Legislative Successes
Legislative Successes Supported by SDARJ
Members of the Legislative/Advocacy Committee were hard at work during the past session, which ended last week. Here are some of the bills we supported that are now law in Delaware.
- HB 211 limits the use of shackles and other physical restraints on children in juvenile delinquency proceedings.
- HB 258 allows for granting of a probationary electrician’s license to a person after a criminal conviction.
HB 382 guarantees that all children facing criminal charges and allegations of delinquency have the right to an attorney, codifying the current practice. - HB 405 would prevent first-time juvenile offenders charged with certain minor misdemeanors from entering the system using a civil citation procedure instead of an arrest.
- SB 157 eases prohibitions on licensing of paramedics based on criminal history.
- SB 194 allows some inmates convicted of drug crimes to apply for re-sentencing if the sentence for their crime has been reduced and they are serving a longer time than they would have under current law.
- SB 198 streamlines juvenile expungement.
- SB 207 improves response to school bullying by informing parents of potential intervention by DOJ School Ombudsman; clarifies Ombudsman authority to intervene in incidents of criminal activity and bullying that do not constitute criminal activity; gives schools and victims’ families discretion whether to report misdemeanor assault incidents to law enforcement rather than mandating involvement of criminal justice system.
- SB 242 eliminates requirement that ex-felons pay all fees and fines prior to being eligible to vote.
Bills that didn’t make it this time around, which will likely be resubmitted during the next legislative session:
- Death penalty repeal
- Second leg of a constitutional amendment to modernize bail provisions
