Rep. Joseph E. Miro

This Act permits wine producers holding a valid license within this State or another state to obtain a license and ship wine directly to Delaware consumers so long as it is done through a common carrier with a carrier permit. This Act requires that wine producers pay the taxes normally due for wines; limits the amount of wine that a direct shipper of wine can sell to a single household to 3 9-liter cases per year; and limits the total amount of wine that the direct shipper of wine can ship directly to Delaware consumers to 1,800 9-liter cases annually. This Act requires the signature of a person 21 years of age or older before delivery of the wine and to receive training regarding how to deliver wine responsibly.

This bill makes a technical correction to House Bill 53 enacted earlier this session. It would make the original intent clear that these firework devices can be sold and used on July 4, December 31, and January 1.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution does all of the following: (1) Recognizes Diwali as an important festival. (2) Recognizes and appreciates religious diversity in India and the United States. (3) Supports the friendship and cooperation between the United States and India. (4) Acknowledges the onset of Diwali and expresses its warmest wishes to those celebrating Diwali in Delaware, the United States, India, and throughout the world.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution creates a Delaware Youth Drug Prevention Curriculum Task Force to examine available drug prevention programs and to recommend a course of action to educate our youth about the dangers of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use to reduce the chance that youth will experiment with these substances.

This Act requires each public school district to equip the schools within their respective jurisdictions with an adequate number of panic buttons that may be used to immediately alert local law enforcement authorities of a security threat at a school. Once activated, the required silent alarm system will immediately alert authorities without simultaneously activating an audible alarm within the school building.

As a public school safety measure, this bill requires that any door to a classroom will be equipped with a lock that can be locked from either side of the door. Many doors are currently not capable of locking from the inside. Locking the door(s) to a classroom from inside the classroom would enable precluding a school intruder from entering that classroom. The Act permits schools 5 years from the date of enactment to bring existing structures into compliance with this requirement. New construction and major renovations must comply with the requirement immediately upon enactment.

This bill removes two out-of-date sections of the Division of Motor Vehicles' code. The first section to be deleted relates to a prohibition against a person displaying any card, sign, insignia, etc. of the Delaware Automobile Association unless they are a member of that Association. DMV believes the Association no longer exists as a separate entity. The second section relates to requirements for any vehicle provided by a railroad company that is used to transport railroad employees. DMV advises this section has never been enforced to anyone's knowledge.

This Act requires all new school construction and schools undergoing major renovations to incorporate the following safety features: a secured vestibule to be used as the primary entrance to screen visitors, installation of ballistic resistant glass or other ballistic resistant materials in all areas used to screen visitors, installation of a panic button or intruder alert system, and classroom doors that can be locked on the outside with a key or magnetic card locking system. Further, the Act provides that the Office of Management and Budget Facilities Management Section shall coordinate a review of construction plans with the Department of Homeland Security to verify compliance with this Act and evaluate the security and safety of new schools and schools planning major renovations. This Act shall be known as the “Representative Joseph E. Miro School Safety Act.” This bill is a substitute for and differs from House Bill 49 by using industry standard terms, requiring the installation of a panic button or intruder alert system, requiring that the Department of Education and Comprehensive School Safety Program annually provide best practices for ballistic and alarm capabilities to school districts and Facilities Management, and ensuring compliance with fire prevention regulations.

This Act is the first leg of a Constitutional Amendment reflecting the recommendations of the Advisory Panel to the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC) on Potential Fiscal Controls and Budget Smoothing Mechanisms established as per House Joint Resolution 8 of the 149th General Assembly (Panel). This Act would build upon the State’s existing appropriation limit methodology by moving the Budget Reserve Account into a newly defined Budget Stabilization Fund, defining rules for deposits to and withdrawals from said Budget Stabilization Fund, and adding a check of the appropriation limit against an index comprised of relevant indicators of growth of the State’s economy. The Panel further recommended that any final adoption of the structural budget reforms included in this Act be accompanied by statutory enactment of structural reforms to the Personal Income Tax by broadening the tax base as initially recommended by the DEFAC Advisory Council of Revenues report dated May 2015 and further detailed in the Panel’s report dated June 1, 2018.