This Act requires the Department of Transportation to issue an entrance permit to a private or public utility upon presentation of a satisfactory entrance permit application where the private or public utility owns or has an easement for the entrance location.
This Act makes minor changes to licensing and registration of limited lines travel insurance producers and travel retailers and establishes a comprehensive framework for the sale and marketing of travel insurance. Specifically, the legislation establishes uniform meanings of key terms; allows travel products to continue to be offered in a manner that provides a seamless consumer experience and cost-saving efficiencies; clarifies impermissible and prohibited sales practices, and the applicability of the state’s unfair trade practices law; requires several consumer disclosures; clarifies that travel insurance may be sold via individual, group, or blanket policies; clarifies current practice with respect to premium taxes; and clarifies that travel insurance is generally classified and filed as an inland marine line of insurance.
This Act adds clarity to the statutory changes made by Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 151 of the 151st General Assembly related to driver’s licenses for foster children. This Act clarifies that during the initial 6 months of a Learner’s Permit, a foster parent is liable for the negligent driving of the foster child up to the limits of the foster parent's applicable insurance coverage. This Substitute differs from the original bill in that it clarifies the language that refers to the insurance coverage and clarifies such language in both the new subsection and in the existing Code.
This bill reflects the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s revisions to the Model Credit for Reinsurance Act giving the Commissioner express regulatory authority to address the handling and treatment of reinsurance agreements entered into, directly or indirectly, with life and health insurer-affiliated captives, special purpose vehicles or similar entities, including the authority to promulgate model regulations adopted by the NAIC that are required for the Department to meet accreditation.
This Act promotes increased capital investment at Delaware casinos by restructuring the table games licensing fee reduction currently received by video lottery agents to allow capital investments greater than the minimum amounts required under § 4815(b)(3)a. of Title 29 of the Delaware Code to count toward the allowable license fee reductions. For ease of administration, this Act also aligns time periods for both table games and video lottery calculations.
Delaware’s capital and surplus requirements for insurers have been in place for over fifty years and are currently among the lowest in the country. This bill increases the minimum amount of capital stock and free surplus an insurer must possess and maintain in order to transact business in the State of Delaware, making them more in line with other jurisdictions.
This bill expands record retention requirements for licensed producers, adjusters and appraisers from 3 to 5 years. The bill also makes technical changes to conform to the Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act makes several changes intended to improve the claims payment process by health insurers. Specifically, the Act: (i) codifies the definition of “clean claim” adopted in Department of Insurance regulations; (ii) requires an insurer to treat erroneously denied claims as timely filed without the provider having to resubmit the claim; (iii) requires carriers that engaged in coordination of benefits verify an insured’s other coverage is effective for the date and type of service associated with the applicable claim before taking any recovery action against a provider; (iv) requires that a carrier who recovers payment from a provider through coordination of benefits and thereafter receives reimbursement for the same claim from another insurer issue notice to the provider of the payment so that the provider may seek payment for the amount recovered; (v) allows a provider 12 months to submit a claim for reimbursement after a retroactive denial by a carrier; (vi) requires prompt payment of clean claims within 30 days and after a successful appeal by a provider from a carrier’s denial of payment, with interest accruing on late payments. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
The State of Delaware previously offered an employer match for state employee contributions to the deferred compensation program. The purpose of the match was to help state employees save and build wealth for retirement and to enable state government to recruit and retain talent by offering a valuable retirement savings benefit. In July 2008, during the Great Recession, the State suspended the employer match to cut costs. Every year since fiscal year 2008, the General Assembly has written in the annual appropriations bill: “It is the intent of the General Assembly that this program be reinstated when funding becomes available.” This Act updates the laws governing the employer match in anticipation of the General Assembly restoring the match this session and increases the maximum match to $20 per pay period. This Act also eases restrictions on which participants are eligible for the match. To help employees who are unable to save for retirement because of their student loan burden, this Act enables a match for employee’s student loan payments with employer contributions to their deferred compensation account. Congress enabled employers to make this type of matching contribution with the passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act, which was included in the Federal Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. This Act provides the Plans Management Board with the discretion to determine which plan the matching contributions should be deposited into.
This concurrent resolution proclaims the week of May 21-27, 2023 as Delaware Grown Week. It has been nine years since the General Assembly first partnered with the Delaware Department of Agriculture to establish this annual observation to facilitate better, healthier relationships between Delaware farmers and local consumers. Delaware Grown Week is celebrated annually the third full week of May. Successful passage of this resolution will continue this worthy collaboration.
