Currently, under § 718 of Title 7 of the Delaware Code, it is unlawful for an individual to hunt any wildlife, except migratory game birds, during deer season without displaying at least 400 square inches of hunter orange material. This Act requires the wearing of hunter orange by all individuals who are on public land designated for deer hunting during deer season by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control or the Department of Agriculture. Failure to wear hunter orange as required by this Act is a class D environmental violation, which is subject to a $50 to $100 fine for a first offense under § 1304(g) of Title 7 of the Delaware Code. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 28 of Article IV of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to create a new crime within the jurisdiction of the Justice of the Peace Court.
Sponsored bills
This Act amends the Fiscal Year 2021 Bond and Capital Improvements Act to (1) authorize a portion of funding previously allocated to the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation to be used for unrestricted operations; (2) authorize additional reimbursements from the Community Transportation Fund; (3) authorize the Secretary of State to rapidly complete restoration and maintenance projects and sell, transfer or acquire historic buildings and sites; (4) authorize New Castle County Vocational Technical School District to transfer non-obligated funds from Howard High School/1927 Building to St. Georges Technical High School and Delcastle Technical High School; (5) authorize funding previously allocated to the Peoples Settlement Association to be used for additional repairs; (6) authorize funding from the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund to be used for improvements at the Daniel S. Frawley Stadium; (7) authorize prior year contingency funding to ensure timely completion of a system for the Registrar of Regulations; (8) authorize the Department of Transportation to transfer funding for storm related repairs; (9) authorize the Department of Transportation to use Community Transportation Funds to maintain roads in the Knollac Acres community; and (10) authorize prior year contingency funding for the Rose Hill Community Center renovations project.
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes January 9, 2021, as "Law Enforcement Appreciation Day" in Delaware.
Title 3 and Title 7 do not currently define the term “farm” and Title 3 does not currently define the term “farm operations.” This Act defines “farm” and “farming operations” for the purposes of Title 3 and Title 7. This Act amends the definition of “farm operations” in Title 7 to make it consistent with the definition added to Title 3. Under this Act, “farm” means the land, buildings, and machinery used in a farm operation; “farm operations” means a condition or activity that occurs on a farm in connection with the production of agriculture, livestock, dairy, poultry, or aquacultural products for sale and has annual sales of at least $2,000.
Under the current language of Section 2.301, it is unclear what constitutes a "term" when computing term limits and determining a potential candidate's eligibility when they have previously filled a vacancy on the Council. By adding the proposed language, there will be a clear standard for determining whether a potential candidate has exceeded the two-term limit imposed by the Charter.
This Act supports veterinarians in their effort to protect people from rabies and to ensure the welfare of animals. This Act enables licensed veterinarians to exempt an animal from the mandated rabies vaccination, if the veterinarian determines, based on their professional judgement, that the vaccine would endanger the animal's health and a titer test may be administered to assist in determining the necessity of the vaccine.
This Act brings the Division of Motor Vehicles into compliance with federal law by allowing a commercial learner permit to be issued for a period of up to 1 year. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act mandates that the Department of Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to establish Maximum Contaminant Levels for specific contaminants found in drinking water in this state. Such contaminants include PFOA and PFOS, which are man-made chemicals that have been used in industries in this state. These chemicals were found to be associated with increased risks of chronic diseases. The Environmental Protection Agency, thus far, has not established a maximum contaminant levels, but only health advisories. The establishment of maximum contaminant levels is essential in order to protect the health and safety of all Delawareans from dangerous contaminants in drinking water.
This Act promotes the expansion of licensure opportunities in Delaware while maintaining standards of competence and professionalism required for the protection of the citizens of Delaware. The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers. It develops, administers, and scores the examinations used for engineering licensure in the United States. Most recently, NCEES has recommended that states broaden access to licensure subject to rigorous competency requirements. For example, Delaware has historically recognized EAC of ABET-accredited (Engineering Accreditation Commission of the former Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) programs as the gold standard for engineering education. NCEES has recommended that graduates of engineering programs accredited by signatories of the Washington Accord be afforded the same recognition as EAC of ABET graduates. The Washington Accord is an international agreement between bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programs. Signatories of the Accord mutually “recognize the substantial equivalency of participating organizations’ accreditation processes and their graduates’ preparedness to begin professional practice at the entry level.” ABET and Engineers Canada are signatories of the Accord among a total of 20 representing agencies from every continent. This Act will give holders of degrees from engineering programs accredited by Washington Accord signatories the same recognition as EAC of ABET graduates. The required engineering experience for such applicants will be four years. This Act also proposes modifications that would expand licensure comity. While many professions in Delaware use the term “reciprocity” to define the process whereby an individual licensed in one jurisdiction may become licensed in Delaware, the term “comity” is used in the licensing law for professional engineers. To promote international engineering licensure mobility, this Act provides that the Council may license an applicant who is an International Professional Engineer (IntPE), meaning that the applicant has been fully and rigorously evaluated and approved by the International Engineering Alliance (IEA). NCEES is a member of the IEA and the International Professional Engineers Agreement (IPEA). There are currently 15 other members of the IPEA including Engineers Canada. “The International Professional Engineers Agreement recognizes the substantial equivalency of standards establishing the competency of professional engineers for independent practice.” Engineers who are licensed by agencies that are members of IPEA undergo a rigorous application process for registration as IntPEs. NCEES is an IPEA member and maintains a registry of U.S. licensed engineers who have attained IntPE status. Engineers registered as IntPEs would be provided with the same eligibility for comity within the U.S. as would U.S. state-licensed engineers. This applicant will also need to present proof of five years of experience obtained after initial licensure. This Act further proposes that an applicant who has been designated as a Model Law Engineer by NCEES may be issued a license administratively on the basis that the applicant has already been vetted by the profession’s governing body. Other provisions pertaining to comity have been amended to make the Practice Act consistent with other statutes governing professional licensure. Specifically, the comity provision pertaining to licensure by experience has been revised to require five years of licensed experience rather than the current ten years. The standards for licensure by comity have been amended to ensure that the applicant has a current license in good standing from the originating jurisdiction. This Act clarifies the grounds for denial of an application to explicitly include discipline in another jurisdiction. This Act eliminates the requirement that licensees must acquire an embossing seal and allows them to choose a seal format, such as embossing, stamp or electronic. Finally, this Act strikes references to permits on the basis that compliance with temporary permit requirements is difficult for the Council to monitor. Further, as an alternative to the temporary permit, an expedited path to licensure will be available for applicants with the Model Law Engineer designation.