Photo of Debra Heffernan
D Delaware House · District 6

Rep. Debra Heffernan

Compare
Total votes
2,772
all sessions
Attendance
94%
161 missed
Near the chamber average
With party
99%
of cast votes
Higher than 76% of chamber peers
Bipartisan score
0%
crosses aisle rarely
Near the chamber average
Sponsored
669
bills & resolutions
Near the chamber average
Committees
7
assignments
669 bills and resolutions

Sponsored bills

Total
669
Primary
281
Co-sponsor
388
This page
669
matching current filters
Primary HB 320
Signed into law · Delaware House · Lead sponsor
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 RELATING TO PRESCRIBING MEDICATIONS FOR THE TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY.

In 2000, the United States Federal Drug Administration ("FDA") first approved the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy ("REMS") for Mifeprex; and approved the generic version of Mifeprex, Mifepristone, in 2019. A regimen approved by the FDA in 2016 for Mifeprex and Mifepristone includes the use of Misoprostol. Under the REMS approved by the FDA, healthcare providers who wish to prescribe Mifepristone, Misoprostol, or Mifeprex must complete a Prescriber Agreement before ordering and dispensing the medication. Physicians assistants and advanced practiced registered nurses (APRNs) are healthcare providers who are eligible to prescribe these medications under the REMS. This bill allows physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe medication for the termination of pregnancy including Mifeprex, Mifepristone, and Misoprostol.

Signed into law Apr 28, 2022 0 co-sponsors
Primary SB 210
Signed into law · Delaware Senate · Lead sponsor
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE ACHIEVING A BETTER LIFE EXPERIENCE PROGRAM.

This Act responds to the promulgation of final federal regulations, 85 FR 74010, for state-sponsored savings programs under section 529A of the Internal Revenue Code, the Stephen Beck, Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 (“ABLE”), through which contributions may be made to the account of an eligible individual with a disability to meet qualified disability expenses. The federal regulations, among other things, resolve questions related to who may establish and exercise signature authority over an ABLE account. The final regulations clarify that an eligible individual with legal capacity may delegate signature authority to any other person and provide a hierarchy of persons who may establish or exercise signature authority over an ABLE account for an individual without legal capacity. The final regulations also clarify that expenses incurred at a time when a designated beneficiary is neither disabled nor blind are not qualified disability expenses. The Act makes changes to Chapter 96A of Title 16 of the Delaware Code for the sole purpose of conforming the Code to these aspects of the final regulations.

Signed into law Apr 28, 2022 0 co-sponsors
Co-sponsor HB 274
Signed into law · Delaware House · Co-sponsor
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CHANGE OF NAME.

This Act repeals the requirement that individuals seeking to change their name publish notice of the petition for change of name in a newspaper published in the county in which the proceeding is had at least once a week for 3 weeks before the petition is filed. This provision does not exist in 20 other states, including our neighbors in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia, and serves to only add an additional financial barrier to those seeking to change their name.

Signed into law Apr 28, 2022 1 co-sponsor
Co-sponsor HB 296
Signed into law · Delaware House · Co-sponsor
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCRAP METAL PROCESSORS.

All three counties in Delaware have been plagued with thefts of catalytic converters, which contain precious metals having significant monetary value in the scrap metal industry. This Act adds catalytic converters to the list of items for which scrap metal processors shall create a record and provide information when acquired. Amending Section 24(b)(1) to specifically include catalytic converters as items that the industries regulated by Chapter 23 must report will enhance enforcement of this Chapter and assist law enforcement by providing a mechanism to follow-up on thefts of converters and to obtain solvability factors in the ever-growing trend associated with thefts of converters. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Signed into law Apr 28, 2022 1 co-sponsor
Co-sponsor SB 218
Signed into law · Delaware Senate · Co-sponsor
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE LIVING DONOR PROTECTION ACT.

This Act, known as the Living Donor Protection Act, prohibits discrimination based on an individual’s status as a living organ or tissue donor in the offering, issuance, cancellation, coverage, price, or other condition of an insurance policy, including a life, health, disability, or long-term care insurance policy. At least 20 states have similar laws, including Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Signed into law Apr 28, 2022 1 co-sponsor
Co-sponsor HB 328
Signed into law · Delaware House · Co-sponsor
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 AND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DRAG RACING AND OTHER DANGEROUS OPERATIONS OF MOTORIZED VEHICLES.

This Act makes several adjustments to the law prohibiting drag racing and other speed contests. Many individuals lawfully gather to share their enthusiasm for vehicles and may do so while abiding the rules of the road and without otherwise endangering persons or property. However, others have taken their enthusiasm into dangerous directions that often results in damage to property, injury, or death. For example, Kirkwood Highway has experienced an uptick in large crowds engaged in dangerous driving behavior and as the result of a drag racing event at the Christiana Mall Fashion Center, there was a vehicular fatality. Whether by drag racing, trick or stunt riding, conducting burnouts in intersections, doing donuts in parking lots, or taking over roadways to showboat, these dangers are further amplified by the crowd size that follows and the attempted notoriety sought through social media posts. The intent of the statute is to promote law-enforcement’s ability to enforce the statute, eliminate prior inadvertent loopholes in the current statute regarding geographic and vehicle type limitations, update the statute to reflect current dangerous driving trends and behavior, and ultimately serve as a deterrent for future unsafe behavior. The current statute incorporates potential penalties for the individual and their licensing status, but it does not address the actual vehicle, as the tool and mechanism that is central to the dangerous behavior. This Act enhances existing penalties and promotes public safety by restricting drivers charged with these dangerous driving behaviors access to their vehicles. • First, while a first offense remains an unclassified misdemeanor, a subsequent offense becomes a Class A Misdemeanor. The minimum applicable fines are substituted for mandatory community service instead. • Second, for the purpose of this statute, a subsequent offense is defined as one occurring within 5 years from a prior offense, rather than the default of 2 years set forth in 21 Del. C. § 713. • Third, the statute expands the list of prohibited conduct to better encompass existing dangerous driving behavior, like tire burnouts in intersections that are not part of races and the dangers to persons or property they pose. • Fourth, within the context of 21 Del. C. § 4101(a)(3), the statute more clearly defines the geographic enforceability of the statute on non-highway property, such as commercial parking lots, while still allowing commercial property or other owners to consent to the use of their property for these purposes. • Fifth, the statute expands the types of vehicles that the provision addresses, to include ATV’s and OHV, which are excepted from the 21 Del. C. § 101 definition of vehicles, but which are also used to engage in this behavior. Non street-legal vehicles are often used to participate in the dangerous driving behavior. • Sixth, recognizing that law-enforcement resources, crowd size, environmental factors, and other safety concerns do not always allow law-enforcement to prioritize on-scene engagement with single vehicles while the behavior in this statute is occurring, the Act expands law-enforcement’s ability to later investigate and arrest for violations of this statute. Under the current statute, violators, when contemplating commission of such offenses, might rely on the fact that law-enforcement safety and resource concerns might dictate that the violators cannot be apprehended on scene or that chasing them might be too dangerous to do. This Act expands the definition of “witnessed” by a law-enforcement officer, under 21 Del. C. § 701(a), to include after the fact review of video surveillance or any other video that captures the violation. • Seventh, the Act allows for the vehicles used, as the mechanism by which the dangerous behavior is conducted, to be impounded, de-registered, otherwise immobilized, or even eligible for forfeiture proceedings under certain conditions. As the same time, the Act does not prohibit an innocent owner from applying for return of the vehicle from the Court, under certain conditions, if their vehicle is used in a violation of this statute.

Signed into law Apr 28, 2022 1 co-sponsor
Primary SB 265
In committee · Delaware Senate · Lead sponsor
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE TO ENSURE FAIRNESS IN COST-SHARING FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

The bill requires that third-party cost-sharing assistance utilized by patients is applied toward the covered person’s health insurance deductibles and any out-of-pocket limits. Additionally, the bill defines what constitutes a “cost-sharing requirement” as well as how to calculate the assistance when applying to the patient's deductibles and out-of-pocket limits. This bill applies to both carriers and pharmacy benefits managers with an effective date of January 1, 2024.

In committee Apr 14, 2022 0 co-sponsors
Co-sponsor HB 50
In committee · Delaware House · Co-sponsor
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO JUVENILE RECORDS.

Recognizing that a criminal charge can have lasting collateral consequences for a juvenile on employment and education opportunities, this bill raises the age in which a juvenile’s information, such as their name and mug shot, may be released by the state. The bill also seeks to address issues related to the release of such information on publicly-maintained social media pages. This bill seeks to balance both the rights of juveniles and the public’s right to know by saying that the names and photos of juveniles who have been charged and/or found delinquent of Class A misdemeanors, and Title 11 felonies, may only be released when the offending juvenile is 16 or older. This legislation also adds clarifying language to prevent the inadvertent release of sensitive information online that could have lasting impacts on a juvenile long after they have been charged, and in some cases, acquitted, of a crime.

In committee Apr 14, 2022 1 co-sponsor
Co-sponsor HCR 73
Passed · Delaware House · Co-sponsor
RECOGNIZING THE EASTERSEALS/CAI VOLLEYBALL CHALLENGE AND THE VOLLEYBALL AMBASSADOR, STELLA RUMMEL-ASHLOCK IN THE 16TH YEAR OF DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN TEAM PARTICIPATION.

This resolution recognizes the Easterseals/CAI Volleyball Challenge occurring May 14 at William Penn High School, an event that raises funds for an organization providing services and support to Delawareans with disabilities and senior citizens and their families.

Passed Apr 14, 2022 1 co-sponsor
Showing 171 to 180 of 669 bills
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