Delaware 151st General Assembly (2021-2022) Status: Enacted 8 D cosponsors

SB 187 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 22 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS.

Last action — Signed by Governor

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced June 23, 2021. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 66% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 12 sponsors

    3 primary, 9 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (8 D).

  • Mixed recorded votes

    2 passed, 1 failed in recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more and more popular. Between 2012 and 2016, EV sales grew at an annual rate 32%. In 2017, growth in sales reached 45%. Batteries for EVs have become much cheaper in the last 10 years, enabling EVs to compete with traditional, fossil-fueled vehicles. In addition, major vehicle manufacturers are pledging to go all electric. Some researchers are predicting that EV sales will outnumber those of traditional, combustion engine vehicles by 2040. However, only minimal electrical charging infrastructure is available today. Like Senate Bill No. 187, this Substitute will make it easier and more convenient to own an electric vehicle in this State in the years to come, resulting in increased purchases of electric vehicles, promoting cleaner air and water, and resulting in improved health outcomes for Delawareans and a reduction of greenhouse gases to curtail global warming. Specifically, like Senate Bill No. 187, this Substitute achieves these ends by requiring municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more to develop a procedure to obtain permission for the installation of an electric vehicle charging station on real property zoned for residential use that abuts a residential street. This Substitute differs from Senate Bill No. 187 as follows: (1) By removing the requirement that an ordinance adopted by a municipality establish the qualifications required by the licensed electrician who installs an electric vehicle charging station. (2) By clarifying that a municipality may not require an individual owner of real property to install an electric vehicle charging station for another person, including a tenant, guest, or customer, unless the requirement is adopted as part of a municipal zoning or building code that is of general applicability. This Substitute Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a municipal charter, whether directly, by amendment to a specific municipality’s charter, or, as in this Act, indirectly, by a general law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

88 added · 11 removed

88 line(s) added, 11 removed.

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Previous
Latest
Rep.
Sen.
Griffith HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE AMENDMENT NO.
S.
1 TO SENATE SUBSTITUTE NO.
McBride & Sen.
Hansen & Rep.
Griffith Sens.
Ennis, Gay, Mantzavinos, Sokola, Townsend, Walsh;
Reps.
Baumbach, Lambert, Morrison DELAWARE STATE SENATE 151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE SUBSTITUTE NO.
187 AMEND Senate Substitute No.
187 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 22 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS.
1 for Senate Bill No.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE (Two-thirds of all members elected to each house thereof concurring therein):
187 on line 16 by deleting “January 1, 2023” as it appears therein and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
Section 1.
“July 1, 2023”.
Amend Chapter 1, Title 22 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
SYNOPSIS This Amendment extends the date by which municipalities must establish their local ordinances to comply with the bill.
§ 119.
The only municipalities impacted by Senate Substitute No.
Residential installation of electric vehicle charging station.
1 for Senate Bill No.
(a)(1) The purpose of this section is to facilitate the ownership of electric vehicles.
187 are those with a population of 30,000 or more.
(2) This section applies to a municipality with a population of 30,000 or more, as based on the most recent federal census.
HD :
(b) For purposes of this section:
NSW :
(1)a.
MAW Page 1 of 1 Released:
“Electric vehicle” means a motor vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion and which is powered through an internal battery that is charged using an external electricity source.
04/12/2022 11:18 AM 2141510627
b.
“Electric vehicle” includes both of the following:
1.
A plug-in hybrid vehicle, which operates with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor that can be plugged into an external electric power source to charge the internal battery.
2.
An all-electric vehicle, which operates solely from an internal electric battery.
(2) “Electric vehicle charging station” means equipment that connects an electric vehicle to an external source of electricity to recharge the electric vehicle’s internal battery.
(c) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a municipality shall adopt, not later than January 1, 2023, an ordinance that establishes a procedure to obtain a permit for the installation of an electric vehicle charging station on real property zoned for residential use that abuts a residential street.
(d) The ordinance adopted under subsection (c) of this section must do all of the following:
(1) Require that the electric vehicle charging station be installed by a licensed electrician.
LC :
MJC :
CM Page 1 of 3 Released:
06/23/2021 08:11 PM (2) Require the written permission of the owner of the real property on which the electric vehicle charging station is requested to be installed, including the owner of a sidewalk or strip of land adjacent to a curb abutting a residential street.
(3) Establish reasonable restrictions on the type of electric vehicle charging stations that are permitted to be installed.
(4) Provide that the municipality must approve or deny a permit within 90 days of the receipt of a permit application or the permit is automatically approved.
(5) Provide that an electric vehicle charging station or privately owned electrical services may not be installed within or affect an existing or proposed State right of way or easement area without the approval of the Department of Transportation.
(e) A municipality may not require an individual owner of real property to install an electric vehicle charging station for another person, including a tenant, guest, or customer, unless the requirement is adopted as part of a municipal zoning or building code that is of general applicability.
This section does not create a cause of action for the failure of the owner to install an electric vehicle charging station for another person.
(f) A municipality may provide for a process for granting dedicated or reserved parking for an electric vehicle charging station permitted under the ordinance adopted under this section.
(g)(1) Subject to paragraph (g)(2) of this section, a restriction established under paragraph (d)(3) of this section is a reasonable restriction if the restriction does not do any of the following:
Show all 88 changed rows (48 more)
Previous
Latest
a.
Significantly increase the purchase price of an electric vehicle charging station or the cost to install the electric vehicle charging station.
b.
Significantly decrease the efficiency or specified performance of an electric vehicle charging station.
c.
Effectively prohibit the installation of an electric vehicle charging station.
(2) A restriction established under paragraph (d)(3) of this section is a reasonable restriction and a municipality may enforce and adopt the restriction if the restriction addresses any of the following:
a.
Health and safety.
b.
Historical design review in historically designated districts.
c.
Stormwater and drain management.
d.
Handicap accessibility.
e.
Adequate pedestrian walkway space.
f.
Adequate distance from the street.
LC :
MJC :
CM Page 2 of 3 Released:
06/23/2021 08:11 PM g.
The delegation of electric vehicle charging station maintenance and removal responsibilities.
h.
Current and planned streetscape and landscape design.
SYNOPSIS Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more and more popular.
Between 2012 and 2016, EV sales grew at an annual rate 32%.
In 2017, growth in sales reached 45%.
Batteries for EVs have become much cheaper in the last 10 years, enabling EVs to compete with traditional, fossil-fueled vehicles.
In addition, major vehicle manufacturers are pledging to go all electric.
Some researchers are predicting that EV sales will outnumber those of traditional, combustion engine vehicles by 2040.
However, only minimal electrical charging infrastructure is available today.
Like Senate Bill No.
187, this Substitute will make it easier and more convenient to own an electric vehicle in this State in the years to come, resulting in increased purchases of electric vehicles, promoting cleaner air and water, and resulting in improved health outcomes for Delawareans and a reduction of greenhouse gases to curtail global warming.
Specifically, like Senate Bill No.
187, this Substitute achieves these ends by requiring municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more to develop a procedure to obtain permission for the installation of an electric vehicle charging station on real property zoned for residential use that abuts a residential street.
This Substitute differs from Senate Bill No.
187 as follows:
(1) By removing the requirement that an ordinance adopted by a municipality establish the qualifications required by the licensed electrician who installs an electric vehicle charging station.
(2) By clarifying that a municipality may not require an individual owner of real property to install an electric vehicle charging station for another person, including a tenant, guest, or customer, unless the requirement is adopted as part of a municipal zoning or building code that is of general applicability.
This Substitute Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a municipal charter, whether directly, by amendment to a specific municipality’s charter, or, as in this Act, indirectly, by a general law.
Author:
Senator S.
McBride LC :
MJC :
CM Page 3 of 3 Released:
06/23/2021 08:11 PM 4801510107
View plain text versions (2)

Action History

  1. Signed by Governor

  2. Passed By Senate. Votes: 14 YES 7 NO

  3. Suspension of Rules in Senate

  4. Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 2 NO 1 ABSENT

  5. Amendment HA 1 to SS 1 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

  6. Lifted From Table in House

  7. Laid On Table in House

  8. Roll Call Rescinded in House

  9. Restored in House

  10. Amendment HA 1 to SS 1 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  11. Defeated By House. Votes: 23 YES 16 NO 2 ABSENT

  12. Reported Out of Committee (Energy) in House with 3 Favorable, 6 On Its Merits

  13. Assigned to Energy Committee in House

  14. Passed By Senate. Votes: 16 YES 5 NO

  15. was introduced and adopted in lieu of SB 187

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

3 sponsors · 9 co-sponsors · 50 not signed on · 20 voted No

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (9)

Not signed on (50)

50 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 50 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

2/3

Passed 38 Yea · 2 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 13000
Democratic 16000
Republican 9201
Total 38201
% of votes cast 93%5%0%2%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Andria L. Bennett — Yea
Charles "Bud" M. Freel — Yea
David Bentz — Yea
John A. Kowalko — Yea
John L. Mitchell — Yea
Michael Ramone — Yea
Paul S. Baumbach — Yea
Peter C. Schwartzkopf — Yea
Ruth Briggs King — Yea
Sean Matthews — Yea
Sherry Dorsey Walker — Yea
Stephen Smyk — Yea
Valerie Longhurst — Yea
Debra Heffernan Democratic Yea
Edward S. Osienski Democratic Yea
Eric Morrison Democratic Yea
Franklin D. Cooke Democratic Yea
Kendra Johnson Democratic Yea
Kimberly Williams Democratic Yea
Krista Griffith Democratic Yea
Larry Lambert Democratic Yea
Madinah Wilson-Anton Democratic Yea
Melissa Minor-Brown Democratic Yea
Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha Democratic Yea
Sean M. Lynn Democratic Yea
Sherae'a Moore Democratic Yea
Stephanie T. Bolden Democratic Yea
William Bush Democratic Yea
William J. Carson Democratic Yea
Bryan W. Shupe Republican Yea
Charles S Postles Jr. Republican Nay
Daniel B. Short Republican Yea
Jeffrey N. Spiegelman Republican Yea
Jesse R. Vanderwende Republican Yea
Kevin S Hensley Republican Yea
Lyndon D. Yearick Republican Yea
Michael F. Smith Republican Yea
Richard G. Collins Republican Nay
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

2/3

Failed 23 Yea · 16 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 9301
Democratic 14101
Republican 01200
Total 231602
% of votes cast 56%39%0%5%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Andria L. Bennett — Not Voting
Charles "Bud" M. Freel — Yea
David Bentz — Yea
John A. Kowalko — Yea
John L. Mitchell — Yea
Michael Ramone — Nay
Paul S. Baumbach — Yea
Peter C. Schwartzkopf — Yea
Ruth Briggs King — Nay
Sean Matthews — Yea
Sherry Dorsey Walker — Yea
Stephen Smyk — Nay
Valerie Longhurst — Yea
Debra Heffernan Democratic Yea
Edward S. Osienski Democratic Yea
Eric Morrison Democratic Yea
Franklin D. Cooke Democratic Yea
Kendra Johnson Democratic Yea
Kimberly Williams Democratic Yea
Krista Griffith Democratic Nay
Larry Lambert Democratic Yea
Madinah Wilson-Anton Democratic Yea
Melissa Minor-Brown Democratic Yea
Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha Democratic Yea
Sean M. Lynn Democratic Yea
Sherae'a Moore Democratic Yea
Stephanie T. Bolden Democratic Not Voting
William Bush Democratic Yea
William J. Carson Democratic Yea
Bryan W. Shupe Republican Nay
Charles S Postles Jr. Republican Nay
Daniel B. Short Republican Nay
Jeffrey N. Spiegelman Republican Nay
Jesse R. Vanderwende Republican Nay
Kevin S Hensley Republican Nay
Lyndon D. Yearick Republican Nay
Michael F. Smith Republican Nay
Richard G. Collins Republican Nay
Ronald E. Gray Republican Nay
Shannon Morris Republican Nay
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Nay

Official roll call →

2/3

Passed 16 Yea · 5 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4100
Democratic 11000
Republican 1400
Total 16500
% of votes cast 76%24%0%0%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Bruce C. Ennis — Yea
Colin Bonini — Nay
Ernesto B Lopez — Yea
Kyle Evans Gay — Yea
Sarah McBride — Yea
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
Darius J. Brown Democratic Yea
David P. Sokola Democratic Yea
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Yea
Laura V. Sturgeon Democratic Yea
Marie Pinkney Democratic Yea
Nicole Poore Democratic Yea
S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic Yea
Spiros Mantzavinos Democratic Yea
Stephanie L. Hansen Democratic Yea
Trey Paradee Democratic Yea
Brian Pettyjohn Republican Yea
Bryant L. Richardson Republican Nay
Dave G. Lawson Republican Nay
David L. Wilson Republican Nay
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 187 do?
Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more and more popular. Between 2012 and 2016, EV sales grew at an annual rate 32%. In 2017, growth in sales reached 45%. Batteries for EVs have become much cheaper in the last 10 years, enabling EVs to compete with traditional, fossil-fueled vehicles. In addition, major vehicle manufacturers are pledging to go all electric. Some researchers are predicting that EV sales will outnumber those of traditional, combustion engine vehicles by 2040. However, only minimal electrical charging infrastructure is available today. Like Senate Bill No. 187, this Substitute will make it easier and more convenient to own an electric vehicle in this State in the years to come, resulting in increased purchases of electric vehicles, promoting cleaner air and water, and resulting in improved health outcomes for Delawareans and a reduction of greenhouse gases to curtail global warming. Specifically, like Senate Bill No. 187, this Substitute achieves these ends by requiring municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more to develop a procedure to obtain permission for the installation of an electric vehicle charging station on real property zoned for residential use that abuts a residential street. This Substitute differs from Senate Bill No. 187 as follows: (1) By removing the requirement that an ordinance adopted by a municipality establish the qualifications required by the licensed electrician who installs an electric vehicle charging station. (2) By clarifying that a municipality may not require an individual owner of real property to install an electric vehicle charging station for another person, including a tenant, guest, or customer, unless the requirement is adopted as part of a municipal zoning or building code that is of general applicability. This Substitute Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a municipal charter, whether directly, by amendment to a specific municipality’s charter, or, as in this Act, indirectly, by a general law.
Who sponsors SB 187?
SB 187 is sponsored by Kyle Evans Gay, Stephanie L. Hansen (Democratic), Krista Griffith (Democratic), Spiros Mantzavinos (Democratic), David P. Sokola (Democratic), Bryan Townsend (Democratic), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Larry Lambert (Democratic), Eric Morrison (Democratic), Bruce C. Ennis, Sarah McBride, and Paul S. Baumbach.
What is the current status of SB 187?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced June 23, 2021. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 187?
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