Rep. John A. Kowalko

This Act updates the membership of the Telecommunications Relay Service Advisory Committee to include the groups currently engaged in ensuring telecommunications relay services are provided to Delawareans who need relay services. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual and to the name of the Division for the Visually Impaired.

This Act would prohibit insurers and pharmacy benefit managers from engaging in the practice of "clawbacks". When the total cost of a prescription drug to an insurer or pharmacy benefits manager is less than a patient's co-pay, the insurer or pharmacy benefits manager keeps the difference in a practice known as a "clawback". According to a March 2018 report issued by the University of Southern California's Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics based on the Center’s analysis of 2013 data from a large commercial insurer combined with data on national average drug reimbursements, almost 25% of filled pharmacy prescriptions involved a patient co-payment that exceeded the average reimbursement paid by the insurer by more than $2.00. The report further noted that overpayments were more likely to occur on claims for generic drugs than brand drugs and that the total overpayments in the Center’s sample amounted to $135 million.

This joint resolution is designed to establish a task force to study and make findings concerning the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

In 2009, New Hampshire was the first state to develop a statewide “Gun Shop Project,” reaching out to gun shops regarding the role they can play in suicide prevention. In the years since, at least 21 other states have implemented similar campaigns. This Act establishes the Delaware Gun Shop Project (“Project”), under which the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (“Division”) must develop relevant materials that may be posted conspicuously and available for distribution at Delaware gun shops. This Act requires the Division to promulgate regulations that establish and govern a mechanism to track participation in and efficacy of the Project, and authorizes the Division to promulgate other regulations, such as how the training will be offered and taken, as needed.

Step therapy protocols are a mechanism by which health insurance companies require patients to try one or more prescriptions drugs before coverage is provided for the actual drug prescribed by the patient’s health care provider. This Act creates a Step Therapy Exception Process whereby patients who are required by their insurance company to go through step therapy protocols can, under certain circumstances, bypass step therapy to obtain the initially-prescribed medication. This Act does not apply to state or federal governmental plans.

This Act prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution of children's products, upholstered furniture used in residences, and mattresses that contain harmful flame retardant chemicals. This Act does not apply to the resale of these items. These flame retardants have been found to cause cancer, particularly to firefighters who are extinguishing fires that involve products that contain these chemicals. This Act takes effect on July 1, 2020. Like House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 117, this Act makes technical changes to House Bill No. 117 for internal consistency and for consistency with other provisions of the Code. This Substitute differs from House Substitute 1 for House Bill No. 117 as follows: 1. It allows the electronic components within children’s products and upholstered furniture to contain the prohibited chemicals. 2. Revises the definition of “flame retardant chemical” to include only the harmful chemicals prohibited under this Act. 3. Makes additional technical corrections.

This bill expands upon the companion bill (House Bill No. 130 as amended of the 150th General Assembly) relating to the use of single-use plastic bags. This bill prohibits the use of single use paper bags and works to lessen consumption of single use bags in favor of having consumers utilize reusable bags. The purpose of the bill, as detailed in the preamble, is to further clean up Delaware’s communities and watersheds, reduce storm water and trash management costs to taxpayers, and promote the health and safety of watersheds, wildlife and humans, and the ecosystem’s food chain. On January 1, 2021 this bill enacts a ban on certain stores providing single-use paper bags at check-out.

This resolution honors USO Delaware for their important and inspiring work supporting military members and their families.

Since 1996, students across Delaware have participated in school choice. Currently, reorganized school districts, vocational technical school districts, and charter schools do not follow the same processes thus causing confusion and barriers for families seeking to access choice for their children. This Act aims to streamline the school choice process, making it easier and clearer for parents, guardians, and school administrators to navigate. This Act requires reorganized school districts, vocational-technical school districts, and charter schools to use a standard online application receipt and processing tool approved by the Department that is offered at no charge. It also clarifies that the application deadlines apply to all students, regardless of age or school. Additionally, it will prohibit schools from asking for additional information that does not directly pertain to an enrollment or program criterion. The bill will make the timing uniform for the ranked waitlist process. It aligns the sibling preference across all school types and eliminates the separate charter school April 1st enrollment requirement of 80% and moving to May 1st to allow for parents to make a final, informed decision. Under this bill, in the event of a mid-year termination of a pupil’s enrollment, the sending reorganized school district, vocational-technical school district, or charter school and the receiving reorganized school district, vocational-technical school district, or charter school shall enter into an agreement providing for the pro-ration of student funding based on a formula prescribed by the DDOE.

This Act, named the Share the Care Act, permits an individual employed by a personal assistance services agency to administer medications to an adult individual who resides in the individual’s own home if a responsible caregiver does the following: 1. Authorizes the direct care worker to do so. 2. Prepackages the medication by date and time. 3. Provides written instructions regarding the administration procedure. 4. Enters into an agreement with a personal assistance services agency governing the administration of the medication by the direct care worker.