In 2023, the General Assembly passed House Bill 80, which required the coverage of doula services under the State’s Medicaid plan beginning in 2024. This Act would require similar coverage under private health insurance plans.
This Act updates House Bill 455 from the 151st General Assembly by providing the same legal protections afforded providers of contraceptive and abortion services to providers of fertility treatment. In summary, this Act does the following: (1) Clarifies that medical professionals who provide fertility treatment care cannot be disciplined for such services even if such services are illegal or considered to be unprofessional conduct or the unauthorized practice of medicine in another state, so long as such services are lawful in this State; (2) Prohibits health care providers from disclosing communications and records concerning fertility treatment without the patient’s authorization in any civil action or proceeding, with some exceptions; (3) Protects health care providers from out-of-state civil actions relating to fertility treatment that is legal in Delaware, including the issuance of a summons or the enforcement of subpoenas relating to such cases; (4) Creates a cause of action for recouperation of out-of-state judgments relating to fertility treatment that is lawful in Delaware; and (5) Prohibits insurance companies from taking any adverse action against health care professionals who provide fertility treatment and services.
This Act allows pharmacists, under protocol approved by the Division of Public Health, to provide HIV pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis treatments.
This Act is a result of the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee’s (“JLOSC”) review of Adult Protective Services. This Act creates the Vulnerable Adult Populations Commission (“Commission”), whose purpose is to improve the response to and reduce the incidents of vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation in this State. The Commission will be comprised of several members from key state agencies, legislators, and the private sector. The Commission’s duties include: (1) Studying Delaware court services and procedures, law enforcement procedures and protocols, and criminal justice data collection and analysis, as they relate to vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. (2) Effectuate coordination among Delaware agencies, departments, and courts to benefit victims of vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. (3) Promote effective prevention, intervention, and service provision based on research and data. (4) Recommend standards to state agencies and departments regarding programs and services that serve perpetrators or victims of vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. (5) Review and provide feedback on legislation relating to vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation. (6) Submit an annual, written report to the Governor, General Assembly, Delaware Supreme Court, and the Director and Librarian of the Division of Research.
This Act updates provisions of the code covering the Delaware Institute of Medical Education Research (DIMER), which creates partnerships with out-of-state medical schools as an alternative to creating a state sponsored medical school. Specifically, this Act does the following: (1) Updates the name of the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University to “Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University”; (2) Adds the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine as a DIMER medical school; (3) Alters and updates the composition of the DIMER Board and provides that all members will be appointed by the Governor; (4) Clarifies that a vacant Board position is not counted for quorum purposes; (5) Requires the Board Chair to be elected from the members of the Board, rather than appointed by the Chair of the Delaware Health Care Commission; (6) Requires the Board to select candidates for the Chair and Vice Chair from a nominating committee determined by the Board; and (7) Provides that the Board Chair and Vice Chair shall serve no more than 3 consecutive terms.
This Act exempts from school property taxes real estate owned by Todmorden Foundation and used for the purposes of affordable housing. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This bill seeks to amend sections of Chapter 66 concerning the members of Delaware Volunteer Fire Departments. This bill will hold current members to the same standards as applicants with relation to criminal activity.
This bill grants authority to the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to adopt regulations related to the operation of temporary staffing agencies that staff temporary nurses and other staff positions in long-term care facilities in the State and assigns oversight within DHSS to the Division of Health Care Quality. The bill requires temporary staffing agencies to (1) register annually with the Division of Health Care Quality; (2) validate the qualifications of all provided staff provided; (3) maintain records of all provided staff’s credentials, job requirements, and required immunizations; and (4) provide all such records upon request to DHSS and to the long-term care facility where the employee is placed. The bill also requires temporary staffing agencies to report annually to DHSS regarding various factors, including its employee placements, costs charged to long-term care facilities, and wages paid to temporary staff. This bill is intended to replace HB199.
For claims for line of duty death benefits for covered persons, which include police officers, firefighters, auxiliary and volunteer ambulance and rescue company members, paramedics, and others, submitted on July 1, 2023, and thereafter, this Act increases the benefits for the beneficiary or beneficiaries from $200,000 to $375,000, payable in annual installments, with the maximum amount paid in any 1 calendar year being $50,000.
This bill creates new subsections in Section 507(c) of Title 14 of the Delaware Code to define the licensure and certification requirements more clearly within Chapter 5 of Title 14 and provides the ability for charter schools to hire the administrators that they deem beneficial to the success of the school’s education program and the needs of students and staff. To that end, the bill defines “Instructional Administrator” and “Non-instructional Administrator” at a charter school. The bill clarifies that all Instructional Administrators at charter schools must be licensed and certified as administrators while Non-instructional Administrators do not. The bill also exempts the charter school administrator who reports directly to the Charter Board of Directors from the licensure and certification requirement and allows a charter school to request permission from the charter authorizer to hire an additional unlicensed and uncertified administrator. Section 2 requires that the Professional Standards Board work with the Delaware Charter Schools Network and the Department of Education to provide for any regulatory changes necessary to implement the legislation.
