Sen. Gerald Hocker

This Act prescribes specific fines for violating § 4134 of Title 21. Previously, a violation of § 4134 would have been subject to the penalties outlined in § 4205 of Title 21. The amount of the penalties in § 4205 are as follows: for a first offense, a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $75. For each subsequent like offense, a fine of not less than $57.50 nor more than $95. Section 4205 is a general penalty provision that establishes penalties for violations of Chapter 41 of Title 21 or Chapter 42 of Title 21 in the event that the penalties are not otherwise prescribed. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This resolution recognizes April 11-17, 2022 as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes March 29, 2022 as "National Vietnam War Veterans Day" in Delaware.

This Resolution recognizes April 2022 as "Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.

This resolution recognizes April 2 through 8, 2022 as “Week of the Young Child” in Delaware.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution honors the Meals on Wheels program for providing invaluable and irreplaceable service to our aging population. Additionally, the Modern Maturity Center in Kent County is the program's backbone, delivering nutritious meals to seniors and individuals with disabilities at significant risk of hunger and isolation.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution supports the Department of Education's review of the requirements for educator certification and efforts to strengthen these requirements to include demonstrated knowledge of the essential components of evidence-based reading instruction, known as the "science of reading".

A disability pension for Delaware State Police officer and County and Municipal police officers and firefighters is only for those first responders who suffer injuries on the job such as being shot or assaulted while effecting an arrest or getting burned while putting out a fire. Many who suffer these injuries while doing their job protecting the citizens of this State are unable to return to their jobs as police officers or firefighters. Under the current law, these officers and firefighters who receive a disability pension and have not reached normal retirement date must report total earnings from any gainful employment or business each year. If the officer or firefighter receives earnings over the current base pay of the officer’s or firefighter’s rank at the time of the disability, such excess must be deducted from the disability pension. However, such provision does not apply to officers and firefighters who have reached normal retirement date. This bill treats officers and firefighters who have not reached normal retirement date the same as those who have by removing the provision that requires a deduction in disability benefits if the officer or firefighter earns more than what the officer’s or firefighter’s base pay was at the time of disability.

This Act requires that each school district and charter school serving high school students administer in grade 10 and again in grade 12 an assessment of United States history, government, and civics that includes all of the following: (1) The nature, purpose, principles, and structures of United States constitutional republic. (2) The principles, operations, and documents of the United States government. (3) The rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This Act requires that school districts and charter schools report information regarding the implementation of this Act to the Department of Education (“Department”) and that the Department report that information to the Governor and members of the General Assembly and post the report on the Department’s website. The implementation of this Act is delayed until the 2023 through 2024 school year to give school districts and charter schools time to select or develop the required assessment of civic knowledge.

This Act makes patronizing a prostitute a Class G felony with a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000 unless the actor has been convicted of the same offense in the last 5 years, in which case it is a Class F felony with a mandatory minimum fine of $2,000. This Act makes patronizing a prostitute by agreeing to engage in sexual contact with a person younger than 18 years of age, regardless of whether the actor knows the age of the person at the time of the offense, a class D Felony. This Act also makes patronizing a prostitute within 1,000 feet of any school, residence, church, synagogue, or other place of worship a class F Felony with a minimum mandatory fine of $2,000.