| SB 153 | Committee | Lockman | This Act updates the membership and functions of the Interagency Resource Management Committee by adding the Lieutenant Governor as Chairperson, the Chair of the Early Childhood Council (ECC) as a voting member, and members of the General Assembly as nonvoting members.
Additionally, this Act clarifies staffing of the IRMC through the Early Childhood Support team in the Department of Education and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE INTERAGENCY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. |
| SB 154 | Committee | Sokola | This Act provides that, for purposes of Title 29 of the Delaware Code, Section 5527, related to the amount of monthly ordinary service or disability pension, a member of the General Assembly who is elected on Election Day in November and serves through the next Election Day in November will receive full-service credit for that term. Thus, the Act provides that a member of the House of Representatives who served five, two-year terms and, for each term, was elected on Election Day in November and served through the next Election Day in November will be credited with ten years of service. Likewise, the Act provides that a member of the Senate who served five, four-year terms and, for each term, was elected on Election Day in November and served through the next Election Day in November will be credited with twenty years of service. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STATE EMPLOYEES’ PENSION PLAN. |
| SA 1 to SB 67 | PWB | Hoffner | This Amendment removes the definition and reference to the "Rap Back System" from the original bill. The Amendment also changes the time in which an applicant's criminal history report obtained through the BCC's criminal history screening process is valid for prospective employers from 3 years to 1 year. | |
| SS 1 for SB 100 | Committee | Huxtable | This Act is the first leg of an amendment to the Delaware Constitution establishing that the right to marry is a fundamental right and that Delaware and its political subdivisions shall recognize marriages and issue marriage licenses to couples regardless of gender. The right to marry regardless of gender does not infringe upon the right to freedom of religion because religious organizations and members of the clergy have the right to refuse to solemnize a marriage.
Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 100 differs from Senate Bill No. 100 by connecting the right to marry with the equality of rights provided under Art. 1, § 21 of the Delaware Constitution on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex.
Amending the Delaware Constitution requires not only the passing of the changes in this Act, but also passage of the same changes after the next general election by the next General Assembly.
This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend the Delaware Constitution. | AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE I OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO THE RIGHT TO MARRY. |
| SB 155 | Committee | Mantzavinos | This Act makes several changes to the Delaware Nursing Home Residents Quality Assurance Commission ("Commission"):
- Modernizes the Commission name to the "Delaware Residents’ Protection Commission." The Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee, during its review of the Commission from 2020-2022, recommended the Commission change its name to something shorter that is easier to remember.
- Better delineates the Commission's duties.
- Clarifies the Executive Director's and supporting staffs' hiring process.
- Shifts the appointment of 4 Commission members from the Governor to the Commission members who represent governmental entities, to allow for faster appointment of members.
- Adds provisions to streamline the Commission's operations, including removal of a member who consistently misses meetings and approving Commission action on the affirmative vote of a majority of members present at a meeting.
- Gives the Commission the authority to seek grants to support the Commission's operations.
- Adds to the Commission's duties proposing legislation, regulations, and policies relating to long-term care facilities.
- Allows for the establishment of subcommittees to more effectively and efficiently meet the needs of the Commission
- Clarifies the Commission’s responsibility to: advocate for residents of long-term care facilities; work with other agencies and groups to promote systemic reform; recommend changes in statute, regulations, and policies to improve the quality of care, quality of life, and safety of residents unable to protect themselves; and act as an informational resource for the public.
- Authorizes the Commission to hold a virtual meeting with a physical location open to the public if a Commission staff member is present at the anchor location.
This Act has an effective date of 90 days after the date of enactment into law, to provide the Commission with time to transition from the existing membership to the membership that this Act establishes.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE NURSING HOME RESIDENTS QUALITY ASSURANCE COMMISSION. |
