Rep. Mike Ramone

This Act requires that individual, group, State employee, and public assistance insurance plans provide coverage for treatment of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections and pediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome. This Act suspends this requirement for individual and group insurance plans if, under the Affordable Care Act, the State is required to assume the cost of this coverage.

This bill creates a special license plate for honorably discharged veterans of the United States military.

This bill allows first-time home buyers to pay their portion of the realty transfer tax at the rate that was in effect prior to the increase that took effect on August 1, 2017. The credit is calculated as 0.5% of the first $400,000 in home value, with a maximum allowable credit of $2,000. This legislation is retroactive for any first-time home buyer who entered into a transaction for the transfer of real estate on or after August 1, 2017. The seller in any transaction with a first-time buyer will still pay the current tax rate. The bill also removes a provision that applied to contracts entered into prior to 1971, since such provision is no longer relevant. For ease of application, the new definition of "first-time home buyer" is cross-referenced in the already existing Code provision directing the counties to exempt such buyers from any county-imposed realty transfer tax. This reduction in the tax rate for first-time home buyers will be effective for transactions entered into on or after the effective date of this Act.

This Act includes “emergency medical technicians” within the definition of employee under the County/Municipal Police/Firefighter Pension Plan.

The Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism was created by 81 Del. Laws ch. 49 and placed in the Department of State. This enactment transferred certain responsibilities for economic development, formerly in the Delaware Department of Economic Development, to this Division. The purpose of this Act is to address administrative housekeeping matters involving this transfer of responsibilities for economic development. Specifically, this Act changes the name of the Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism to the Division of Small Business. The Division of Small Business will remain in the Department of State and be responsible for economic development activities transferred to the Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism in 81 Del. Laws ch. 49. This Act also does the following: (1) Sets a new date for the submission of the Comprehensive State Plan for Economic Development and unifies the economic development reporting requirements of the Division of Small Business. (2) Limits the terms of members of the Council on Development Finance (“Council”) appointed after July 1, 2018. (3) Eliminates the requirement that all Council members be physically present to constitute a quorum for meetings, to foster greater efficiency in making economic development recommendations to the Division of Small Business. (4) Further deletes reference to programs governed by prior acts of the General Assembly such as the Agriculture/Aquaculture Program, the Liberty Court Apartments project, and the Human Investment and Partnership Program, to the extent that these programs are no longer active. Finally this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Bill authorizes the Thoroughbred Racing Commission to be a member of the new Interstate Anti-Doping and Drug Testing Standards Compact. Under the Bill the Thoroughbred Racing Commission would become a member of an interstate Compact with other party states for the establishment of uniform standards for drug testing of horses participating in horse racing. The Harness Racing Commission will not be a member of the Compact. The purpose of the Compact is to establish uniform requirements among the party states for the drug testing of horses participating in horse racing. The Compact Committee would be comprised of one representative from each party state.

This Act creates Pay for Success contracts. A Pay for Success contract is an agreement between a State agency and either a program intermediary or an investor under which an investor will provide upfront capital to fund a service, program, or economic development initiative. The State agency agrees to repay the program intermediary or investor if the service, program, or economic development initiative meets the performance measures and outcomes agreed to in the contract. An independent evaluator will determine if the performance measures and outcomes are met. If the State agency contracts with a program intermediary, the program intermediary will manage all aspects of the project, including identifying the investor and the entity or entities that will provide the service, program, or economic development initiative. In other situations, a State agency will contract directly with the investor, who will contract directly with the entity or entities that will provide the service, program, or economic development initiative.

This bill provides that the Commission must have at least 2 members from each of the three counties in Delaware. The bill also changes the requirement for 1 pediatrician member and 1 board certified family practice physician to licensed health care providers, currently practicing or retired, with expertise in pediatrics or family medicine. The bill also changes the requirement for at least 1 Delaware licensed psychologist to at least 1 Delaware licensed mental health professional. Finally, the bill changes the name of the Commission to the Family Law Commission.

Conversion therapy is a practice or treatment that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including any effort to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender. Conversion therapy has been rejected by all mainstream medical and mental health organizations, and there is no credible evidence that it is effective. Moreover, this practice poses enormous health risks to LGBTQ youth, including an increased sense of shame, guilt, hopelessness, stress, and anger, thus increasing the risk of anxiety, depression, and self-harm. The harm done by conversion therapy can last well into adulthood. Therefore, this Act makes it unprofessional conduct or a ground for discipline for individuals granted a certificate to practice medicine under Chapter 17 of Title 24 or licensed under Chapter 19 of Title 24 (regarding nurses), Chapter 30 of Title 24 (regarding mental health and chemical dependency professionals), Chapter 35 of Title 24 (regarding psychologists), and Chapter 39 of Title 24 (regarding clinical social work examiners) to engage in conversion therapy with a child or to refer a child to a practitioner in another jurisdiction to receive conversion therapy. This Act also prevents the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families from engaging in conversion therapy with a child or recommending that a child receive conversion therapy. Additionally, this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Section 1 of this Act increases the aggregate amount of Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credits that can be approved in any 1 fiscal year from $500,000 to $1 million. Section 1 of this Act also makes a technical correction to use “persons,” which is a defined term for purposes of the Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit, instead of “firms,” which is not defined, and to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. Section 2 of this Act provides the Delaware State Housing Authority with funds to administer the Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit program.