| HB 127 w/ HA 1, HA 2 | Committee | Baumbach | This Act provides each county with the ability to impose, by duly enacted ordinance, a fire protection fee (fee). A county that enacts this fee must do all of the following:
1. Deposit all money collected from this fee in an account that is segregated from the county's general funds.
2. Establish criteria under which this money is distributed to fire companies providing fire protection in the county.
3. After using no more than 5% of the money annually deposited from this fee for administration of this fee, distribute all of the money collected, including accrued interest, within 18 months of receipt.
In addition, under this Act:
1. A fire protection fee may be collected from property that is otherwise exempt from taxation unless an exemption from this fee is provided by the county.
2. A county may, by ordinance, establish penalties for the failure to pay a fire protection fee and establish procedures to abate the penalty.
3. The unpaid balance and any penalties become a lien on the property upon which the fire protection fee was incurred and the county may institute a proceeding to enforce this lien.
4. A fire company must include the money received from a fire protection fee in the annual audit required under § 6608 of Title 16.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 9 AND TITLE 25 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION FEES. |
| HA 1 to HB 127 | Passed | Baumbach | This Amendment revises House Bill No. 127 to make ambulance service providers who are recipients of a Grant-in-Aid eligible for money collected from a county’s fire protection fee. There are currently 3 volunteer ambulance service providers that are not operated by fire companies but are treated in the same manner as fire companies for certification, audits, and all receive a Grant-in-Aid in the section of the annual Grant-in-Aid bill for fire companies.
Under HB 127, “fire protection” includes ambulances and basic life support, but only fire companies who are a recipient of a Grant-in-Aid and provide fire protection outside the City of Wilmington can receive money from a county’s fire protection fee.
This Amendment revises HB 127 to define “ambulance service provider” as a organization that is a recipient of a Grant-in-Aid for the operation and maintenance of ambulances and groups ambulance service providers with fire companies under the term “fire protection provider” so that all organizations that receive a Grant-in-Aid and provide ambulance services in the county, outside of the City of Wilmington, are eligible to receive money collected under a county fire protection fee and if these funds are received, the organization must include that money in the annual audit required under current law. | |
| HB 310 w/ HA 1 | Committee | Chukwuocha | The United States Space Force was established on December 20, 2019 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The Space Force became the 6th branch of the United States Armed Forces. This Act inserts the Space Force in those sections of the Delaware Code where the other 5 branches of the armed forces are specifically enumerated This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 6, 14, AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE. |
| HB 14 w/ HA 1 | Committee | Carson | This Act creates a new license for the use of trotlines in commercial crabbing. This Act prohibits a person from possessing a commercial crab pot license and trotline license at the same time.
This Act requires a 3/5 vote by each chamber because it creates a license fee pursuant to Section 11(a) of Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TROTLINE LICENSES. |
| HB 322 | Committee | Bush | This Act establishes the Delaware Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage and Culture. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE COMMISSION ON ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE AND CULTURE. |
| HS 1 for HB 255 w/ HA 2, HA 1 to HA 2 | Committee | Osienski | This Act makes several updates to the Boiler Safety Program. The Boiler Safety Program can issue certificates of compliance and the Secretary can grant variances. A 6th member is added to the Boiler Safety Council from associated labor unions. It adds an enforcement section for violators who fail to comply with Program requirements. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform with current drafting standards. Finally, the Act allows DNREC to establish fees for the Program that reasonably reflect the cost of the Program and defray its expenses. It therefore requires a 3/5 vote. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE BOILER SAFETY PROGRAM. |
| HA 1 to HB 310 | Passed | Chukwuocha | This Amendment corrects a technical error. | |
| HB 190 w/ HA 1 | Committee | K. Williams | This bill updates the current law relating to the Spay Neuter Fund and the administration of that fund to make it easier to administer the fund and animal population control programs.
Changes have also been made to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16 AND 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL PROGRAMS. |
| HA 2 to HB 127 | Passed | Baumbach | This Amendment exempts property owned by the State of Delaware from a county fire protection fee. | |
| HA 1 to HB 14 | Passed | Carson | This Amendment does the following:
(1) Limits the use of commercial trotlines to a maximum of 3 anchored long lines totaling no more than 3,600 feet;
(2) Prohibits trotline users from using commercial or recreational auto dippers for harvesting; and
(3) Clarifies that trotlines may not be used between the hours of one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise. | |
| SCR 144 | Passed | Richardson | This Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 2024 as "Child Abuse Prevention Month" in the State of Delaware.
| RECOGNIZING APRIL 2024 AS "CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE. |
| HA 1 to HB 190 | Passed | K. Williams | This provides that public members of the Spay/Neuter Advisory Committee can only serve 2 terms of 3 years per term. | |
| HA 2 to HS 1 for HB 255 | Passed | Collins | This amendment removes the authority for the Department to establish fees to approximate and reflect the costs to operate the Boiler Safety Program, establishes and updates the Boiler Safety Program fees to Chapter 74B, Title 7 of the Delaware Code. Also HA 1 is revised to make a technical change regarding the handling of fee payments. | |
| HA 1 to HA 2 to HS 1 for HB 255 | Passed | Collins | This amendment makes technical corrections to the amendment. | |
