This Act will increase payments of child support arrears or retroactive support from payments for settlements and awards from negligence, personal injury, and workers compensation cases by requiring that all insurers share information with an insurance claim data collection organization. The Division of Child Support Services (“Division”) uses an insurance claim data collection organization to match individuals who are in arrears on child support or who owe retroactive child support with individuals with insurance claims based upon negligence, personal injury, or workers’ compensation cases. The data collection organization performs a data match of the claimants provided by insurers and child support obligors provided by the Division. The data collection organization provides reports of matches to the Division so that the Division can issue a lien against the insurance claim to collect the child support arrears or retroactive support. Currently, some insurers voluntarily submit claim information to the insurance claim data collection organization and in 2018, $424,977 in unpaid child support was collected through this process. This Act requires that all insurers submit claim information to the insurance claim data collection organization and is expected to collect an additional $150,000 – $200,000 in unpaid child support. This Act also allows written notice of a lien or action to perfect the lien to be sent by electronically or by first class mail to conform to industry practices. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Signed

This bill allows a person who is arrested or convicted of any crime, except a violent felony, which was a direct result of being a victim of human trafficking may file an application or for a pardon or expungement or make a motion to vacate judgment. This bill also makes changes to the Human Trafficking Interagency coordinating by adding another member of the judicial branch and a representative of the Department of Education. This bill also adds locations where a public awareness sign must be placed.

Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Signed

This Act creates the Delaware Federal Employees Civil Relief Act which provides the temporary suspension of judicial and administrative proceedings and transactions in Delaware that may adversely affect the civil rights of Federal workers during a shutdown. This Act only applies to Federal workers who reside in Delaware. The Act permits a Federal worker who is furloughed or required to work without pay during a shutdown to apply to a court or administrative agency for a temporary stay, postponement or suspension of any payment of rent, mortgage, tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, or other civil obligation or liability. A court or administrative agency may grant such relief if it finds that the ability of the Federal worker to pay such obligation has been materially affected by the shutdown. The length of stay may be for the period of the shutdown and 90 days thereafter. This Act also prohibits landlords from evicting a federal worker from premises that are occupied or intended to be occupied primarily as a residence. This Act also prohibits the lapse, termination or forfeiture of the health, life, disability, or motor vehicle insurance policy of a Federal worker without a court order. This Act also places limits on the interest rate that can be imposed on a Federal worker during a shutdown. Finally, this Act empowers the Attorney General to enforce the provisions of the Act and permits a court to impose a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for violations of the Act.

Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Signed

Currently, Family Court has jurisdiction over name changes for minors when considered in conjunction with establishing parentage, as well as adult name resumption related to divorce proceedings. Outside of that context, a name change must be filed in the Court of Common Pleas. This bill provides for Family Court to assume jurisdiction over all minor name change petitions, as recommended by the Jurisdiction Improvement Committee established by the Delaware Supreme Court Order of November 7, 2017. The bill exempts the name change matters in Family Court from newspaper publication requirements. Under the bill, the Court of Common Pleas retains its jurisdiction over other adult name change petitions.

Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Signed

Significant legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Senator Poore during the 2015 session.

SB-84

Sponsor[s]: Henry

Co-sponsor[s]: Blevins, Hall-Long, Peterson, Poore

Excuses breastfeeding women from jury service.

Status: Signed into law

Significant legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Senator Poore during the 2015 session.

SB-51

Sponsor[s]: Peterson

Co-sponsor[s]: Blevins, Hall-Long, Henry, Poore

Expands the definition of people eligible to testify via closed-circuit television if a judge determines the victim or witness is suffering serious emotional distress and cannot reasonably communicate otherwise. Specifically includes victims of stalking and sexual assault.

Status: Signed into law

Some significant legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Senator Poore during the 2014 session.

Updates rules governing the Victims of Violent Crimes Fund.

Some significant legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Senator Poore during the 2014 session.

Attacks the issue of human trafficking by making human trafficking [defined as recruiting, harboring, receiving, isolating or enticing a person into sexual servitude] a Class C felony or a Class B felony if the victim is a minor.

• Forced labor – using coercion to compel someone to provide services becomes a Class C or B felony;
• Patronizing a victim of Sexual Servitude becomes a Class D felony or a Class C felony in the case of minor;
• Develops fines and penalties for organizations involved in human trafficking and authorizes restitution for victims equal to a victim’s gross income and value of labor under the Fair Labor Standards Act;
• Minors charged with prostitution may have the charges dropped if they comply with a treatment program;
• Allows victims to file civil actions against human traffickers;
• Establishes a Human Trafficking Coordinating Council to develop a plan to provide services for victims, coordinate efforts among agencies, departments and the courts, collect and evaluate data, create a public awareness campaign, coordinate victim services programs and prepare an annual report