| SB 46 | Committee | Mantzavinos | This Act prohibits any autonomous vehicle that requires a Class A commercial driver license without an O restriction from being operated on a Delaware highway for testing purposes, transporting goods, or transporting passengers without a human safety operator being physically present within the autonomous vehicle. A two-thirds vote requirement is required under Section 28 of Article IV of the Delaware Constitution.
| AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. |
| SB 61 w/ SA 1 | Committee | Hansen | This bill requires disclosure of votes cast at meetings of, or matters before, the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND VOTING BY MEMBERS OF THE PJM INTERCONNECTION REGIONAL TRANSMISSION ORGANIZATION. |
| SB 59 | Committee | Hansen | Public utilities are regulated monopolies. Practically speaking, a public utility has no competition in its service territory and, therefore, does not face the economic risks that a for-profit, non-utility company must face. By law, a public utility is authorized the opportunity to earn a reasonable rate of return on the costs it incurs in operating its business.
Under the current Public Utilities Code, in determining the rates that public utilities may charge customers, the Delaware Public Service Commission must apply the “business judgment rule” standard in deciding which costs may be included in a utility’s rate base. Forty-eight (48) states in the United States apply the “prudence” standard when setting utility rates, not the "business judgement rule" standard that is applied in Delaware. The more costs that are included in rate base, the higher the rates that are charged to utility customers. Under the “business judgment rule” standard, the Public Service Commission may not disallow the inclusion of a cost in rate base, even though the cost was incurred imprudently. For example, a utility may decide to expand the size of its facilities, but overbuilds those facilities at a cost of $3 million, even though a smaller $1 million expansion would be adequate to serve its customers and anticipated future growth. Under the business judgment rule, the Public Service Commission is not able to deny recovery of any part of the cost of the expanded facility and it will be included in rate base. Consequently, customer utility bills have been increasing and could continue to increase significantly. Amending the Public Utility Code so that the “prudence” standard applies, would give the Public Service Commission the ability to deny, in whole or in part, certain expenses and costs, which can lead to less frequent and less impactful rate increases. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND UTILITY RATES. |
| SB 60 w/ SA 2 | Committee | Hansen | This Act requires the Delaware Public Service Commission to ensure that all regulated utilities do not use customer funds to subsidize unregulated activities for example, lobbying activities, political contributions, charitable contributions, and certain advertising and public relations activities. This Act places a cap on annual capital expenses in the amount of $125 million for electric distribution companies. This Act also contains a severability clause. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND UTILITY RATES. |
| HCR 12 | Passed | D. Short | This Resolution pays tribute to the men and women of the Delaware National Guard for their service and sacrifices in support of defending our state and nation, and recognizes the outstanding advocacy provided by the National Guard Association of Delaware | HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE NATIONAL GUARD ASSOCIATION OF DELAWARE FOR THEIR SERVICE IN ADVOCATING, ORGANIZING, TRAINING, AND EQUIPPING THE NATIONAL GUARD IN SUPPORT OF THE DEFENSE OF OUR STATE AND NATION. |
| HCR 19 | Passed | Griffith | This House Concurrent Resolution designates the 21st day of the Month of March 2025 as “Rock Your Socks for World Down Syndrome Day” and celebrates the beauty and contributions that people with Down syndrome make in Delaware. | RECOGNIZING MARCH 21, 2025, AS "ROCK YOUR SOCKS FOR WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY". |
| SA 2 to SB 60 | Passed | Hansen | This amendment restricts a public utility from recovering from customers organizational or membership dues but only to the extent that the organization engages in lobbying or similar activities intended to influence the outcome of legislation, rules, ballot measures, or regulatory decisions. With respect to the $125 million dollar cap on annual capital expenses at lines 37 through 40 of the bill, this amendment adds an exception for emergency or extraordinary circumstances, including natural disasters and tariffs, that require the electric distribution company to incur greater capital expenses above the cap. | |
| SA 1 to SB 61 | Passed | Hansen | This amendment changes the reporting requirements in Senate Bill No. 61 for the disclosure of voting at meetings of, or matters before, the PJM Interconnection Regional Transmission Organization. | |
