Delaware Bills

signed · Delaware · House Sep 13, 2018

HB 430: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

This Bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to utilize any laboratory designated by the Department of Agriculture rather than only the State Chemist to analyze samples of foods, dairy and other feeds and insecticides, and to cooperate with the United States Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies in the enforcement of the laws related to foods, dairy and other feeds, and insecticides.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 13, 2018

HB 451: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 RELATING TO THE HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE CLEANUP ACT.

This Act stabilizes revenue for the Hazardous Substances Cleanup Act ("HSCA") Fund ("the Fund") by minimizing the wide swings in revenue due to oil prices changes. Under this Act, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control ("the Department") is prevented from receiving a revenue windfall when oil prices rise, while minimum funding for the Brownfields Grant Program is protected when oil prices are low. The legislation ties HSCA funding to a median benchmark and authorizes the Division of Revenue to adjust the tax rate up or down for the following year to smooth the revenue stream and avoid the roller coaster effect of oil price changes. This Act caps the HSCA tax rate at 1.675% and allows the lowest rate to drop to .675%, versus the current HSCA rate of .9%. This Act sets aside a minimum of $5,000,000 annually in HSCA funds for the Brownfields Grant Program, which has leveraged private investment of 16 times the public funds expended in cleaning up polluted sites and returning them to productive use, generating jobs and tax revenue.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 13, 2018

SB 166: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF FREE FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS.

This Act requires that feminine hygiene products be provided free of charge to individuals in custody at facilities operated by the Department of Correction and facilities operated by the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 13, 2018

SB 252: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT RESTRICTIONS.

This amendment would allow for landing areas located in agricultural preservation districts to be used for agriculturally related aerial spraying and applications such as seeding, as well as spraying and applications under government programs such as mosquito and noxious weed control, all subject to the written approval of the Foundation Board.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 13, 2018

HB 371: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO WELFARE.

This legislation makes two minor modifications to Delaware’s background check process for prospective employees and volunteers at child-serving entities. It: 1) clarifies that an employer who must first obtain a signed authorization from the prospective employee for a Child Protection Registry Check, must attach that authorization to the request for the Registry check; and 2) only those persons currently on the Child Protection Registry may impact an employer’s decision whether to hire a person who is not otherwise expressly excluded from employment.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 13, 2018

SB 184: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SELF-SERVICE STORAGE INSURANCE PRODUCER LICENSURE.

As the self-storage industry continues to grow, it is important for consumers to have the option to insure their items stored in a self-storage facility. Currently, Delaware law does not provide a licensing structure for the sale of self-storage insurance. This type of insurance is becoming more commonplace with the growth in the self-storage industry. This legislation provides a licensing structure for self-storage businesses engaged in the sale of this type of insurance, grants the Insurance Commissioner regulatory oversight over the sales practices for this type of insurance and provides important protections and disclosures for consumers who purchase this insurance product.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 10, 2018

SB 225: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16, TITLE 24, TITLE 29, AND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THE TREATMENT OF BACK PAIN.

This Act encourages prescribers and patients to use proven non-opioid methods of treating back pain by doing the following: 1. Prohibits numerical limits on physical therapy and chiropractic care, which might deter prescribers or patients from using those treatments rather than opioids. 2. Adds continuing education requirements for prescribers relating to risks of opioids and alternatives to opioids. 3. Creates a pilot program within the state employee health care plan that allows the use of massage therapy, acupuncture, and yoga for the treatment of back pain.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 10, 2018

HB 440: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE CREATION OF AN OVERDOSE SYSTEM OF CARE.

House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 440 differs from House Bill 440 only in that it locates the Overdose System of Care and the Overdose System of Care Committee in Chapter 97 of Title 16 instead of in Chapter 10 of Title 16. House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill 440 establishes an overdose system of care to improve care, treatment, and survival of the overdose patient in State of Delaware. This Act allows the Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services to establish stabilization centers that can receive overdose patients from Emergency Medical Services and designate acute health care facilities, freestanding emergency departments, and hospitals that meet established requirements as an overdose system of care centers. This Act also establishes a standing Overdose System of Care Committee to assist in the oversight of the overdose system of care and provide recommendations for its implementation and maintenance.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 10, 2018

SB 206: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAM.

Far too many Delawareans have been personally affected by addiction and substance use disorder and have experienced the tragedy of watching loved ones suffer from this chronic disease. Nearly 2,000 individuals in Delaware suffered a non-fatal overdose in 2017, but data suggest that many of these individuals continued to be prescribed opioid pain medications or did not receive substance use disorder treatment. This Act links specific patient care data related to overdose collected by the Office of Emergency Medical Services or the Office of the State Epidemiologist with data in the Delaware Prescription Monitoring Program (“PMP”). This Act will foster best practices in the use of health information, to ensure that consistent, humane, evidence-based treatment and care is available and provided to those suffering from substance use disorder or non-fatal overdose. Linking this data may assist prescribers and pharmacists in the identification of substance use disorder and promote safer prescribing. This Act also provides prescriber and dispenser identified data to the PMP Advisory Committee and the Addiction Action Committee, which will enable these committees to do the following: 1. Appropriately identify prescribing and dispensing patterns of concern. 2. Make recommendations to the PMP administrator. 3. Provide targeted education to those individuals whose prescribing or dispensing practices are outliers from the Delaware average. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 10, 2018

HB 335: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ESTABLISHING A SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY FUND.

This Act establishes the Delaware School Safety and Security Fund to allow certain eligible public schools to partially or fully fund projects intended to improve school facilities and training relating to safety or security. The Department of Education shall administer the fund. This Act is effective upon appropriation.

signed · Delaware · House Sep 5, 2018

HB 346: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO EDUCATION.

This Act establishes the High Needs Educator Student Loan Payment Program. The Program allows qualified applicants to apply for a payment from the State to the applicant’s lending agency, to pay a portion of the applicant’s student loan debt. The purpose of the Program is to encourage Educators to work and remain working in certification areas in which Delaware has a shortage and to encourage Educators to work and remain working in Delaware’s hardest-to-staff Schools. The amount of the award shall be no less than $1000 and no more than $2000. This substitute redesignates the chapter where this language will be placed in the code.

signed · Delaware · Senate Sep 4, 2018

SB 156: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CONVERSION TRANSACTIONS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT HEALTHCARE ENTITIES.

This Act amends § 2532 of Title 29, in the Not-for-Profit Healthcare Conversion Act, to ensure that the Attorney General has sufficient time to review a proposed not-for-profit healthcare conversion and, if appropriate, take action to protect the charitable assets being held for public benefit. Due to an apparent drafting error, the Not-for-Profit Healthcare Conversion Act currently permits a not-for-profit healthcare entity to provide notice to the Attorney General of a proposed not-for-profit healthcare conversion as late as the day of the proposed transaction, which would prevent the Attorney General from performing the functions intended by the General Assembly when it enacted the Not-for-Profit Healthcare Conversion Act.

Bill results