This Act relates to the police and fire pension fund provisions of Chapter 7, Title 18 of the Delaware Code. The Act clarifies that an eligible retiree must be alive on July 1 of each biennial payout year in order to receive the payment provided for in Section 708 of Chapter 7.
This Act represents the consensus agreement among the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the Department of Transportation, and stakeholders to provide the public with access to de-identified accident data. Access to the crash history of intersections will enable the public to weigh in on development discussions and roadway projects. This Act also clarifies when accident reports may be released and the purposes for which accident reports can be used. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 11(a) of Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to impose a fee and this Act codifies the existing practice of allowing a state law-enforcement agency to charge a reasonable fee for a copy of an accident report.
This Act would revise the definition of Committee to include the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware in the body that determines the treatment and disposition of Native American unmarked burials and human skeletal remains. This Act would also add a new definition of a Committee convened by the Director of the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs to address discoveries of non-Native American unmarked burials and human skeletal remains, including those of enslaved individuals and undetermined cultural affiliation. This Act also adds new definitions for “lineal descendant” and “proven kinship” to replace the undefined term “next of kin.” This Act would also clarify responsibilities of various parties and encourage preservation of unmarked burials in place, consistent with the purposes of the Chapter. This Act would make failure to report a discovery of remains a prohibited act. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual and removes erroneous references to “subchapter.”
This Act requires that prevailing wages be paid to laborers and mechanics working on all University of Delaware construction sites or renovation projects that exceed a certain cost. The prevailing wages are set by the Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Industrial Affairs, and apply to various classes of laborers and mechanics, according to the county in which the work is performed.
This Act makes clear that the Town of Delmar, Delaware is a public employer for purposes of the Police Officers' and Firefighters' Employment Relations Act, Chapter 16 of Title 19 of the Delaware Code, and Chapter 16 of Title 19 applies to the Town, including in a cooperative agreement between the Town of Delmar, Delaware and the Town of Delmar, Maryland.
This Act establishes a mental health services unit for Delaware elementary schools. The unit is at a ratio of 250 full-time equivalent students grades K-5 for a full-time school counselor, school social worker, or licensed clinical social worker. Additionally a unit ratio of 700 full time equivalent students for grades K-5 for employment of a full-time school psychologist. This Act defines “mental health services” as prevention, response, and coordination services delivered to students in elementary schools. Mental Health disorders are the most common health problem for school aged youth. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in five youth are affected by a mental health disorder. Additionally, 50% of lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14. Untreated mental illness leads to negative outcomes including increased risk of dropout, homelessness, substance abuse, other chronic illnesses, incarceration, and possibly suicide. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, ninety percent of people who have taken their own life have had an underlying mental health condition, and suicides are on the rise. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicides are now the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-14. Delaware schools need trained and experienced mental health professionals to provide prevention and support programs and services to students. Currently, as reported by Delaware school districts, 86% of elementary schools do not employ a school social worker, and ratios of students to school counselors and school psychologists far exceed national best practices. This bill will lower ratios and increase access to mental health services for elementary school students.
Section 1 of this Act modifies Delaware’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to allow recipients to choose the most beneficial credit to be applied against their Delaware Personal Income Taxes. Under this Act, recipients can choose between a non-refundable credit of up to 20% of the value of the corresponding federal EITC or a refundable EITC credit of up to 4.5% of the value of the corresponding federal EITC. Section 2 of this Act makes the change to Delaware’s EITC effective for the tax year in which the Secretary of Finance provides the Registrar of Regulations with notice that the personal income tax release of the Integrated Revenue Administration System is implemented. This delay in effective date is necessary to ensure that tax law changes can be properly and efficiently implemented in the Division of Revenue’s modernized Integrated Revenue Administration System, which is currently under development. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act creates emergency access to epinephrine that allows an institution of higher education to acquire and stock a supply of epinephrine autoinjectors if an employee or agent has completed a training program. This Act allows the individual who has completed the training program to provide an epinephrine autoinjector to someone experiencing anaphylaxis for immediate self-administration or administer an epinephrine autoinjector to someone experiencing anaphylaxis. Before an individual administers an epinephrine autoinjector under this Act, the individual must notify EMS immediately, and after administration, must report the administration to the prescribing health-care provider. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the creation of the new subchapter and to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual..
This Act establishes a Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program for new primary care providers to be administered by the Delaware Health Care Commission. Under the loan repayment program, the Health Care Commission may award education loan repayment grants to new primary care providers of up to $50,000 per year for a maximum of 4 years. Priority consideration may be given to DIMER-participating students and participants in Delaware based residency programs. Sites eligible to apply for grants on behalf of their new primary care providers must be located in underserved areas or areas of need and must accept Medicare and Medicaid participants. Grants to hospital sites must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by the applicant hospital and the disbursement of grants from the program is contingent upon an initial, one-time contribution to the Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program, in an amount Fiscal Year 21 appropriation of State funds up to a maximum of $1 million, from Delaware health insurers. This Act also provides that the Delaware Healthcare Commission may award Health Care Provider Repayment grants on a prorated annual basis.
This Act changes the current evaluation system for all teachers from the former Delaware Performance Appraisal System II evaluation to a new Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System. The goal of this new evaluation system is to build a culture of professionalism and learning within every school by converting the evaluation system from a teacher-focused to a learning-focused system. It also increases accountability by requiring a beginning, middle and end of the year review of both the teacher’s professional learning goals and student improvement goals. All teachers (not just 4-8 testing subjects) will be held accountable for student growth. The new evaluation system will only apply to teachers. Specialists and administrators will continue to be evaluated under the Delaware Performance Appraisal System II. Under this Act the new evaluation system will be phased in with a minimum of 3 local education agencies participating in a pilot program for academic year 2021-2022, which will sunset on June 30, 2022. Under Section 2 and 3 of this Act, effective academic year 2022-2023, all teachers will fall under the Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System and all specialists and administrators will be evaluated under Delaware Performance Appraisal System II.
