Amendment makes a technical correction, clarifying HA 3 at line 10, stating that it is a class A misdemeanor if an "unauthorized person" obtains access to the firearm and performs any of the enumerated acts with the firearm.  
HA 1 to HB 408PassedOsienskiThis Amendment to House Bill No. 408 makes the following changes to the provisions contained in House Bill No. 408: (1) It increases the fee for cultivation conversion licenses from $100,000 to $200,000. (2) It removes a 5% discount for up-front payment of the conversion license fee. (3) It changes the conversion license expiration period from 48 months to 24 months. (4) It requires applicants seeking a conversion license to operate a retail facility to provide an attestation that they will serve medical cardholders in accordance with the Medical Marijuana Act. (5) It provides additional criteria that conversion licensees must meet to operate a retail facility, which include continuing to operate the facility as a medical dispensing location, prioritizing the distribution of marijuana products to qualifying patients, maintaining or increasing the diversity of medical marijuana products available, providing product and pricing information to the Commissioner within 7 days of increasing the maximum price for any marijuana or marijuana product or a new product is being offered, and abide by an agreement to continue medical marijuana operations and to maintain an adequate and diverse supply as well as justifiable pricing with respect to medical marijuana and medical marijuana products. (6) It requires conversion licensees with cultivation or manufacturing conversion licenses to provide monthly wholesale pricing information to the Commissioner.  
HA 1 to HB 431PassedSpiegelmanThis amendment restricts the Department's scope under this bill to the purpose of controlling invasive species and pathogens. 
HA 7 to HB 265PassedMichael SmithThis amendment clarifies that an interactive computer service, information service, or telecommunications service is not subject to liability under this act.  
HA 2 to HB 408PassedDorsey WalkerThis amendment makes clear that all funds derived from the issuance of conversion licenses must solely be used as a source of financial assistance to social equity applicants.  

Senate Committee Assignments

Committee
Elections & Government Affairs
Environment, Energy & Transportation
Executive
Finance
Health & Social Services
Judiciary

House Committee Assignments

Committee
Appropriations
Revenue & Finance

Senate Committee Report

Committee
Agriculture
Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology
Education
Environment, Energy & Transportation
Executive
Finance
Health & Social Services
Housing & Land Use
Judiciary
Legislative Oversight & Sunset

House Committee Report

Committee
Administration
Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce
Health & Human Development
Judiciary
Labor
Sunset Committee (Policy Analysis & Government Accountability)

Senate Defeated Legislation

No Senate Defeated Legislation

House Defeated Legislation

No House Defeated Legislation

Nominations Enacted upon by the Senate

NomineeStatusCommission/BoardReappointment
Agra, Arturo F.ConfirmedTrustee, Board of Pension TrusteesReappointment
D'Anna, Vincent P.ConfirmedMember, Industrial Accident BoardReappointment
Hawkins, KathleenConfirmedTrustee, University of Delaware Board of Trustees, Non GubernatorialReappointment
Marquardt, Claire DeMatteisConfirmedTrustee, University of Delaware Board of TrusteesReappointment
Massey, Lydia E.ConfirmedMember, Unemployment Insurance Appeal BoardNew
Mieczkowski, Francis E.ConfirmedCommissioner of the Family Court in and for New Castle CountyReappointment
Paradee, John W.ConfirmedUniversity of Delaware Board of Trustees, Non GubernatorialReappointment
Pyott, Mardi F.ConfirmedJudge of the Family Court in and for Kent CountyReappointment
Ratchford, MichaelConfirmedCommission of the Delaware River and Bay AuthorityReappointment
Simpler, Kenneth A.ConfirmedTrustee, Board of Pension TrusteesReappointment