Rep. Eric Morrison

This legislation shall be known and may be cited as the “Load Forecast Accountability Act.” Recent reports by PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM), have highlighted that electricity demand across the PJM footprint, including Delaware, is projected to grow due to data centers, electrification of vehicles and buildings, and other large load additions. PJM recently projected that, by 2030, PJM expects to add 32 GW of load to the grid – 30 GW of which is attributable to data centers. PJM relies upon load forecasts submitted by Commission-regulated electric distribution companies in Delaware to establish system planning needs and capacity requirements which ultimately have costs associated with both. Accurate, transparent, load forecasting is essential to ensure the adequacy of electric supply, maintain system reliability, and protect Delaware consumers from unnecessary costs caused by overbuilding or underbuilding system resources. There is a critical need for the Delaware Public Service Commission to provide oversight of load forecasting inputs from Commission-regulated electric distribution companies, to ensure accuracy and transparency, and to coordinate with PJM and neighboring state regulators to prevent duplicative counting of projects and customer contracts. The purpose of this Act is to provide the Commission with authority and responsibility to: (1) Review and evaluate load forecasts submitted by Delaware Commission-regulated electric distribution companies to PJM; (2) Coordinate with PJM and other states to ensure accurate system-wide planning; and (3) Access all relevant materials, including confidential agreements, necessary to carry out this oversight. Under this Act, the Commission is required to submit a written report to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services no later than May 1 of each year on its progress in implementing this Act. This report must also be posted on the Commission’s website.

This Joint Resolution directs the Department of Education to compile and submit a comprehensive report regarding the workforce data and compensation of education support professionals for the most recent school year. The report must identify staffing levels, vacancies, average wages paid, and the number of employees earning below a $40 hourly wage threshold. The Department is further required to recommend pay scales that align with a minimum living wage and submit its findings to the General Assembly and relevant state offices by November 2, 2026.

This Act allows the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) to serve a non-custodial parent’s summons for family court hearings by any form of mail with proof of delivery, including using the United States Postal Service or other commercial delivery services such as Federal Express (FedEx) or United Parcel Service (UPS).

This Act requires that the Office of Management and Budget prepare an annual report regarding hiring for state large public works projects with an aggregate cost of $3 million or more. The information in these reports will help identify if Delaware workers, particularly individuals who live near a state public works project, are being hired to work on these projects and for how many hours. This information will also inform the Department of Labor regarding the trades for which trainings should be developed, including details such as if there is a need for training that acclimates aging workers to new technology or to develop youth workforce trainings to prepare future generations to meet employer needs.

In 2013, Congress enacted the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, 34 U.S.C. § 60105, which requires states to report to the U.S. Department of Justice the deaths of individuals who die in the custody of law enforcement. Failure to comply may result in the reduction of certain federal grant funds. In 2024, the Criminal Justice Council, which is responsible for ensuring Delaware's participation in the data collection required by the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, arranged for the Statistical Analysis Center to serve as the Criminal Justice Center's agent to coordinate and manage the logistics of this data collection. The Criminal Justice Council and Statistical Analysis Center issued guidance to law enforcement on the requirements of the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 and the process and procedures to be used to comply with these reporting requirements. This Act codifies the process and procedures established by the Criminal Justice Council and Statistical Analysis Center related to the reporting required by the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013. In addition, this Act requires compliance reporting and provides that a law-enforcement agency that fails to comply with this Act is ineligible for certain funding until the agency complies with this Act.

This Act updates Delaware laws relating to Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) prevention and control, much of which are outdated and do not reflect current research and medical practice. To that end, this Act does the following: (1) Clarifies that Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are to be treated in the same manner as STDs. (2) Removes the requirement that reportable STDs be reported to DPH within 1 working day. (3) Repeals the provision permitting the Director of DPH to examine a person suspected of being infected with an STD and to order that person to isolate or quarantine. (4) Repeals the provision relating to apprehending, committing, mandating treatment, and quarantine of an infected person. (5) Repeals the provision permitting the Director to bring an action in the Justice of the Peace Court when a person suspected of having an STD presents an imminent danger to public health. (6) Removes the provisions concerning the DOC and DPH isolating or quarantining persons with suspected or known STDs. (7) Provides that health care providers must provide STD and STI testing, but that a pregnant person may refuse testing. Documentation of refusal must be retained in the patient’s medical record along with documentation of test counseling. (8) Repeals the provision permitting a DPH investigator without a medical license to withdraw blood for test purposes. (9) Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act updates the electric vehicle rebate program administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in light of changes to federal policies and market forces affecting electric vehicle deployment. The bill provides the Department with additional flexibility to set rebate amounts and improve programmatic offerings. The bill also allows enhanced rebates for an eventual program targeting lower income families.

This Act requires the Department of Education, in collaboration with school districts, charter schools, and vocational-technical school districts, to make findings and recommendations regarding the advisability of incorporating Delaware homeschool students into public school extracurricular activities within the public school that the student would be attending based on residence if that student were enrolled in public school or within charter schools or vocational-technical school districts, including the creation of a pilot program. The Department shall report its findings and recommendations by December 31, 2027. This Act expires on the date of publication in the Register of Regulations of a notice that the Department has submitted its findings and recommendations. The Director of the Division of Legislative Services shall provide notice to the Registrar of Regulations. Since the legal effect of a joint resolution would expire on November 3, 2026 (the date the General Assembly expires), this reporting requirement is being placed in the Laws of Delaware so as to continue its legal effect until the submission of notice that the Department has submitted its findings and recommendations. This Act expires on the promulgation of notice of the report required in Section 3 of this Act being submitted, which is why the Laws of Delaware are being amended rather than a more permanent change in Title 14 of the Delaware Code.

This Act updates the requirements for Department of Education’s regulations for personnel records to include charter schools. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act extends certain limitations on the publication by law-enforcement of the name and photograph of crime suspects. Currently the Code prohibits the publication of the name and photograph of a juvenile suspect unless the juvenile is charged with a violent felony and the publication is necessary to protect the public’s safety. This Act would prohibit the release or publication of an adult suspect’s name or photograph unless the individual is charged with or suspected of a felony and the release is necessary to protect the public’s safety.