This Act requires long-term care facilities to offer the influenza vaccine to all employees with direct contact with patients. It also requires the facility to keep a record of a signed statement from each employee that the vaccine has been offered.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 42% of all face-to-face contact between individuals and law-enforcement officers occurred during a traffic stop. This Act requires the Department of Transportation (“Department”) to examine applicants for a driver’s license regarding their knowledge related to traffic stops by law-enforcement officers by including at least 2 questions on the subject in any examination given to applicants. This Act also charges the Department of Justice and the Office of Defense Services with collaborating to produce information to educate applicants regarding traffic stops by law-enforcement officers, which the Department must include in any document designed to educate applicants on the rules for driving a motor vehicle. Also, this Act makes clear that students in a State-approved driver education course must demonstrate knowledge related to traffic stops by law-enforcement officers. Also, this Act requires defensive driving courses approved by the Department to educate individuals in these courses on traffic stops by law-enforcement officers and to examine these individuals in the subject by including at least 2 questions on the subject in any examination given to the individuals. In addition, this Act takes effect on August 1, 2019, to provide time to implement its requirements. Finally, this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
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.
This Act dissolves the Delaware Interagency Council on Homelessness (DICH). The DICH has been an important venue for significant progress in addressing homelessness in Delaware. However, changes to the primary source of federal assistance for resources for homelessness required the establishment of a Continuum of Care. The similar goals, tasks, and membership of the Continuum of Care have made the DICH obsolete and duplicative of these efforts. Delaware’s Continuum of Care was established in July 2015 and is charged with statewide coordination to address homelessness including the review system performance, identifying system gaps, and advancing solutions. It is a membership body with open membership to any who would like to participate and the membership elects the Continuum of Care Board. The Continuum of Care Board includes representation similar to that of the DICH: state agencies, local government, service providers, and advocates. Until the establishment of the Continuum of Care Governance Charter in 2015, the DICH was also responsible for many systems tasks that now must be completed by the Continuum of Care. There is significant overlap in membership between the DICH and the Continuum of Care and combined with the Continuum of Care’s responsibility for the tasks previously handled by the DICH, it is difficult to get a quorum at DICH meetings and it is not feasible or sensible to have 2 separate, active entities working on the same issues.
This Act amends the Workers’ Compensation Act to include a provision permitting Industrial Accident Board hearing notices and decisions to be sent by secure email with an electronic receipt in lieu of certified mail. This will save money for the State and time for the parties and their attorneys.
In December 2016, the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement issued final regulations titled "Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs," 81 Fed. Reg. 93,492 (Dec. 20, 2016) (codified at 42 C.F.R Pt. 433). This Act updates to whom Delaware's Division of Child Support Services can send child support payments, in compliance with the federal regulations.
Section 1 of this Act transfers from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to the Department of Health and Social Services the responsibility for establishing, administering, adopting rules and regulations, and setting fees for courses of instruction and programs of rehabilitation for those whose licenses have been revoked for driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or any drug, or both. The Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is better positioned to establish and operate programs aimed at treating substance abuse issues. Section 1 of this Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual and to update language in this Act that is no longer consistent with language in § 4177 of Title 21. Section 2 of this Act delays the Act’s effective date for 6 months.
This Act restores the Delaware Prescription Drug Payment Assistance Program (“Program”), which was eliminated in the Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Appropriations Act. This Act replaces Senate Bill 148 and makes the following additional changes: (1) Delays implementation of the Act until January 1, 2019, to coordinate with the Medicare Part D benefit year to enable the Department of Health and Social Services (“Department”) to make necessary system changes. (2) Makes changes to the defined term “prescription drugs.” (3) Removes provisions required to be included in rules and regulations promulgated by the Department. (4) Adds provisions that may be included in rules and regulations promulgated by the Department. (5) Makes technical corrections to conform the provisions of the restored Program to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act provides that all current employees, prospective employees, contractors and subcontractors of the Department of Labor with access to federal tax information shall be subject to appropriate background checks to ensure that the Department of Labor complies with obligations imposed by § 6103(p)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and by the Internal Revenue Service in Publication 1075.
This Act creates a state mass layoff and plant closing notice requirement law that requires certain larger employers to provide their employees with adequate notice when they plan to go out of business, close a plant, or lay off a large number of employees. This Act requires employers to also notify the Department of planned mass layoffs and plant closings, so the Department can provide dislocated workers with services to assist them in returning to work as soon as possible. This Act imposes greater notice requirements on employers than the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“WARN Act”). This Act authorizes the Department of Labor to investigate violations, conduct administrative hearings for employers who are alleged to have violated this Act, and pursue penalties for failure of an employer to comply with the notice requirements to its employees.
