Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown

House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 215 differs from House Bill No. 215 as follows: this substitute provides a definition of a premium cigar and modifies the tax rate changes in House Bill 215 by setting the tax rate for other tobacco products at 40% of the wholesale price, maintaining the tax for premium cigars at 30% of the wholesale price, and setting the tax rate for vapor products at 10 cents per fluid milliliter. A definition of “nicotine pouch” is added. As with House Bill 215, House Substitute No.1 increases the cigarette tax rate to $3.60 per pack, increases some license fees, and changes the definition of “tobacco products” to include more items. This substitute bill sets the effective date of the tax rate increases as September 1, 2026, and the effective date of the increased license fees as January 1, 2027. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 10 of Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to increase the effective rate of a tax or fee levied by the State.

Maddy summaryHCR 109 designates the week of April 11 through April 17, 2026, as Black Maternal Health Awareness Week throughout the state of Delaware. This legislative measure is a formal recognition intended to highlight the importance of maternal health outcomes for Black women during that specific period. The bill does not create new laws, allocate funding, or change government operations; it serves solely as a symbolic declaration passed by both the House and Senate.

Maddy summaryThis House Concurrent Resolution formally acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of the First State Health Leaders Alliance. The bill does not create new laws or change existing policies but serves as a symbolic recognition of the organization's work. It was passed by both the House and Senate without requiring a formal vote, indicating broad consensus on the honor. The resolution has no direct impact on individuals or organizations beyond the ceremonial recognition of the alliance.

Maddy summaryHB 275, the Fiscal Year 2027 Bond and Capital Improvements Act, authorizes Delaware to issue general obligation bonds and revenue bonds for transportation projects, appropriating funds from the Transportation Trust Fund and other state sources. It directs funding for infrastructure improvements across state authorities, including the Delaware Transportation Authority, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. The bill specifies procedures and limits for spending these funds while amending related statutes to support capital projects. It does not create new policies but enables funding mechanisms for existing infrastructure needs. (Note: As a funding bill, it affects state budget allocation, not direct citizen regulations.)

This House Concurrent Resolution establishes the purpose and protocol for the creation of a state of the state report on perinatal mental health in Delaware. The report is to be prepared by the Behavioral Health Consortium in consultation with its Maternal Mental Health Working Group, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Delaware Health Commission’s Health Workforce Subcommittee, the Delaware Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and the Maternal and Child Death Review Committee for review by the Governor, the Delaware State Senate, the Delaware House of Representatives, the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, the House Health and Human Development Committee, and the Director and Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services by December 1, 2026, and is to include a summary of current state programming, training and education, gaps in services, funding streams, demographic information, performance outcomes, and utilization data as well as any recommendations for addressing access and racial and socioeconomic disparities.

This House Concurrent Resolution recognizes the significant contributions of nurses as frontline healthcare workers, recognizes the importance of basic protections and rights for this profession, and resolves that the rights of nurses are upheld and promoted throughout the state.

This Concurrent Resolution provides for a Joint Session of the House of Representatives and the Senate to be convened for the purpose of hearing an address by the Honorable Matthew S. Meyer, Governor of the State of Delaware.

This Act updates the Board of Nursing’s enabling act to allow the Board to issue confidential letters of concern to licensees who have acted in manner warranting concern but have not violated the Board’s statute or regulations. The purpose of the letter of concern is to encourage the licensee to improve such practice. The bill further allows the Board to require any licensee who receives 3 or more letters of concern to appear before the Board for a hearing to assess the licensee’s competency, at which time the letters of concern would no longer be confidential.

This Act requires health care employers to implement a smoke evacuation system for surgical procedures that generate surgical smoke. This Substitute for House Bill No. 173 clarifies that the Division of Health Care Quality is responsible for enforcement of this chapter.

This Act makes the following updates to the Behavioral Health Consortium: - Expands the charge of the Consortium to include all aspects of behavioral health care, in addition to substance use disorder. - Adds term limits for appointed members. - Modifies the membership to remove nonoperational organizations and include representation from the Maternal and Child Death Review Board and Delaware’s Veteran community. - Removes the Behavioral Health Commission’s approval authority over the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission’s granting and contracting processes. Additionally, this Act makes the following updates to the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission: - Revises the Commission’s organization to reflect one Chairperson. The Commission may elect a vice chair from among its members. - Updates authorities related to the distribution of the Prescription Opioid Settlement Fund and the Prescription Opioid Impact Fund. - Ensures any reports produced by the Commission are distributed to the Behavioral Health Consortium. This Act also makes minor technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This Substitute differs from the original House Bill No. 169 in that it incorporates the conforming changes in House Amendment No. 1 to House Bill No. 169 directly into the body of the bill.