Delaware Bills

signed · Delaware · House Apr 13, 2021

HB 33: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS.

This bill changes the relationship between physicians and physician assistants from supervisory to collaborative, in recognition of the evolving role of physician assistants and reflecting the education, training, and experience required for licensing, which emphasizes the team-based practice model. The bill retains a 1:4 ratio of physician assistants to physicians, unless a regulation of the Board increases or decreases the number. This limit of 1:4 does not apply to physicians and physician assistants who practice in the same physical office or facility building, such as an emergency department. This bill adds 2 physician assistants members recommended by the Regulatory Council for Physician Assistants to the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline in lieu of 2 public members. The bill authorizes physician assistants to participate as uncompensated volunteers in public or community events.

signed · Delaware · Senate Apr 13, 2021

SB 32: AN ACT TO AMEND THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DISCRIMINATION.

A 2019 study found the following: (1) Black women are 80% more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work. (2) Black women are 50% more likely to be sent home or know of another Black woman sent home from work because of her hair. (3) Black women are 30% more likely to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance policy. Delaware law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in a variety of settings. This Act makes clear that race also includes traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and a protective hairstyle, which includes braids, locks, and twists. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Apr 13, 2021

SB 52: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE SUSSEX COUNTY VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT.

Senate Bill No. 52 revises Chapter 26 of Title 14, regarding the Sussex County Vocational-Technical High School District (“District”). Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 52 differs from Senate Bill No. 52 because it does not change the preferences for student admissions or the eligibility standards for accepted students. Like Senate Bill No. 52, Senate Substitute No. 1 for Senate Bill No. 52 does all of the following: 1. Revises the tax rate for the District and clarifies the acceptable use for the tax revenue. 2. Repeals § 2602(b) of Title 14 because the Tax Rate Review Committee has not been active in decades and it has effectively been replaced by the citizen budget oversight committee created under § 1508 of Title 14. 3. Revises the number of students who may be enrolled in the District. 4. Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · House Apr 8, 2021

HB 20: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF FREE FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS.

This bill requires all public and charter schools which have students in grades 6-12 to provide free feminine hygiene products in 50% of the bathrooms used by students who can have a menstrual cycle. This bill also requires schools to publish on its website and post in its common areas the locations of the bathrooms where the hygiene products are provided. Finally, this bill provides that each school must consult with its school nurse regarding the products to be provided.

in committee · Delaware · House Apr 1, 2021

HB 37: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY CREDITS.

Delaware, like the rest of the country and the world, has been struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic since March of 2020. The worst outbreaks have occurred in facilities where people live and/or work in tight communal settings – long-term care facilities, prisons, and meat processing plants. There is no real way to prevent an outbreak and the spread of a highly contagious disease inside a prison where inmates share cells, communal recreation and dining spaces, and in some instances reside in large bunk rooms. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the operations of the prisons as they struggle with staff shortages due to illness and quarantines, and curtail activities to reduce opportunities for community spread within the prison. This bill seeks to address both the COVID-19 pandemic as well as any future public health emergency that impacts prison operations and conditions by creating a “public health emergency credit” that would automatically be awarded when a public health emergency is declared. Credits would be awarded at the rate of 6 months for every month served during the public health emergency up to a maximum reduction in sentence of 1 year. This has the practical effect of moving forward release dates for inmates whose release would come within the next year regardless of the emergency. This will reduce the prison population in an orderly and fair manner, relieving pressure on staff and creating better conditions for those inmates who remain incarcerated to socially distance and control the spread of infectious disease. By applying additional credit towards sentence completion, this legislation also recognizes that the conditions of confinement during a public health emergency like the current one can be considered significantly more punishing – since visitation, communications, programming, and recreation are all significantly negatively impacted by the emergency conditions and modifications to operations.