General Assembly agrees to make orange crush the state cocktail

In his last act as a legislator, Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, got his bill passed to make the orange crush the state cocktail.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, in the Senate, acknowledges that the popular beach drink made from orange juice, orange vodka, triple sec and lemon-lime soda with crushed ice originated in Ocean City, Md., in 1995, but has since become synonymous with The Starboard in Dewey Beach.

“The Starboard … perfected the orange crush and serves the most orange crush cocktails of any bar in Delaware every beach season,” the bill reads.

The bill unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 20 with 33 votes and eight absent, and awaits Gov. John Carney’s signature to become law.

Dignity in death bill still awaits Carney action

After finally passing the General Assembly following years of iterations, an end-of-life option bill remains in limbo. Carney’s office has not responded to questions of whether he will sign the bill, veto it or let it become law with no signature after 10 days, excluding Sundays, after taking possession of the bill.

If he vetos, it returns to the General Assembly where it would need two-thirds vote to override, an unusual occurrence that was done already this session. The hospital-related bill, however, had greater support in the General Assembly. The end-of-life options bill barely passed the Senate June 25 by an 11-10 vote, not enough to override a veto in the Senate if it comes to that.

Signed into law

HB 24 with HA 1 was signed into law June 27 after it unanimously passed the Senate June 11 and the House March 14 to create a new charitable donation option on the Delaware income tax return for a mental health group - SL24: Unlocke the Light Foundation. 

SB 327 was introduced June 27 to provide supplementary appropriations to certain grants-in-aid recipients for fiscal year 2025 that include government units and senior centers, $34,521,948; community agencies, $51,643,425; fire companies and public service ambulance companies, $11,634,433; veterans organizations, $698,220. It unanimously passed the General Assembly before it was signed into law June 30.

Bond Bill HB 475 unanimously passed the House and Senate June 27 and was signed June 30 to provide $1.1 billion in funds for roadways, schools, and other state projects.

SJR 9 passed the House and Senate June 20 for the official revenue, refund and unencumbered funds estimates for fiscal year 2024 and was signed June 30.

SJR 10 passed the House and Senate June 20 for the official general fund estimate for fiscal year 2025 and was signed June 30.

SB 325 passed both House and Senate June 20 for the fiscal year 2025 Appropriations Act and was signed June 30.

SB 326 passed both House and Senate June 20 to appropriate $168,362,517 to provide one-time funded projects through the Office of Management and Budget and was signed June 30.

SB 285 unanimously passed the House June 18, the Senate May 21, and was signed June 30 to eliminate the requirement that Justice of the Peace Court constables reside within the state of Delaware. The residency requirement was established when constables were independent officers, and had their own bonding requirements and penalties for failure to do the business of the court. Constables are now employees of the Justice of the Peace Court and the residency requirement is no longer needed. 

HB 379 passed the House with 38 votes and three absent May 16, the Senate with 18 votes and three absent June 20, and was signed June 30 to reinstate language formerly in Delaware code that would permit insurance agents to issue checks to policyholders in time-sensitive situations without having to qualify as claims adjusters. 

SS 1 for SB 248 was signed into law June 30 after passing the House 39-2 June 13 and the Senate April 18 by a vote of 19-0 with one not voting and one absent to clarify the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program where an employee is co-employed by an employee leasing company or a professional employment organization that employer refers to the employer client of the employee leasing company or professional employment organization, and not to the employee leasing company or professional employment organization. This act also defines collective bargaining agreement for purposes of the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program and excludes from the definition of employee individuals who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement as a member of a labor organization, who receive employment benefits through the labor organization, and who, due to the nature of the industry in which they work, may never qualify as a covered individual under the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program.

HS 1 for HB 326 unanimously passed the Senate June 18, the House May 9 with 38 votes and three absent and was signed June 30 to require Delaware’s nonprofit hospitals to provide the state and public with an annual report outlining their community benefits spending, bringing Delaware in line with 31 other states, including all of Delaware’s neighboring states, that require reporting. This act defines community benefits program, outlines the minimum contents that must be included in a community benefits activity report, and requires that the report be made available to the public and be submitted by Jan. 31 of each year to multiple state entities.

SB 270 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30, passed the Senate June 18 with 20 votes and one absent, and was signed June 30 to codify the budget stabilization fund, define deposit and withdrawal standards for the fund, and impose deposit and withdrawal norms throughout the annual governor’s recommended budget process.

HB 373 passed the Senate with 18 votes and three absent June 20, passed the House with 38 votes and three absent May 21 and was signed June 30 to enable the Office of Highway Safety to solicit and receive subscriptions, donations and other funds from individuals or organizations for the purpose of implementing highway safety programs and projects that support the mission of reducing traffic fatalities and injuries in Delaware. 

SS 1 for SB 252 unanimously passed the House June 18, the Senate April 23, and was signed June 30  to require that the Department of Education perform audits of educator preparation programs to assess compliance with the evidence-based reading instruction requirements, known as the science of reading, that were enacted in 2021.

HB 349 unanimously passed the Senate June 18, passed the House with 38 votes and three absent May 14, and was signed June 30 to codify that the Superior Court Veterans’ Treatment Court is a qualified rehabilitation program for persons seeking to have their driver's licenses reinstated after a DUI. 

HB 345 unanimously passed the Senate June 18, the House March 26 with 37 votes and four absent, and was signed June 30 to require Medicaid coverage for additional postpartum visits with a doula upon recommendation of a licensed practitioner or clinician.

SB 235 unanimously passed the House June 18, passed the Senate March 21 with 20 votes and one absent, and was signed into law June 30 to require Delaware to participate in a national clearinghouse that tracks commercial driving licenses, and prohibit CDL licenses if the driver has violated drug and alcohol law.

HB 309 passed the Senate with 18 votes and three absent June 20, the House March 21 with 31 votes and 10 absent, and was signed June 30  to update the definition of child care facility to reflect the move of the Office of Child Care Licensing from the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families to the Department of Education. SA 1 was added June 17.

Not passed

HB 301 was defeated in the House 24-15 with two not voting June 30 as the first leg of a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the death penalty in the state. 

HB 453 was defeated in the House June 30 26-14 with one not voting after failing to get a two-thirds vote needed to eliminate requirements for installation and yearly inspections of backflow preventers on low-hazard water users.

Constitutional amendments

SS1 for SB11 passed the House 32-8 with one not voting and unanimously passed the Senate May 22 as the first leg of a constitutional amendment to modernize the bail provisions within the Delaware Constitution and clarify the power of the General Assembly to enumerate certain felony offenses for which, or circumstances under which, pretrial release on bail may not be allowed. The bill moves toward completing a pretrial release-detention continuum requiring specific evidence-based detention decisions that seek to maximize public safety while minimizing pretrial detention for those for whom detention is not required. Specifically, the act would retain the express declaration of a general right to have bail set in a criminal case, and provide that the crimes for which bail may be withheld are capital murder, where the evidentiary proof is positive or presumption of the accusation great, and other specifically identified felony offenses determined by and under procedures prescribed by law where the evidentiary proof is positive or presumption of the accusation great. 

HB 430 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House with 38 votes and three absent June 20. It is the first leg of an amendment to the Delaware Constitution to make gender-silent language, and other punctuation and wording changes.

Awaiting governor signature

HB 437 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 20 with 40 votes and one absent to modify the Delaware Commission of Veterans’ Affairs employee requirements to make the executive director an exempt position, and to allow the hiring of non-veteran employees when needed.

HB 330 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 20 with 38 votes and three absent to increase the amount of the annual appropriation to prefund future state employee retiree health insurance as recommended by the  Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee of the State Employee Benefits Committee. 

HB 431 with HA 1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 18 to require the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, through regulations, to determine which species of live bait may be harvested, imported, transported, sold or used in the tidal and nontidal waters of the state, and allow the department, by regulation, to prohibit or restrict the importation or sale of live bait species from other states or countries. 

HB 433 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 18 to revise the experience rating methodology for assigning unemployment assessment rates to employers under the Unemployment Insurance Code in Delaware. According to the bill, the new methodology is meant to be more responsive to changes in the economy over time, to better sustain the solvency of the Unemployment Trust Fund, and to be easier to administer. 

HB 411 with HA 1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 20 with 36 votes and five absent to hold current members of Delaware volunteer fire departments to the same standards as applicants with relation to criminal activity.

SB 311 with HA 1 passed the Senate with 20 votes and one absent June 30 and passed the House with 37 votes and four absent June 26 to provide the ability for charter schools to hire administrators they deem beneficial to the success of the school’s education program and the needs of students and staff. HA 1 was added by Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach.

SJR 4 with HA 2 passed the Senate with 20 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the House June 27 to direct DMV to develop a school bus-only commercial driver’s license.

SJR 6 with HA 1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 27 to direct healthcare professional licensure boards to review existing professional licensure application language to revise or remove all intrusive and stigmatizing language around mental health care and treatment, and replace it with language that meets the threshold requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 

SB 236 with HA 1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 25 to extend the expiration date for any new issuance or renewal of an ADA placard from three years to eight years for a specific person with a diagnosis of a permanent disability, and changing the minimum age from 85 to 80 years or older. It also extends the validity for a temporary disability from five weeks to 180 days. 

HB 312 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House March with 32 votes and nine absent to require school board members to engage both in financial responsibility training and training to understand educational and legal issues about due process and special education. 

HB 155 with amendments passed the Senate 15-6 June 30 and the House June 18 25-16 to make the unsafe storage of a firearm in a vehicle a Class A misdemeanor if the person knowingly leaves a firearm unattended in a vehicle and the firearm is not stored in a locked box or container, a firearms rack that is on the motor vehicle, or locked in the trunk. The bill passed both the House and Senate in 2023 but returned to the House and then again to the Senate with another amendment.

HB 397 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 18 to allow the Department of Transportation to obtain fee simple ownership of land encumbered by rights of way previously conveyed to the department by permanent easement when such rights of way are part of a current department project. 

HB 310 with HA1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House with 38 votes and three absent April 16 to add Space Force in sections of the Delaware code where the other five branches of the armed forces are specifically enumerated.  

HB 414 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 13 to amend the Frankford charter.

HB 423, sponsored by Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 18 to permit a farm winery to apply for a license for use of a portion of the farm winery premises as a restaurant.

HB 14 with HA 1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent April 16 to create a new license for the use of trotlines in commercial crabbing.

HB 416 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 18 with 38 votes and three absent to raise the gross vehicle weight rating of a low-speed vehicle from less than 2,500 pounds to 3,000 pounds or less.

HB 319 with HA 3 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 13 by a 38-1 vote with two absent to require the Department of Human Resources to develop an executive branch policy restricting nepotism in state employment and prohibiting supervision of a state employee by a relative. It further requires the legislative and judicial branches, as well as offices headed by other elected officials, to develop and implement comparable policies. The amendment simplifies the provision relating to adoption of an anti-nepotism policy in parts of state government outside the executive branch.

HB 419 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 18 to require the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families to provide new luggage to children in foster care to use for the transportation of their personal belongings when entering custody, moving from one placement to another, or exiting custody, and makes clear that disposable bags and trash bags may not be used for these purposes. It requires the department to establish and maintain an inventory of new luggage for this purpose. The department must annually provide a report containing a current accounting of supply inventory and inventory management procedures.

HB 404 with HA 1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 11 with 38 votes and three absent to create the Lyme Disease Intervention Fund.

HB 298 creates the Vulnerable Adult Populations Commission to improve the response to and reduce the incidents of vulnerable adult abuse, neglect or exploitation. The bill unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 11.

HB 291 with HA2 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 18 to require the Department of Elections to keep a record of donors’ employers and their job title, but this information will not be considered a public record under FOIA. This amendment also requires a reporting party who has knowingly accepted an unlawful contribution to return it to the donor rather than pay it to the state treasurer for deposit in the general fund.

HB 363 passed the Senate 15-5 with one not voting June 30 and passed the House May 14 by a 34-2 vote with two absent to require a landlord who provides a dwelling place to a person as part of their employment compensation to provide them with a disclosure form advising them of the conditions and requirements for occupancy and vacancy of the premises once they are no longer employed by the landlord. The disclosure must inform the tenant employee that the landlord must offer the tenant, within five business days of termination by the employer, the opportunity to enter into a written rental agreement, if no rental agreement is in effect already. No offer for a rental agreement is necessary if the tenant employee is terminated for cause. The landlord may condition the rental agreement on the person financially qualifying as a tenant and meeting the landlord’s income, credit or other financial requirements for renting the unit. This act lengthens the time period the landlord must wait before bringing a summary possession action against a formerly employed tenant from 15 days to 30 days, unless the termination is for cause.

HB 340 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 18 to authorize the creation of Family Justice Centers within Delaware to provide victims of crime with a single source to obtain resources and support services.

HB 442 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 13 to create the Affordable Housing Production Task Force.

HB 264 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 18 37-1 with two not voting and one absent to make patronizing a prostitute a Class E felony rather than a misdemeanor where the person from whom prostitution is sought is a minor.

HB 439 with HA 1 and HA 2 passed the Senate 15-6 June 30 and passed the House June 20 25-8 with two not voting and six absent to add housing status as a protected characteristic and prohibit discrimination on the basis of it.

HB 440 passed the Senate 20-1 June 30 and passed the House June 20 with 35 votes and six absent to add housing status as a protected characteristic, and prohibit discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics in employment and professional activities.

HB 86 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House by 39 votes with two absent June 11 to establish a right to counsel for indigent parents in DSCYF custody proceedings. Parent representation will primarily be provided by a legal services entity contracted with the Family Court, but may also be provided by the Office of Defense Services or a private attorney appointed by the court.

HB 432 with HA 1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House with 38 votes and three absent; it updates provisions of the code covering the Delaware Institute of Medical Education Research including adding the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine as a DIMER medical school.

HB 16 with HA 1 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House June 11 with 39 votes and two absent to require that Medicaid and state employee health plans cover ovarian cancer monitoring tests for women treated for ovarian cancer, and annual screening tests for women at risk for ovarian cancer.

SB 232 passed the House 34-5 with one not voting and one absent and unanimously passed the Senate March 19 requiring insurance coverage for over-the-counter contraceptive pills.

SB 265 with SA1 and SA2 passed the House 25-15 with one absent June 30 and the Senate May 23 by a 15-6 to authorize the DNREC State Energy Office and the Delaware Public Service Commission to work in consultation with the Delaware Renewable Energy Task Force to solicit proposals from one or multiple developers willing to build a system of offshore wind turbine electric generation facilities, transmission lines and interconnection facilities. The State Energy Office is directed to procure between 800 and 1,200 megawatts of electricity to Delaware’s public utilities. Delaware’s municipal electric companies, rural electric cooperatives, and third-party providers will be able to purchase electricity generated from offshore wind if they choose. Delaware also could initiate its own project or partner with another state. The Public Service Commission would approve a final solicitation document.

HB 378 with SA1 unanimously passed the House June 30 and the Senate June 26 and returns to the House after originally passing the  House May 16 with 37 votes and three absent to require health spas selling subscription services online to provide a prospective buyer of such a subscription the right to cancel the automatic renewal online.

HB 357 with SA1 passed the House 37-4 June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate June 27 to adopt the definition of “firearm” proposed by HS 1 for HB 224; create a definition for a new term, “projectile weapon”, defined as those weapons previously included in the definition of a firearm, but which are not within the common understanding of a firearm, and makes clear that a “projectile weapon” is a deadly weapon. 

HS1 for House Bill 316 with HA1, HA2, and SA1 passed the House 40-1 June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate May 27 and passed the House May 9 by 37 votes with two not voting and two absent to create a new election crime “use of deep fake technology to influence an election.” Under this statute, it would be a crime to distribute within 90 days of an election an audio or visual depiction that has been manipulated or created with generative adversarial network techniques, with the intent of harming a party or candidate or otherwise deceiving voters. It is not a crime, nor is there a penalty, if the altered media contains a disclaimer stating “This audio/video/image has been altered or artificially generated.” There is also provision for civil injunctive relief for a candidate depicted in a deep fake. There are various exceptions to protect speech, expression, and media rights. A violation of this statute is a class B misdemeanor unless the deepfake is intended to cause violence or bodily harm, in which case it is a class A misdemeanor, or if it is a repeat offense within five years, in which case it is a class E felony. All offenses under this section are heard in Superior Court. 

SB 22 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and passed the Senate May 9 with 20 votes and one not voting to create new state incentives to help spur workforce housing development. Modeled on the Delaware State Housing Authority’s Downtown Development District Program, the new Delaware Workforce Housing Program would offer grants of up to 20% of the construction costs for qualified housing projects largely centered in and around high-density population areas. 

SB 25 with SA1, sponsored by Huxtable, passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate April 18 to lower the cost of building new affordable housing projects statewide by fully exempting low-to-moderate-income dwelling units from the state’s 2% improvement tax, which is currently levied on new construction valued at $10,001 or more built within a year of the land being sold. 

SB 78 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate June 12 to exempt from school property taxes real estate owned by Todmorden Foundation and used for the purposes of affordable housing. 

SB 244, sponsored by Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and passed the Senate 17-3 with one absent on April 17 to authorize any county that collects a lodging tax to allocate some or all the proceeds for workforce and affordable housing programs within that respective county. Currently, New Castle and Sussex counties collect a lodging tax with limitations on how those funds can be spent. 

SS1 for SB 245 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate May 16 to remove the expiration dates for the Office of Foreclosure Prevention and Financial Education and the Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program to assist homeowners at risk of foreclosure or already navigating the foreclosure process.

SB 274 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and passed the Senate June 18 with 20 votes and one absent to provide that the developer of a residential subdivision is provided a percentage credit towards the expense of offsite improvements to state-maintained highways consistent with the percentage of units set aside for affordable housing in a residential subdivision project.

SB12 with SA1 passed the House 32-7 with two not voting June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate May 22 to protect both defendants’ due process rights and public safety by establishing the list of circumstances for which defendants may be detained pretrial without the opportunity for release and providing adequate due process protections for detention-eligible defendants. This act protects public safety by permitting courts to detain a defendant who is charged with an enumerated felony offense where no condition or combination of conditions of bail will reasonably assure a defendant’s appearance in court or the safety of a witness, a victim, or the community.

SS1 for SB 247 unanimously passed the House June 30 and passed the Senate June 18 with 20 votes and one not voting to protect residents of manufactured housing communities from landlords who seek to impose rent increases even while refusing to address outstanding health and safety violations.

SB 316 unanimously passed the House June 30 and the Senate June 13 to create an annexation process for the Town of Slaughter Beach to extend its boundaries.

HB 311 with HA1, HA2, and SA1 passed the House 27-14 June 30 and passed the Senate 15-6 June 26 to add post-secondary colleges and universities to the Safe School Zone criminal offense so that any person who knowingly possesses a firearm, as defined in Title 11, while in or on a college or university facility or campus may be charged with this additional offense. The same exceptions set forth in the statute will apply to a college or university. This Act also adds commissioned security guards to the categories of individuals who may possess a firearm while acting in their official capacity within a Safe School Zone. A person convicted under this section will be guilty of a Class E felony. 

SS1 for SB 82 unanimously passed the House June 30 to require state programs to provide annual reports to the General Assembly about compliance with federal and State law and regulation that require meaningful access to services for individuals with limited English proficiency and effective communication for individuals with disabilities. The bill unanimously passed the Senate June 2023.

SB 262 with  SA2 unanimously passed the House June 30 and the Senate June 25 to permit trucks with five or more axles that are hauling farm produce grown in this state and traveling from the farm on which the farm produce is grown to a location at which the farm produce is to be processed or stored, or from a location at which the farm produce is processed or stored to an export facility within this state, to weigh up to 90,000 pounds or combined manufacturer’s gross combined weight rating, whichever is less, before a penalty is assessed for exceeding weight restrictions. A truck hauling farm produce is granted this increased weight limit if the truck complies with several conditions aimed at ensuring public safety. 

SB 300 passed the House 23-15 with three absent June 30 and passed the Senate 14-6 with one absent June 13 to require crisis pregnancy centers in this state to provide notice if the center is not licensed by this state as a medical facility and does not have a licensed medical provider who provides or directly supervises, in person, the provision of services.

SS1 for SB 301 passed the House 24-16 with one absent June 30 and passed the Senate 14-6 with one absent June 13 to require public universities in this state to provide access to medication for the termination of pregnancy and emergency contraception. The medication and contraception must be provided on-site, but consultation to provide them may be performed by a provider at the student health center, through telehealth services, or by a provider who is associated with a university-contracted external agency. 

SB 282 with SA1 unanimously passed the House June 30 and the Senate May 21 to repeal the Senior Trust Fund Fee, the Interstate Compact Fee, and the Substance Abuse, Rehabilitation, Treatment, Education and Prevention Fund Fee imposed on criminal defendants, and eliminate any outstanding balances owed on these fees.

SB 283 unanimously passed the House June 30 and the Senate May 21 to repeal the DELJIS Fund fee imposed on criminal defendants. The act would become effective upon the specific appropriation of General Fund monies to replace DELJIS’s full spending authority of the repealed fee.

SB 284 unanimously passed the Senate May 21 to discharge balances owed by individuals ordered to pay a probation supervision fee under state law.

SB 289 with SA1 unanimously  passed the House June 30 and passed the Senate May 23 to authorize counties and municipalities to go above the threshold adopted by the DEO. This Act also amends Title 29, Chapter 80 of the Delaware Code by charging the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council and the Sustainable Energy Utility to collaborate to design programs to promote and support the development and construction of energy efficient housing, including programs to alleviate the potential increased upfront costs caused by the adoption of local stretch codes.

SB 314 with SA1 unanimously passed the House June 30 and the Senate June 13 to remove “supervision” from the scope of practice of a master’s social worker.

SB 329 unanimously passed the House June 30 and passed the Senate June 26 to define “United States military pension” for the exclusion for taxable income.

SB 195 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and passed the Senate June 20 by 17 votes with four absent to improve advanced health directives in the state.

SB 215 with SA1 and SA2 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate June 11 to require the Department of Health and Social Services to inspect long-term care facilities on an annual basis.

SS1 for SB 228 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate May 23 to change the definition of "copycat weapon" so that small caliber rimfire pistols which are primarily or solely used in competitive target shooting are not made unlawful to purchase, own, possess, or transfer. 

SB 291 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate May 21 to remove the registration of trade names for sole proprietorships, partnerships, and associations in the Superior Court prothonotaries and places registration of such trade names with the Division of Revenue. The filing of certificates will be recorded electronically and the fee for such filing is $25. 

SB 295 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate May 22 to strengthen the current practice of obtaining service letters for employment in child care facilities to protect children from workers who have engaged in prior acts that are prohibited by the Office of Child Care Licensing.

SB 299 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate June 13 to address notice and bidding requirements for state contracts to $5,000.

SB 318 with SA1, sponsored by Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and passed the Senate June 20 with 18 votes and three absent to enable the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission to regulate the application of nutrients to turf by commercial nutrient handlers. The law excludes athletic fields, golf courses, and land used in the production for sale of sod or seed and only applies to commercial nutrient handlers who are paid to apply such nutrients. This bill decreases the threshold of serviced acreage for which commercial nutrient handlers would need a certification to apply nutrients to turf. 

SB 331 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 30 and passed June 20 with 18 votes and three absent to ensure that out-of-state practitioners are subject to Delaware regulation with respect to prescribing controlled substances to Delaware patients.

SS1 for SB 174 unanimously passed the House June 27 and the Senate May 15 to add Justices of the Peace, commissioners in Superior Court, Family Court, and Court of Common Pleas, and magistrates in Chancery to the state judicial pension plan, amends the definition of state judiciary so that Justices of the Peace, commissioners, and magistrates in Chancery are included.

SB 198 unanimously passed the House June 27 and passed the Senate March 28 by a 17-1 vote with two not voting and one absent to revise existing animal cruelty laws to include people who knowingly possess, own, buy, sell, transfer, or manufacture animal fighting paraphernalia with the intent to engage in or otherwise promote or facilitate such fighting as guilty of a class E felony. This act defines “animal fighting paraphernalia” and creates a list of considerations a court may use when assessing whether an item or object qualifies as animal fighting paraphernalia.

SB 216 with SA1 passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 27 and unanimously passed the Senate April 18 to increase the civil penalties for violations related to Long Term Care Facilities and the regulations adopted pursuant to it. For violations that the department determines pose a serious threat to the health and safety of a resident, the minimum penalty would be increased from $1,000 per violation to $2,000, and the maximum penalty is increased from $10,000 to $20,000 per violation. Each day of a continuing violation constitutes a separate violation. For violations that do not constitute a serious threat to the health and safety of a resident, the maximum penalty is increased from $5,000 to $10,000 per violation. 

SB 237 passed the House 27-12 with one not voting and one absent and passed the Senate 15-5 with one absent April 23 to require municipalities with populations greater than 2,000 to increase community resiliency and address the impacts of climate change in their comprehensive plans.

SB273 passed the House 39-2 June 27 and passed the Senate May 23 by 14-5 with two absent to legalize the sale and distribution of raw milk and products derived from raw milk by dairy producers directly to consumers for human consumption. Allowing raw milk and products derived from raw milk to be sold in Delaware will respond to that demand while also providing new economic opportunities for Delaware dairy producers.

SS1 for SB 307 passed the House 30-11 June 27 and passed the Senate May 23 by a 14-6 vote with one absent to clarify the meaning of custom fabrication. 

SB 308 unanimously passed the House June 27 and the Senate June 11 to adopt the Uniform Special Deposits Act authored by the Uniform Law Commission. 

SS1 for SB 254 unanimously passed the House June 27 and the Senate June 11 to create the Delaware Grocery Initiative to direct the Office of State Planning Coordination to study food insecurity in urban and rural food deserts. The Act defines a food desert and directs the 0ffice to expand access to healthy foods in food deserts by providing financial assistance to grocery stores, independently owned for-profit grocery stores, cooperative grocery stores, non-profit grocery stores as well as grocery stores owned and operated by local governmental units. The act provides the office with authority to enter into contracts, grants, or other agreements to administer grants and other financial support, including technical assistance. It further authorizes the office to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to implement and administer this initiative.

SS1 for SB 266 unanimously passed the House June 27 and the Senate June 12 to clarify the process and roles of the attorney general, state escheator, and secretary of state in actions under the Delaware False Claims and Reporting Act for failure to comply with reporting requirements of the Delaware Unclaimed Property Law. 

SB 298 with SA1 unanimously the House June 27 and Senate passed June 11 to amend Town of Newport charter

SJR 8 unanimously passed the House June 27 and the Senate with 18 votes and three absent June 20 to designate August 31, 2024, as "International Overdose Awareness Day" in the State of Delaware and requires that in observance, the State flag be flown at half-staff at State facilities.

HB 353 with HA1 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House May 7 35-6 to provide civil and criminal remedies for the wrongful disclosure of deep fakes that depict individuals in the nude or engaging in sexual conduct. It further provides that when an adult creates a visual depiction of a minor that is nude or engaging in sexual conduct, the adult would be subject to a felony prosecution, rather than a misdemeanor prosecution.

HS2 for HB 13 passed the Senate 15-6 June 27 and passed the House 21-13 with seven absent to require the Director of the Sustainable Energy Utility to administer a program to provide financial assistance to Delaware residents for the cost of purchase and installation of electric vehicle supply equipment. For a low-income applicant (meaning up to 300% of the federal poverty level for household income), financial assistance covering up to 90% of the purchase and installation costs may be covered. For all other applicants the program may offer assistance to cover up to 50% of the costs.

HB 70 to eliminate the death penalty in Delaware passed the Senate 14-7 June 27 and passed the House June 18 by a 33-8 vote. The penalty for a person who is convicted of first-degree murder for an offense that was committed after the person’s 18th birthday is imprisonment for the remainder of the person’s natural life without benefit of probation or parole or any other reduction.

HS2 for HB 125 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House by 39 votes with two absent June 11 to require all schools to offer all students free breakfast and lunch every school day. The state Department of Agriculture would reimburse all schools for all expenses not reimbursed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

HB 299 passed the Senate 15-6 and passed the House March 26 by 1 30-5 vote with six absent to add public libraries to the definition of place of public accommodation for purposes of Delaware’s Equal Accommodations Law. It also directs the Delaware Library Consortium to develop and adopt common policies concerning collection, development, and other topics in order to ensure equitable access and the right to read for all Delawareans.

HS 2 for HB 168 passed the Senate 16-5 June 27 and passed the House 32-8 June 25 to apply the lodging tax to short-term rentals and would require an accommodations intermediary to obtain an occupational license and pay an annual licensing fee of $25. This Act further authorizes New Castle and Sussex counties to impose a lodging tax of no more than 3 percent on short-term rentals.  

HB 267 with HA1 passed the Senate 15-6 June 27 and the House 31-5 with five absent Jan. 25 to prohibit the Family Court from imposing a sentence of incarceration or ordering the suspension of a person’s license for failure to pay court-ordered child support unless it finds that the failure to pay is wilful and not due to an inability of the person to pay the support. 

HB 408 with HA1 and HA2 passed the Senate 16-5 June 27 and passed the House June 18 by 29-11 with one absent to create a temporary conversion license for existing medical marijuana compassion centers to operate for recreational marijuana purposes, and sets forth requirements to obtain a conversion license and to operate under such a license. 

HB 275 passed the Senate 14-7 June 27 and passed the House 21-15 with five absent March 28 to update the definition of sexual orientation throughout the Delaware Code by adding asexuality and pansexuality. According to the bill, asexuality refers to individuals with little to no sexual attraction to other individuals, although asexual individuals may desire emotionally intimate relationships with other individuals. Pansexuality refers to individuals who are attracted sexually or romantically, or both, to another individual regardless of that individual's sex or gender identity.

HB 366 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House June 11 with 39 tes and two absent to sunset the Technology Investment Council because of redundancies with other state boards and difficulties in gathering a quorum. TIC convened only once in 2023, and its goals are achieved through collaboration with other agencies.

HB 367 unanimously passed the Senate June 27and passed the House June 11 with 39 votes and two absent to sunset the Provider Advisory Board under the Office of Child Care Licensing.

HB 368 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House June 11 with 39 votes and two absent to add a third center-based early care and education provider to the Delaware Early Childhood Council.

HB 393 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House June 11 with 39 votes and two absent to establish timelines for when the Department of Health and Social Services must begin an investigation after receiving a report concerning an allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult who is impaired or incapacitated, and establishes the department's responsibility to conduct ongoing training programs for relevant staff. 

SB 292 with HA2 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House with 37 votes and four absent June 26 to provide that educational records of students, and personally identifiable information contained therein, may only be disclosed or redisclosed in accordance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; allows local education agencies and educational institutions and programs who outsource their data exchange and compliance with reporting requirements to the department to consider the department a school official as defined by FERPA regulations. This allows educational institutions and programs to disclose to the department, without parental consent, information necessary for federal and state reporting when there is a legitimate educational interest; gives the department authority to redisclose educational records for the purposes of ensuring the effectiveness of publicly funded programs and improving educational outcomes for students. Like initial disclosures, redisclosures must comply with FERPA and its implementing regulations. The bill returns to the senate with the House amendment after passing in May with 18 votes and three absent.

HB 308 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House 36-1 with four absent April 23 to mandates that employees of institutions of higher education and students receive training in sexual assault prevention. 

HB 332 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent May 14 to codify teacher academy pathways program that prepares students for careers in elementary and secondary education, and would require the DOE to update and revise statewide standards and guidelines for teacher academies and provide technical assistance to local education agencies to meet those standards and guidelines.This act further requires that teacher academies offer value-added credits to students who have completed the credits required by the initial program of study, and work-based immersion options.

HB 410 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and the House June 20 to establish the Legislative Hall Art and History Advisory Commission to advise and make recommendations to the Legislative Council regarding art, monuments, and historical exhibits to be displayed in Legislative Hall or on the grounds of Legislative Hall. 

HB 425 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 18 to move the Office of Medical Marijuana, which is currently under the Department of Health and Social Services, to the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Under this act, the marijuana commissioner, not DHSS, will be responsible for administering the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act, which includes registration and certification of safety compliance facilities and compassion centers; issuing registry identification cards; registering qualifying patients and designated caregivers; and updating rules and regulations under the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act.

HB 428 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 18 to clarify state procurement guidelines.

HS2 for HB 300 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and the House June 13 to require all assisted living facilities that are not subject to CMS regulations maintain accreditation from an independent accrediting organization approved by the Department of Health and Social Services, that assisted living facilities that provide dementia care services maintain a certification for the provision of dementia care services from an approved independent accrediting organization, and that all assisted living facilities must submit proof of accreditation and, if applicable, certification to the department. This act also authorizes DHSS to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out these provisions, and it defines dementia care services and secured dementia care unit. 

HB 354 with HA1 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent May 14 to give the dependent children of active military members, full-time Delaware National Guard members, and active duty members of a reserve component of the US military priority in choice and charter enrollment.

HS1 for HB 356 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and the House May 16 to allow the governor to accept back, on behalf of the state, at the request of the United States, concurrent jurisdiction over crimes involving juveniles on military installations located in the state, which the federal government previously had exclusive jurisdiction only if the violation of federal law is also a crime under state law. After the governor, by executive order, accepts the request, the order must be filed with the Delaware Secretary of State and recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the military installation is located. The act allows any state or local government agency to enter into a memorandum of understanding with any federal agency for coordination and designation of responsibility related to the concurrent criminal juvenile legislative jurisdiction. It also grants the Family Court jurisdiction to adjudicate delinquency hearings involving juveniles under 18, who have been charged with violating Delaware code within the boundaries of a military installation if concurrent juvenile legislative jurisdiction is established.

HB 362 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House June 13 with 38 votes and three absent to require coverage of doula services under private health insurance plans.

HB 371 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House May 16 with 39 votes and two absent to change how the Insurance Commissioner and the State Treasurer provide for distributions from taxes collected by the Insurance Commissioner to be made to fire companies or departments in Delaware. The current method for reporting, calculating, and making distributions to fire companies or departments is complex to administer and can lead to incorrect payments. 

HB 426 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 18 to give doula or midwife services to pregnant women in DOC custody, at Level IV or V, in order to create a birth plan that includes a statement identifying a preferred childcare provider and whether the new mother wishes to express breast milk for the child. This bill also requires DOC to publish an annual report regarding the use of doula and midwifery services within the department.

HS1 for HB 5 with HA1 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and the House May 16 to charge the Department of Health & Social Services to apply to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a State Plan Amendment that would allow for reimbursement of medically necessary behavioral health services without IEP or IFSP documentation.

HB 268 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 to create new billing codes for a behavioral health well check. The bill unanimously passed the House Jan. 23.

HB 280 with HA1 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House June 11 with 39 votes and two absent to repeal the legal presumption that money, negotiable instruments or securities found in close proximity to controlled substances or records or with trace amounts of controlled substances are forfeitable. Such evidence is still admissible and may be considered by the Court in a forfeiture proceeding. It puts the burden of proof on the State to prove all elements of a forfeiture case by a preponderance of the evidence. The bill also prohibits the forfeiture of currency less than $500; prohibits forfeiture unless a criminal charge is brought; requires the person holding seized property to be financially responsible for all fees associated therewith in the event the property is ordered by the court to be returned; and allows a claimant property owner who substantially prevails in a forfeiture proceeding to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

HS1 for HB 304 with HA1 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House with 37 votes and four absent March 26 to require all individuals applying for employment with the Department of Technology and Information undergo a state and federal criminal background check through the State Bureau of Identification. 

HB 407 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and the House June 13 to establish an application process, policies, procedures, operational instructions, and requirements for licensed transporters to obtain and use transporter license plates when transporting vehicles. 

HB 409 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and the House June 13 to define a unique vehicle as one not manufactured to meet all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards in effect for the model year in which it was manufactured or which does not meet the requirements of the Division of Natural Resources and Environmental Control emissions inspection program.

HB 451 unanimously passed the House and Senate June 30 to add 911 dispatchers as “covered persons” for purposes of line of duty death benefits.

SB 246 with SA1 and HA1, sponsored by Sen Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, and co-sponsored by Rep. Stell Parker Selby, D-Milton, unanimously passed the Senate and House June 30 to create a dedicated revolving loan fund to help support the home repair programs. Using seed money from the General Fund and gifts or bequests from private residents, the Housing Repair and Modification Fund would support eligible repairs for the health of struggling families and to help them stay in their homes longer.

SS1 for SB 269 with HA1 unanimously passed the Senate and House June 30 to increase civil penalties for violations of laws related to dogs that run at large, dogs that bite a person or domestic animal while running at large, and dogs that are declared dangerous or potentially dangerous. It also expands the requirements for keeping or maintaining a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog to include provisions related to liability insurance, licensing, vaccination, microchipping, and leashing. 

SB 296 with HA1 unanimously passed the House and Senate June 30 to amend the Delaware Antitrust Act to provide indirect purchasers who have been harmed by violations of the Delaware Antitrust Act the ability to sue for damages. Indirect purchasers of a product or service in the chain of distribution are often the ones who bear the burden of any overcharges from antitrust violations such as price-fixing. Direct purchasers and others in the chain of distribution of the affected product or service often have the ability to pass the overcharge through the chain of distribution to end users. 

HS1 for HB 389 passed the House with 40 votes and one absent June 26 and unanimously passed the Senate June 30 to provide for an annual raffle license that will allow for the holding of up to 20 raffle events a year. If obtained, the organization must provide notice to the Board at least 7 days prior to any raffle event but does not have to include details of the prizes or values in the notice. 

HB 212 passed the Senate Jun 30 with 14 votes six not voting and the House with 29 votes 10 not voting and one absent to prohibit manufactured home community owners from increasing rent if the rent was increased by 5% or more the previous year or rental period, instead permitting an increase capped at 3%. This act does not prohibit a community owner from increasing rent to market rent in phases as called for in current law, even if doing so would otherwise violate the prohibition on increasing rent after a 5% or more increase. It also allows a greater increase where more than 50% of the homeowners use the property as a second residence.

HS1 for HB 383 with HA1, HA2, and SA1 unanimously passed the House and Senate June 30 to prohibit discrimination against 340B drug distribution by manufacturers, repackagers, third-party logistics providers, and wholesalers. Violations are deemed an unlawful practice enforceable by the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice. 

SS1 for SB 293 with HA1 passed the Senate June 30 with 20 votes and one not voting and in the House 25-14 with two not voting to revise both the Delaware Fair Housing Act and Residential Landlord-Tenant Code to repeal the exemption to discrimination based on source of income that allows a landlord to discriminate against tenants who participate in government-sponsored rental assistance programs because this exemption contributes to a lack of affordable housing in this state. 

HB 329 with HA4, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Hilovsky, R-Millsboro, unanimously passed the House June 27 and the Senate June 30 to increase the penalties for persons who do not yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle making use of audible or visual signals, or a police vehicle using an audible signal only. 

HS1 for HB 387 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 26 to clarify Delaware’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprises for large public works projects. 

SS1 for SB 13 with HA1 passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate to create the Hospital Quality Assessment, which places a 3.58% assessment on Delaware hospitals’ net patient revenues. With the exception of 10% that may be used to support existing Medicaid obligations, 53.5% of net funds generated by the Hospital Quality Assessment must be used to increase the inpatient and outpatient payments to hospitals, and 46.5% must be deposited into the Hospital Quality and Health Equity Fund, to be used to develop or enhance funding for Medicaid initiatives, unlocking federal matching dollars. A House amendment was added June 27.

SS3 for SB 169 passed the House with 39 votes and two absent June 30 and unanimously passed the Senate to create a process for compensating individuals who have been wrongfully convicted in the state. To obtain compensation, a petitioner must show they were pardoned, or, after the conviction was overturned, the charges were dismissed or the petitioner was acquitted on retrial; or the petitioner entered an Alford plea after the conviction was overturned and that the petitioner was innocent of the crimes for which the petitioner was convicted. The prosecuting agency can prevent compensation by showing that petitioners were accomplices to the crimes at issue, or that petitioners intentionally “took the fall” for the true perpetrators. Successful petitioners are awarded damages based on the amount of time they served sentences of incarceration, parole, or registration on the sex offender registry solely as a result of the wrongful convictions, as well as reimbursement of fines, fees, and costs related to the wrongful conviction. The act also provides an emergency stipend and post-release services for individuals who are released from incarceration and who receive pardons or whose convictions are overturned, vacated, or reversed.

HS1 for HB 342 passed the Senate 19-1 with one not voting June 30 and unanimously passed the House June 27 to create a Voluntary Firearms Do-Not-Sell Registry in which an applicant may voluntarily enroll for the purpose of being prohibited from obtaining a firearm. An individual on the registry may request removal no sooner than 30 days after being placed on the registry. Once an individual requests removal from the registry, the individual must be removed no sooner than 30 days after the removal request. An individual who transfers a firearm to a person in violation of this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor for a first offense and a class G felony for a subsequent offense. An individual who makes a false statement or representation regarding their identity when requesting inclusion or removal from the registry shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

HS1 for HB 434 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 and the House June 27 to require DNREC to be transparent and citizen friendly in how it conducts public hearings by returning to the pre-COVID in-person public hearing process. The bill requires DNREC to hold public hearings having a physical location allowing the public to attend and testify in person. These hearings may allow virtual participation in addition to in-person participation. All public hearings must be noticed for at least 2 hours of testimony and in no event shall testimony be limited to less than 1 minute per person.

HB 297 with HA1 passed the Senate with 20 votes and one not voting June 30 and passed the House June 26 with 38 votes and two absent to increase the funding required to be secured by a developer to ensure the developer fulfills the developer's obligations to construct and complete improvements within a subdivision. 

SB 309 with SA1 passed the House 40-1 June 30 and passed the Senate June 18 by 19-2 to adopt the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act of 2023 to supersede the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act of 1993, and allow individuals to appoint agents to make health-care decisions for them should they become unable to make those decisions for themselves.

HB 124 with HA1 and SA1 and SA2 passed the House 38-2 with one absent and passed the Senate 13-8 June 27 to eliminate animal noise and noise disturbances from the Noise Control and Abatement Chapter in state code. This bill adds restrictions concerning barking dogs with other provisions concerning dogs currently being enforced by the Office of Animal Welfare, and does not prohibit municipalities from enforcing their own dog laws or ordinances if they have their own enforcement agency. This bill clarifies that police officers shall assist the Office of Animal Welfare, as occasion requires, with the enforcement of all State and local dog control laws.

HB318 with HA1 and SA1 unanimously passed the House June 30 and the Senate June 27 to increase the exemption in bankruptcy and other debt proceedings for a debtor’s personal residence from $125,000 to $200,000. It also increases the exemption for tools of the trade and for a vehicle to $25,000 from $15,000. 

House passed

HR35 sponsored by Rep. Stell Parker Selby, D-Milton, designates June 2024 as Black Music Appreciation Month in Delaware.

HR 32 passed the House by voice vote June 27 urging the Department of Human Resources / Division of Statewide Benefits and Insurance Coverage, to collaborate with a health system partner to work with a technology partner to deliver focused and targeted care protocols to a measurable cohort of the State Employee Group Health Insurance Plan to proactively address the growing problem Diabetes and metabolic syndrome present, thereby improving health and decreasing expenses for the enrollees of the Plan.

HR 31 passed the House by voice vote June 27 requesting the Department of Education expand and support equity and inclusion in financial literacy for all students in Delaware by contracting with the University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration to conduct a curriculum alignment study for all local education agencies; report the findings of the financial literacy standards curriculum alignment study to the General Assembly no later than May 1, 2025; provide assistance to LEAs to improve implementation of existing financial literacy standards; and report its findings and recommendations to the State Board of Education, the General Assembly, and the governor.

HS1 for HB 372 with HA1 unanimously passed the House June 30 but was not acted upon in the Senate to amend the Delaware Manufactured Homes and Manufactured Home Communities Act by defining the term “day” to mean a calendar day excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and State legal holidays. This bill eliminates anyone with implied permission under definition of “guest” or “visitor”; expands the definition of “tree” to include root system, limbs, trunk and stem; clarifies that a landlord is responsible for maintenance and repairs of all utilities and services up to the home distribution point; requires the landlord to maintain and regrade, in addition to lots, bulkheads, streets and grounds, and include in rental agreements that for all areas designated by local, state, or federal regulations as wetlands, flood plains, tidal areas and water discharge areas the landlord will coordinate with the appropriate authorities to prevent any lot flooding and keep the tenant advised on, at least an annual basis, of any flood prevention or drainage projects.

Senate passed

HCR 146 unanimously passed the Senate June 27 and passed the House June 12 by a voice vote to support the Redding Commission for Educational Equity’s recommendations to move immediately to support Christina School District’s City of Wilmington students and to plan for the eventual withdrawal of the Christina School District from the City of Wilmington.

SR 24 unanimously passed the Senate June 30 directing the Delaware Department of Health to perform an analysis of urgent care centers and submit recommendations on how best to educate the public on choosing the appropriate healthcare setting and the consideration of the development of an Advanced Urgent Care model.