Rep. Kim Williams

This Act establishes the comprehensive framework for the regulation of pet insurance transacted in Delaware. The Act reflects the adoption of the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s Pet Insurance Model Act, with adjustments made to conform the model act to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual, including using the singular tense of a word rather than the plural tense.

This Act establishes a Delaware Educator Apprenticeship Program to be developed by the Department of Education. The Department of Education will work with the Department of Labor to create a program that places aspiring teachers in paid positions in schools, while the teacher candidates complete the training and schooling necessary to become a Delaware credentialed teacher. This program will complement the Grow Your Own Educator Program and teacher residency programs to create a low-cost pathway for aspiring teachers to earn their teaching credentials and will address the educator shortage in Delaware. A pilot program will be created for the 2023-24 school year between 1 institute of higher education and 1 district or charter school. The program shall be expanded if interest and funding is available for the 2024-25 school year and thereafter.

This Act requires the Secretary of Education to publish and deliver to the General Assembly a report detailing requests for certificates of necessity that are not included in the proposed capital budget and the reasons for the rejection and a ranking of the rejected projects by need. The report is also required to include a breakdown of the current and previous 5 years of state spending committed through the certificate of necessity process, as well as a report on which priority level (1, 2, or 3) all approved and rejected applications are given.

This Act authorizes the Department of Education to issue an initial or continuing license to a Junior Reserve Officer Training Core (JROTC) Instructor who has been certified by the United States Department of Defense (USDOD). This Act also removes outdated language.

This Act requires physicians who are discontinuing business, leaving the State, or terminating a patient-physician relationship for any other reason to notify affected patients at least thirty days prior to the discontinuation of services via first class mail and an electronic message if electronic communication is available. It removes the requirement that physicians ending a patient-physician relationship publish a notice in a newspaper of daily circulation. Notice sent to patients must include information about how the patient may obtain their medical records and information about other physician services in the area that are available to patients who will require continued medical care. This Act further adds that a patient receive notice by electronic message, if available, when a physician dies and has not transferred patient records to another health-care provider. Finally, this Act makes technical changes to create consistency with those sections being amended by SB 74 of the 152nd General Assembly, relating to the transfer of medical records in other health-care professions.

This Act prohibits a pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, or scrap metal processor from purchasing or otherwise acquiring a gift card or other item in its original packaging unless the individual offering the item for sale produces a receipt or proof of purchase at the time of transaction. The Department of Homeland Security or its designee may seize an item found in violation of Chapter 23, Title 24 for a period of 30 days to allow the pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, or scrap metal processor an opportunity to provide a receipt or proof of ownership.

This Act requires every public school and charter school to provide students enrolled in kindergarten with an oral health screening by the last student attendance day of each school year. Notification to the parent or guardian must be done and a copy of the oral health screening results sent home. A referral to a dentist, if required, will be provided by the Bureau of Oral Health and Dental Services. The Division of Public Health (DPH), through the Delaware Smile Check Program, offers school-based oral screenings, at no cost to the school districts, schools, including charter schools, or the students. This Substitute Bill takes out the requirement to advise teachers of the results of the oral health screenings, including Special Education Coordinators and Educational Diagnosticians of students with an IEP. This Substitute Bill also removes any follow-up requirements, by the school, with the student’s parent or guardian. The Substitute Bill also makes the school requirements, under this Act, contingent on the Delaware Smile Check Program remaining in effect or a comparable program to provide free oral health screenings to all enrolled kindergarten students. This Act takes effect for the 2024-2025 school year.

This Act creates certain uniform, minimum requirements for public notice related to permits and permit renewals issued by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. In particular, the notice must include instructions for electronic submission of public comment or request for hearing, the permit application to which the notice applies must be available electronically and a link to a page where the application may be accessed electronically shall be provided in the text of the notice, a copy of the notice shall be posted on the Department's website in addition to whatever other means of delivery is required for the notice, and elected officials whose district includes the location of the permitted activity must be individually notified by e-mail. Where the application materials are too voluminous to post online the Department may provide instructions for alternative access. Conforming and technical changes are made to other parts of the Code that deal directly with public notice of permit applications. The Act is effective 180 days after its enactment.

This concurrent resolution designates October of each year as “Dyslexia Awareness Month” in Delaware. According to the United States National Institute of Health, dyslexia is a learning disability that can hinder a person’s ability to read, write, spell, and sometimes speak. Dyslexia is the most common learning disability in children and persists throughout life with 10 percent of the population or one out of every 10 people in the United States suffering from dyslexia. Children with dyslexia who are identified as dyslexic and provided with effective reading instruction in kindergarten and first grade, will have significantly fewer problems learning to read at grade level than children who are not identified as dyslexic or provided help until third grade or after. Proper diagnosis, early and appropriate treatment, and support from family, teachers, and friends will greatly increase a child’s academic success and self-esteem; however it is never too late for adults with dyslexia to learn to read, and process and express information more efficiently. October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month, reminding students and their parents that living with dyslexia can be tackled with early intervention. Each year during the month of October, conferences are held around the United States to promote awareness, research, and early identification of dyslexia.

This Concurrent Resolution commends and congratulates the Secretary of Education Scholars for 2023.