Sen. Bryan Townsend

This Act makes security expenses an authorized campaign expenditure. The security expenses must be: (1) related to ensuring the safety of the candidate; and (2) associated with the candidate’s activities, duties, or status as a candidate or elected official. Security expenses include home or office electronic security systems, personal security, and other security-related equipment or devices for a candidate. Security expenses may not be used to purchase firearms. This Act requires that the Commissioner promulgate rules to implement this Act within 3 months.

This Act clarifies portions of Chapter 84 of Title 21 of the Delaware Code pertaining to new recreational vehicle, vessel, or new recreational trailer manufacturer-dealer agreements. The Act includes the following provisions: Definitions. The Act amends § 8401 of Title 21 and clarifies the definitions of "new recreational trailer" and "new recreational vehicle" and adds definitions of "all-terrain vehicle," "off-highway vehicle," "side-by-side vehicle," and "vessel." Written agreements. Manufacturers are required to specify in writing to their new recreational vehicle dealers licensed in the state the dealers' obligations for pre-delivery preparation, manufacturer-sponsored maintenance programs, manufacturer extended warranty, certified pre-owned warranty, manufacturer-issued service contracts, parts exchange programs, recall, and warranted service on the dealers' products. In addition, manufacturers must compensate their new recreational vehicle dealers for these services and provide the dealers with a schedule of compensation and the time allowances for the performance of the work and services. Termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, or alteration of a dealership. In the event a new recreational vehicle dealer terminates, cancels, or fails to renew a manufacturer-dealer agreement for good cause, and the manufacturer fails to cure the deficiencies, at the new recreational vehicle dealer's election and within 45 days of the termination, cancellation, or nonrenewal, the manufacturer must, in addition to its existing obligations, compensate the dealer for any transporting, handling, packing, storing, and loading of any returned parts, tools, and equipment. Warranty obligations. With respect to parts reimbursement, reasonable compensation to a new recreational vehicle dealer may not be less than the rate charged by the dealer for like services to nonwarranty customers for nonwarranty parts, service, or actual wholesale cost, plus a minimum 40% handling and the cost of any freight to return the warranty parts to the warrantor. A new recreational vehicle dealer must notify the warrantor within 180 days if it is unable to perform any warranty repairs. In addition, a schedule of compensation for warranty services must include reasonable compensation for diagnostic work, parts, repair service, and labor. Time allowances for the diagnosis and performance of warranty work and services must be reasonable and adequate. With respect to manufacturer-sponsored maintenance programs, manufacturer extended warranty, certified pre-owned warranty, manufacturer-issued service contracts, parts exchange programs, recall and warranty parts, and labor reimbursement, reasonable compensation may not be less than the rate charged by the dealer for like service to non-warranty customers for nonwarranty parts, services, and repairs. If a manufacturer furnishes a part of a component to a dealer at no or a reduced cost, the manufacturer must compensate the dealer in the same manner as warranty parts compensation, less the dealer cost for the part or component as listed in the manufacturer's price schedule. Association standing. An association that has at least 4 recreational vehicle dealers as members, substantially all of whom are new recreational vehicle dealers within the State, and that represents the collective interests of its members, has standing to file a petition or civil action against a manufacturer regulated under this chapter for itself or on behalf of any or all of its members. Such an association also has standing to intervene in an action against a manufacturer regulated under this chapter previously filed by an individual member or members of the association to enforce the provisions of this chapter. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 407, like the original, does all of the following: clarifies the ability of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to respond to emergent situations, expands the jurisdiction from which DNREC may file to recover costs, and makes certain changes to amounts deposited into the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act Fund. Section 1 provides definitions for “Abate,” “Emergency,” and “Removal Action.” Section 2 clarifies the ability of the Secretary or their authorized employees or agents to determine if an emergency exists and take immediate action to abate the emergency without obtaining public comment. Section 3 allows the Department to authorize removal actions to address releases without first obtaining public comment, and to incorporate the removal action into any proposed plan of remedial action by DNREC. Section 4 expands the jurisdiction of the courts which DNREC may bring enforcement actions and recover costs. Section 5 increases the civil penalty for each fraudulent act from up to $10,000 to $40,000. Section 6 extends the end date from January 1, 2029, to January 1, 2037, for monies to be deposited into the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act Fund (the “Fund.”) Section 7 provides the effective date of this legislation. This Substitute differs from the original House Bill No. 407 in that it removes references to the realty transfer tax.

This Substitute for House Bill No. 383 specifies by position title which Department of Transportation employees must be paid overtime after working 37.5 hours in a week beginning July 1, 2026.

This Act simplifies the licensing requirements for youth camps that are accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA) by requiring that the Department of Education's Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) deem a youth camp as meeting all equivalent health and safety requirements necessary for a youth camp license if the youth camp has ACA accreditation through August 30 of the current calendar year. By streamlining the OCCL licensing requirements for youth camps, this Act also increases the availability of summer child care that is eligible for provider reimbursement from the Purchase of Care (POC) program. Under existing OCCL regulations, a youth camp has the option of applying for either license exempt status or a license. To obtain a license, a youth camp must meet very detailed and specific requirements that are challenging, if not impossible, for many youth camps. ACA accreditation requires that a camp satisfies health and safety requirements that are similar and equivalent, but not identical, to the OCCL license requirements. However, an ACA accredited but license-exempt youth camp is unable to receive POC provider reimbursement because under the state plan for the federal Child Care and Development Fund, license exempt child care providers are not eligible for provider reimbursement. This Act also codifies the following policies that are in the current OCCL child care licensing regulations: • A youth camp license and the definition of “youth camp”. • The requirement that a youth camp must have a valid Division of Public Health permit to be licensed or approved as license exempt. • The school-age care, programs, and activities that are exempt from child care license requirements. This Act is effective immediately and § 3003A(c)(4)b. of Title 14 must be implemented no later than December 31, 2026. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Like Senate Bill No. 278, Senate Substitute No. 1 for SB 278 requires that the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) regulations for Purchase of Care (POC), this State's child care assistance program, provide authorization for a child care provider that a child will attend during the summer at any time after January 1 because current regulations do not provide authorization for summer care early enough for families to enroll children in summer camps before camps are full. SS 1 for SB 278 differs from SB 278 as follows: • Does not codify the POC eligibility for children in the custody of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families. • Revises the requirement that a summer child care provider must be authorized after January 1 so it clearly applies to all children receiving POC assistance. • Clarifies that an authorization for a summer child care provider must be provided in addition to all provider authorizations for the child’s care during the school year. Like SB 278, SS 1 for SB 278 does all of the following: • Adds the name of this State's child care assistance program, "Purchase of Care" or "POC" to Chapter 5 of Title 31. • Codifies the current policy that parent copayments are determined based on household size and income. • Requires that parent copayments also be based on whether the child receives assistance for a full or half day of child care. • Provides that the authorization for a summer child care provider provided in advance of attendance may be for purposes of enrollment only and is subject to meeting eligibility requirements at the time the child attends. • Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Act is effective immediately because under § 10113 of Title 29, amendments that make existing regulations consistent with changes in basic law are exempt from the procedural requirements under the Administrative Procedures Act.

This Act clarifies and streamlines the disclosure and enforcement provisions of Delaware’s campaign finance laws. Among other things, this Act does the following: (1) Requires a political committee to submit written documentation of all loans provided to the committee and requires that proceeds of a loan are deposited into the committee’s account within 3 business days. (2) Prohibits candidates from charging interest on personal loans to a candidate committee. (3) Requires political committees to retain records for 5 years, rather than 3 years. (4) Requires the State Election Commissioner to provide the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust (within the DOJ) with a monthly list of alleged violations of campaign finance laws and further clarifies that the Division must investigate and prosecute violations of campaign finance laws. (5) Expands the 1-time extension permitted for filing tardy reports from 24 hours to 48 hours after the reporting deadline. (6) Requires the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust to submit an annual report of its activity to the Governor and the General Assembly. (7) Authorizes the Commissioner to create regulations relating to political committee audits. (8) Requires the Commissioner to create a mandatory biennial training program for candidates and treasurers. (9) Prohibits political committees from engaging in campaign finance activities 30 days after the issuance of a citation if the citation has not been resolved in that time.

Of the 41 states with a state income tax, 27 states fully exempt military retirement pay from state income taxes and 12 states partially exempt military retirement pay. In 2022, Delaware increased the pension exclusion for military pensioners under 60 to $12,500, and in 2024, Delaware expanded the definition of a United States military pension to include a pension received for an individual’s service in the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and clarified that the armed forces of the United States includes the Space Force and Coast Guard. This Act phases in, over 3 years, an increased exemption for military pensions from state income taxation, regardless of age, which is currently $12,500, so that in taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2029, the exemption will be $25,000 for all military pensioners.

This Act creates a new Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee (“Subcommittee”) of the Joint Finance Committee and codifies requirements and procedures for organizations seeking a grant-in-aid from the General Assembly. The Subcommittee will be composed of 3 members of the Senate and 3 members of the House, with the Chair alternating between the chambers each year. The Subcommittee will annually review and analyze the applications of grant-in-aid applicants who have not previously received funding through grant-in-aid and make recommendations to the Joint Finance Committee regarding which applications to approve and at what funding level. The Subcommittee may also review any current grant-in-aid recipient for program efficacy and compliance with the conditions of prior grants and general grant-in-aid eligibility requirements. This Act takes effect January 1 following its enactment into law.

In 2025, the General Assembly passed House Bill No. 242 (now found at Chapter 135, Volume 85 of the Laws of Delaware), allowing school districts located entirely in New Castle County to use different tax rates for residential and non-residential properties. This Act amends the Delaware Code to continue the authority for non-vocational technical school districts in New Castle County to utilize a residential and non-residential tax rate for school tax purposes. Such a split rate may be established or adjusted in the year after a general reassessment or as part of a referendum. The rate must be uniform for each class of property. Under this Act, the non-residential rate must be at least equal to the residential rate and may be no more than 1.85 times the residential rate. For purposes of the split tax rate, a school district must follow the classifications of the county in which the district is located. Under the transition provisions of this Act, a district that initially established split tax rates under the authority of House Bill No. 242, may continue to use those split rates at the same or a lower ratio between residential and non-residential tax rates established in the 2025-2026 tax year. But if a district’s non-residential tax rate for the 2025-2026 tax year was more than 1.85 times the residential tax rate, it must adjust its rates to meet the 1.85 maximum ratio permitted under this Act. The New Castle County Vocational Technical District may not continue the use of different tax rates past the 2025-2026 tax year. The Act also changes the amount a school district must add to its tax rate to account for delinquencies and late payments to “up to 10%” rather than requiring that a school district must add exactly 10% to its tax rate for this purpose. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform this chapter of the Delaware Code to the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual and strikes references to the City of Wilmington School District, which no longer exists. It also revises § 1913 of Title 14 to reflect current practice. It strikes an outdated requirement in § 1918 of Title 14 that the school districts deliver a copy of the assessment list to the County along with their tax warrant. This is inconsistent with the role of the school districts and with current practice.