This Act corrects the language regarding veterans who received a general discharge under honorable conditions to be consistent with federal law and makes the surviving spouses of eligible veterans eligible for assistance from the Delaware Veterans Trust Fund.
This Act raises the first offense of purchasing or obtaining a firearm for someone not legally qualified to own, possess or purchase one from a Class F to a Class E Felony. This change is to deter such "straw purchases" by making jail time more likely for the offender, and consequently, to reduce the number of people who cannot legally possess firearms but obtain them in this manner.
This concurrent resolution proclaims the month of April, as “Nonprofit Impact Month” to affirm the importance of organizations in the nonprofit sector and the impact of their work for every citizen in our State, to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year, and to acknowledge our ongoing responsibility to support a robust social impact sector for citizens, communities, and economic development across the State.
This bill adds bump stocks and trigger crank devices to the list of firearms that may be safely removed from the community.
In 2016, according to the Division of Forensic Science, 308 people died from overdoses in Delaware. To address the devastating effects that the opioid epidemic has had on the citizens and families of the state of Delaware, this Act will: 1.) Impose a tax on the first sale of opioids in the State at a rate of 10% of the purchase price. Revenue generated from the tax will be used to support opioid addiction treatment options in Delaware, including residential programs, as well as to educate the public on the dangers of opioid addiction and available treatment options in Delaware; 2.) Direct civil legal settlement proceeds resulting from matters related to opioids be deposited to the Opiate Stewardship Fund; 3.) Authorize the Governor to appoint and fund the position of the newly-created Policy Advisor. The full-time Policy Advisor will serve at the pleasure of the Governor and will be tasked with addressing only opioid addiction-related matters; and 4.) Establish the Opiate Stewardship Advisory Council. The council will be charged with prioritizing where revenue generated from the opioid tax is best spent in order to assist those who are addicted, as well as their families. This council – building on the progress made by the Behavioral Health Consortium and other related medical and state agency committees – will be a separate entity that is responsible solely for advising in the treatment-related tasks of the newly-created Policy Advisor.
Delaware law currently prohibits tasting and sale of craft beer, distilled spirits, and wine at Farmers’ Markets or Agricultural Themed Events. The bill's intent is to allow tasting of products, offer limited purchase opportunities, and promote how local craft beverages benefit our agriculture industry and where to purchase the products year round. This bill allows holders of a “Farmers’ Market Permit or Agricultural Themed Event Permit” to conduct tastings and sell craft beer, mead, cider, distilled spirits, and wine in sealed containers for off-premise consumption at retail prices at off-site farmers’ markets or agricultural themed events during the months of April through November. This bill requires the Department of Agriculture to certify that the event is an Agricultural Themed Event or Farmers’ Market. No more than 5 Permit Holders may sell at a Farmers’ Market and no more than 8 Permit Holders may sell at Agricultural Themed Events.
This House Concurrent Resolution designates the 21st day of the Month of March, 2018 as “Rock Your Socks for World Down Syndrome Day” and celebrates the beauty and contributions that people with Down syndrome make in Delaware.
This Act is the first leg of a constitutional amendment that requires the General Assembly to wait 48 hours from the introduction of the budget appropriation bill, bond and capital improvement act, and act making appropriations for certain grants-in-aid bill, or any substantive amendment or substitute bill to such bills before voting on such legislation unless the General Assembly by a three-fourths vote waives this requirement. The purpose of this provision is to allow all interested persons, including legislators, a reasonable amount of time to review the three significant financial legislative acts before voting on such legislation. This restriction can be waived if three-fourths of each House of the General Assembly agrees to act in a shorter time period.
This bill updates Title 26 relating to the requirements for obtaining a certificate to operate in Delaware as a new electric transmission utility. This bill uses language similar to certificate requirements for water, wastewater, and other utility services under the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission (“Commission”). Due to recent changes in federal law, certain projects will now be available to entities both in and out of state. In order to perform this type of work in Delaware, a company will need to obtain a certificate from the Commission. Currently, there are no qualifications defined for the Commission to assess the impact a project of this nature will have on Delaware and its citizens. This bill will provide the Commission with the necessary authority to assess that impact and revoke a certificate in the future for good cause.
Providing sufficient surplus state revenue exists, this House Concurrent Resolution requests the Joint Finance Committee to restore to the FY 2019 Grants-in-Aid Bill funding that was removed from the appropriation at the start of the current fiscal year.
