Rep. Frank Cooke

In Delaware, all individual health insurance policies, all group and blanket health insurance policies, the State employee health insurance plan, and Medicaid are required to cover chiropractic and physical therapy treatment for chronic back pain without annual or lifetime numerical limits on physical therapy or chiropractic care visits. To evaluate the effectiveness of this coverage requirement, the Patient Centered Care Subcommittee of the Addiction Action Committee, under the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, sent a survey to chiropractic therapy and physical therapy providers in Delaware. Although the survey showed that the coverage requirement has improved treatment of chronic pain patients, the survey also showed that the coverage requirement provides supportive chronic pain treatment for only the thoracic region of the spine, which is the middle of the spine from the base of the neck to the bottom of the ribs, and the lumbar region of the spine, which is the lower back. The treatment of chronic pain through chiropractic supportive care, physical therapy, or both, can prevent a patient from requiring opioid pain medications or more expensive treatments, but excluding vital areas of the spine and body from coverage may limit the effectiveness of chiropractic therapy and physical therapy treatment and limits a chronic pain patient’s potential for improvement. This Act encourages treatment of chronic pain patients without opioids by updating the required health insurance coverage to prohibit annual or lifetime numerical visits on physical therapy or chiropractic care visits that are for the purpose of treating the spine and other neuromusculoskeletal structures, including extremities. The updated coverage required under this Act applies to all policies, contracts, or certificates issued, renewed, modified, altered, amended, or reissued after December 31, 2026. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act codifies the Delaware State Police program that makes available a “blue envelope” for use by a person with a disability. The intent of this program is to increase safety for both officers and persons with a disability during a traffic stop. The envelope contains written information for officers regarding interacting with a person with a disability, as well as guidance for the person with a disability on safe interactions with law-enforcement during a traffic stop. The envelope is sized to be able to contain a driver’s license, motor vehicle registration card, and insurance identification card and other related documents.

The Act authorizes licensed Physician Assistants (PA) in Delaware to pronounce death and to complete a medical certification of death. This Act also removes registered nurses from the list of practitioners who may complete a medical certification of death, as it conflicts with the scope of practice set out in Title 24. This Act also makes technical changes to conform to the Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act makes it a class G felony if a person breaches a no contact provision of the person's sentencing order, where the sentence was for 1 or more felonies. This Act also makes it a class A misdemeanor if a person breaches a no contact provision of the person's sentencing order, where the sentence was for 1 or more misdemeanors and no felonies.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 19-25, 2026, as "Crime Victims' Rights Week" in the State of Delaware. The following websites provide more information on Crime Victims' Rights Week and the resources available to victims and survivors of crime: Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, at https://dcadv.org Delaware Victims' Rights Task Force, at https://delawarevictimservices.org

This resolution designates April 19-25, 2026, as "Delaware Library Week" in the State of Delaware and thanks librarians and library workers for their contributions to our state's education, culture, and quality of life.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution designates April 2026 as the "Month of the Military Child" in the State of Delaware and encourages the Governor to illuminate key landmarks in purple during the month of April in honor of Delaware’s military-connected children.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes the second annual Delaware Together Day and reaffirms Celebrate Delaware Together Day as a statewide observance that promotes unity, inclusion, and community collaboration across Delaware.

This House Concurrent Resolution recognizes the month of April 2026 as “Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month” in the State of Delaware.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates April 2026 as "National Fair Housing Month" within the State of Delaware. It directly affects state government officials and encourages public awareness of fair housing issues during that month. The resolution serves as a symbolic recognition rather than creating new laws or regulations. No changes to existing policies or funding are included in this measure.