Sen. Gerald Hocker

This Senate Joint Resolution asks the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to require irrevocable pre-construction decommissioning bonds be posted, developers commit to landfilling decommissioned turbine components in Maryland, and Aircraft Detection Lighting Systems be deployed for any offshore wind project with power transmission lines coming ashore in Delaware’s Coastal Zone as a condition of permit approval. Any permit issued without these terms will be automatically null and void.

This Act amends the Charter of the Town of Selbyville to allow the Town to impose an impact fee to contribute to the costs of operations of volunteer fire companies, ambulance companies, public libraries, or police departments providing services within the Town. 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 § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a charter issued to a municipal corporation.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution proclaims the month of October 2023 as “Depression Awareness Month” in the State of Delaware.

This resolution celebrates the 75th anniversary of Camp Barnes and its dedication to the youth of the State of Delaware.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution proclaims Saturday, October 28, 2023, as “National First Responders Day” in the State of Delaware.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes November 2023 as "Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution proclaims May 2023 "Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware.

This Act amends the Charter of the Town of Selbyville (Selbyville) by doing all of the following: 1. Creates 4 election districts within Selbyville. The 4 election districts must be nearly equal in population based on the most recent federal decennial census. 2. Requires that a candidate for Mayor or the Town Council be a resident of Selbyville for at least 2 years. 3. Requires that each candidate for the Town Council be a resident of the district from which they are seeking election and remain a resident of that district while serving as a member of the Town Council. 4. Makes corresponding revisions to the staggered terms served by members of the Town Council. 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 § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a charter issued to a municipal corporation.

This Act expands the Disabled Veterans School Tax Credit to include a deceased disabled veteran's surviving spouse. HB 214 with HA 1, passed by the 151st General Assembly, created the Disabled Veterans Property Tax Relief and Education Expense Fund. School boards are currently authorized to create a credit against school taxes for up to the full amount of school tax liability for property owned by a disabled veteran who meets certain requirements. This Act would allow a disabled veteran's surviving spouse to maintain the credit that their deceased veteran spouse was claiming if their deceased veteran spouse, immediately before death, was both claiming the credit and had not had the right to claim the credit withdrawn and the surviving spouse meets all of the following requirements: (1) Was a titled owner of the qualified property before the deceased veteran’s death. (2) Has not remarried. (3) Owns and occupies the qualified property as their principal residence. A surviving spouse is no longer eligible to maintain the credit if they do any of the following: (1) Remarry. (2) Stop being a titled owner of the qualified property. (3) Stop occupying the qualified property as their principal residence. This Act requires the Secretary of Finance, in consultation with the receiver of taxes and county treasurer, to establish a process to determine the eligibility of a surviving spouse and to allow an eligible surviving spouse to maintain the credit without disruption after the death of their disabled veteran spouse. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act updates Chapter 15 of Title 3, the regulatory provisions for seeds, by making technical and substantive revisions. This Act makes the following corrections, in addition to technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual: 1. Updates the defined terms and reorganizes the terms into alphabetical order. 2. Corrects the names of plants. 3. Reorganizes the label requirements so there is a separate Code section for each category of seeds. 4. Updates the label requirements to align with federal law. 5. Adds references to applicable federal and state laws. 6. Corrects the enforcement provisions to align with current practices and terminology. 7. Repeals duplicative Code sections. 8. Uses gender neutral language. This Act adds all of the following: 1. Specific requirements for hermetically sealed seed. 2. That labels include a clear "Sell By" date. 3. Definitions for the terms "Department", “germination”, and “hard seed”. 4. Revises the definitions of "origin", "pure seed", and "variety".