This Act creates a new Delaware Nursing Advancement Fund (Fund) for purposes of funding a nonprofit that will maintain information and conduct studies about the nursing workforce, advance the profession of nursing, monitor trends in the nursing applicant pool, facilitate partnerships, educate the public about opportunities and careers in nursing, and distribute information about the nursing workforce. Money for the Fund will come from a $10 fee on initial and renewal applications to the Board of Nursing, as well as any disciplinary fines. The Division of Professional Regulation will make a grant award to a nonprofit to accomplish the purposes of the Fund. This Act requires a three-fourths majority vote for passage because of the requirements of Section 4, Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution.
This Act adds minor league baseball players to the existing exemptions from state minimum wage and recordkeeping standards. After minor league players formed a union in 2022, minor league players represented by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) signed their first collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2023. This exemption actualizes that existing collective bargaining agreement between the players union and MLB.
This Concurrent Resolution urges the Delaware Department of Human Resources to develop a statewide educational strategy on menopause to support public and private organizations and to improve understanding of menopause’s impact on Delaware’s workforce. This report is due no later than June 30, 2027.
This Substitute for House Bill No. 84 prohibits employers from requiring meetings or communications the purpose of which is to convey the employer’s political or religious views, including views regarding unionization. The Act enumerates several situations to which the prohibition does not apply, including the communication of religious views by a religious employer, the communication of political views by a political party or organization, and training required to comply with civil rights laws and occupational safety and health laws. The statute also clarifies that the following communications are outside the scope of the prohibition: (1) An employer communicating to its employees any information that the employer is required by law to communicate, but only to the extent of that legal requirement; (2) An employer communicating to its employees any information that is necessary for those employees to perform their job duties; (3) An institution of higher education, or any agent, representative, or designee of that institution, meeting with or participating in any communications with its employees that are part of coursework, any symposia, or an academic program at that institution; (4) An employer that is a public entity communicating to its employees any information related to a policy of the public entity or any law or regulation that the public entity is responsible for administering; and (5) A tax exempt organization, as defined under United States Internal Revenue Code § 501(c)(3) communicating with its employees about policy issues that are relevant to the organization, its mission, or the people the organization serves, provided such communication is done in a non-partisan manner. The provision is added to the existing chapter dealing with discrimination in employment, and the Department of Labor is empowered to investigate employer practices, make rules and regulations, and commence civil actions if necessary. The Department of Labor is instructed to update, within 90 days of the effective date of this Act, the notices it prepares for use by employers regarding unlawful discrimination in employment to include the provisions of this Act.
This Act makes updates to the Delaware workplace safety program to increase the workers’ compensation insurance credit that businesses can access while maintaining overall program stability. Past legislation that adjusted Workplace Safety Program parameters led to the filing of a new Experience Rating Plan by Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau, which inadvertently resulted in lower discounts. Most businesses with lower-than-average claim costs, regardless of size, continue to see reductions in their experience modification factors. The Workplace Safety Program credit and the experience modification factor savings result in a similar savings as before for employers with favorable loss history. However, this was not the intention of prior law. This Act ensures that companies can reach maximum premium savings of 12%.
This Act clarifies that paid leave for the adoption of a child may begin at one of the following times: (1) when the child is placed for adoption with the employee; (2) when the employee initiates a petition for adoption; or (3) when the adoption process is completed.
Under current Delaware law, if a labor dispute constitutes a lockout, employees who meet all other eligibility requirements qualify for unemployment benefits from the date they file their claim. However, if a labor dispute does not constitute a lockout, employees do not qualify for (i.e. are disqualified from receiving) unemployment benefits. This Act changes the law to allow an employee who is subject to a labor dispute, other than a lockout, to collect unemployment benefits after a 2-week waiting period, if the employee meets all the eligibility requirements for unemployment benefits, including being able and available for work and completing weekly job requirements. This Act provides that the 2-week waiting period established by this Act is waived if one or both of the following apply: (1) The labor dispute is caused by the failure or refusal of the employer to comply with an agreement or contract between the employer and the individual, including a collective bargaining agreement with a union representing the individual, or a State or federal law pertaining to hours, wages, or other conditions of work. (2) The employer hires a permanent replacement worker for the individual's position. The Department of Labor may impose a penalty on an employer who fraudulently certifies the ability of an employee to return to the employee’s prior position on conclusion of the labor dispute. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Chapter 35 of Title 19 prohibits an employer from improperly classifying an individual who is an employee as an independent contractor. Not only is this improper classification unfair to employees because it violates state and federal laws related to income tax withholding, unemployment insurance, wage laws, and workers’ compensation, it is also unfair to contractors who comply with Chapter 35 and these other employment laws. When employers who violate Chapter 35 are subcontractors who have not registered as contractors as required under Chapter 36 of Title 19, the Department of Labor (Department) has no recourse for enforcing compliance with Chapter 35. This Act makes a general contractor responsible for a subcontractor’s compliance with Chapter 35 by making the general contractor jointly and severally liable for restitution and penalties assessed against the subcontractor. This Act also allows the Department to deny, suspend, or revoke the certificate of registration of a contractor who contracts with a subcontractor who has not registered on any project. In addition, Section 3 of this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
