Terms Used In Delaware Code > Title 29 > Chapter 87 - Department of State

• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Area of operation: means in the case of a municipality the area within such municipality and in the case of a county, the area within the county, except that the area of operation in such case shall not include any area which lies within the territorial boundaries of a municipality unless a resolution shall have been adopted by the governing body of such municipality declaring a need therefor; and in the case of a regional authority, shall mean the area within the communities for which such regional authority is created; provided, however, that a regional authority shall not undertake a redevelopment project within the territorial boundaries of any municipality or county unless a resolution shall have been adopted by the governing body of such municipality or county declaring that there is a need for the regional authority to undertake such redevelopment project within such municipality. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Blighted area: means that portion of a municipality or community which is found and determined to be a social or economic liability to such municipality or community because of any of the following conditions:

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501

• board: means the board of directors of the land bank. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• Budget authority: Authority provided by law to enter into obligations that will result in outlays of Federal funds. Budget authority may be classified by the period of availability (one-year, multiyear, no-year), by the timing of congressional action (current or permanent), or by the manner of determining the amount available (definite or indefinite).
• Child: means a person who has not reached the age of 18 years. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Community: means any municipality or county in this State. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Concurrent resolution: A legislative measure, designated "S. Con. Res." and numbered consecutively upon introduction, generally employed to address the sentiments of both chambers, to deal with issues or matters affecting both houses, such as a concurrent budget resolution, or to create a temporary joint committee. Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the President/Governor and thus do not have the force of law.
• Conservation: means the preservation of an area or section of a community, and the supervision and care of such area or section, to prevent the recurrence or spread of slum conditions or conditions of blight. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Corporation: means the Diamond State Port Corporation. See Delaware Code Title 29 Sec. 8782
• Court: means any court of competent jurisdiction. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 5101
• Department: means the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 5101
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Detention: refers to the holding of a juvenile by the Department in the separate Detention Department provided for in § 5110 of this title. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 5101
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Document: means :

  a. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101

• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Facilities: means all works, buildings, structures, appliances and appurtenances necessary and convenient for the proper construction, equipment, operation and maintenance of such facility or facilities or any 1 or more of them. See Delaware Code Title 29 Sec. 8782
• Federal government: includes the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of the United States of America. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Foreclosing governmental unit: means any political subdivision of the State of Delaware, where such political subdivision has the power to cause the sale of real property located within its respective jurisdiction for the collection of liens inuring to that political subdivision. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. ^{Source: OCC}
• General neighborhood renewal plan: means a plan for an area of such size that it will encompass 2 or more projects that will entail renewal activities which may have to be spread over a period of up to 10 years, and for which programming of the entire area is desirable in advance of the planning and carrying out of specified projects. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governing body: means the city council, town council, commissioners or other legislative body charged with governing the municipality or Levy Court commissioners or other legislative body charged with governing the county. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• Juvenile: means a minor. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 5101
• Land bank: means a land bank established under this chapter and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• Liens: means any lien set forth in § 2901(a)(1) of Title 25. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• Municipality: means any incorporated city or town in this State. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Obligee: includes any bondholder, agents or trustees for any bondholders, or lessor demising to the authority property used in connection with a redevelopment project, or any assignee or assignees of such lessor's interest or any part thereof, and the federal government when it is a party to any contract with the authority. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Ordinary medical care: shall mean medical examination, medical treatment including surgical procedures and mental health treatment other than inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 5101
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Person: means a natural person, partnership (whether general or limited), limited liability company, trust (including a common law trust, business trust, statutory trust, voting trust or any other form of trust), estate, association (including any group, organization, co-tenancy, plan, board, council or committee), corporation, government (including a country, state, county or any other governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality), custodian, nominee or any other individual or entity (or series thereof) in its own or any representative capacity, in each case, whether domestic or foreign. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101
• Port of Wilmington: means all wharves, piers, slips, ferries, anchorages, docks, dry-docks, bulkheads, dock-walls, basins, car-floats, float-bridges, grain or other storage elevators, warehouses, cold or heated storage, tracks, yards, sheds, switches or other buildings, structures or facilities or improvements or appurtenances operated as of the date of creation of the Corporation by the Wilmington Department of Commerce as the Port of Wilmington and Wilmington Marine Terminal Wharf and such other facilities, structures, improvements or appurtenances as may be developed, constructed or operated on land contiguous to, adjacent to or proximate to the Port of Wilmington as may be acquired by the Corporation or the City of Wilmington for the purpose of port development. See Delaware Code Title 29 Sec. 8782
• President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public body: means the State or any municipality, county, township, board, commission, authority, district or any other subdivision or public body of this State. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• real property: is synonymous with the phrase "lands, tenements and hereditaments. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Real property: includes all lands, including improvements and fixtures thereon, and property of any nature appurtenant thereto or used in connection therewith, and every estate, interest and right, legal or equitable, therein, including terms for years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage or otherwise and the indebtedness secured by such liens. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Redeveloper: means any person, partnership, or public or private corporation or agency which enters or proposes to enter into a redevelopment contract. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Redevelopment contract: means a contract entered into between an authority and a redeveloper for the redevelopment of an area in conformity with a redevelopment plan. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Redevelopment plan: means a plan other than a preliminary or tentative plan for the acquisition, clearance, reconstruction, rehabilitation or future use of a redevelopment project area. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Redevelopment project: means any work or undertaking to:

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501

• Rehabilitation: means the reconstruction, alteration or repair of improvements, structures and buildings in accordance with the requirements of the municipality or community in its codes, laws or regulations pertaining to building, fire prevention, health, housing, and zoning, and also the use of land, and the use and occupancy of buildings and improvements. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Related activities: means :

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501

• Series: means a designated series of limited partners, general partners, partnership interests or assets that is a protected series or a registered series, or that is neither a protected series nor a registered series. See Delaware Code Title 6 Sec. 17-101
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Urban renewal area: means a slum area or a blighted area or any combination thereof which the local governing body designates as appropriate for an urban renewal project. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Urban renewal plan: means a plan, as it exists from time to time, for an urban renewal project, which plan:

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501

• Urban renewal project: means undertakings and activities of a municipality or community, in an urban renewal area, for the elimination and for the prevention of the development or spread of slums and blight, and may involve slum clearance and redevelopment in an urban renewal area, or rehabilitation in an urban renewal area, or any combination or part thereof in accordance with an urban renewal plan. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Vacancy rate: means the percentage of residential structures that have been uninhabited for 6 months or more within a given jurisdiction. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703