Section 1 of this Act makes a pattern or practice of violations by a landlord of a Manufactured Home Community of subchapters I through V of Chapter 70 of Title 25 of the Delaware Code, or a provision of a rental agreement, an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud Act, subchapter II, Chapter 70, of Title 25, under specified circumstances. Section 2 of this Act authorizes the Attorney General to file a petition to establish a receivership of a Manufactured Home Community in a Justice of the Peace Court on specified grounds after notice to the landlord. Section 3 of this Act requires the Justice of the Peace Court to send written notice to the Director of Consumer Protection at the Department of Justice within 10 days of its receipt of a petition for tenants’ receivership under Title 25 of the Delaware Code, Sections 5901 or 7061, except in those cases where the Attorney General files the petition.
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This Act updates the Right to Representation statute by moving certain duties to the office of the State Courts Administrator and clarifies terminology used within the statute.
This Act creates a special open enrollment period for persons who are already enrolled in a Medicare supplement policy or certificate to cancel their existing policy or certificate and purchase another Medicare supplement policy or certificate that provides the same or lesser benefits. Only persons who are already enrolled in a Medicare supplement policy or certificate are eligible for the special open enrollment period. The special enrollment period begins 30 days before an eligible person's birthday and remains open for at least 30 days following the eligible person's birthday. During this special open enrollment period, individuals switching from one Medicare supplement policy to another cannot be denied coverage and coverage and rates cannot be dependent upon the person’s medical history. The Act also obligates issuers to notify eligible persons who are enrolled in their Medicare supplement policies or certificates of the dates of the open enrollment period, at least 30 days before it begins, and of any modification to the benefits provided by the policy under which the person is currently insured. This Act also allows persons enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan to cancel their existing policy, enroll in Medicare during the annual Medicare open enrollment period and apply for a Medicare supplement policy. For individuals switching from Medicare Advantage to a Medicare supplement policy, the Act prohibits issuers of Medicare supplement policies from denying applications for such policies but does allow issuers to individually rate and apply a pre-existing condition limitation.
Like House Bill No. 15, this Act permits early childhood educators in the public schools to use and encourage play-based learning in their classrooms and in their curriculum. This Act permits local education agencies to provide early childhood professional development in play-based learning, which may include professional development programs developed by the Department of Education. This Act also permits the Department to promulgate regulations for purposes of implementing this Act. This House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 15 incorporates the changes from House Amendment 1 to House Bill No. 15 with respect to the definitions of early childhood education and early childhood educators encompassing education from prekindergarten through second grade, adding topics that may be included in materials developed to provide ongoing early childhood professional development in play-based learning, and making technical corrections for clarity. This House Substitute also updates the definition of “play” and “play-based learning” contained in House Bill No. 15 and adds a definition for “guided play”.
The language of this Act is identical to Senate Bill No. 25 of the 153rd General Assembly. The only difference between this Act and Senate Bill No. 25 is the title, which has been changed to clarify that the language includes the Public Employment Relations Act of Title 19. This Act allows an employee organization to file a petition with the Board to become the exclusive representative of an appropriate bargaining unit for the purpose of collective bargaining. In the event an employee organization provides over 50% of the employees’ approval, through their authorized signatures, then the Board may not order an election but must certify the employee organization. This Act also makes technical corrections to confirm existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act removes the time restriction that only allowed for certain teachers or specialists who were hired after August 9, 2023, to obtain additional experience credit for purposes of salary computation. This Act would allow for teachers or specialists hired before August 9, 2023, to qualify for the same experience credit for purposes of salary computation.
This is a Substitute for Senate Joint Resolution No. 7. Like Senate Joint Resolution No. 7, this Substitute directs the State Employees Benefits Committee (SEBC) to utilize specific strategies and policies when interacting and contracting with Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) in order to achieve lower cost pharmaceutical drug benefit plans for the State. This Substitute differs from Senate Joint Resolution No. 7 by clarifying that the SEBC has a duty to consider all of the following strategies and policies when negotiating for pharmaceuticals: 1. Drug cost transparency. 2. Formation of an independent Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. 3. Any other supply chain tactics such as a reverse auction or transparency committee. 4. Compacts with other states to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers. 5. Paying no higher price for all drugs negotiated by Medicare. 6. Requiring PBMs disclose administrative expenses for all pharmaceutical drugs. 7. Requiring PBMs bid based on lowest pricing sources, not average wholesale price. 8. Requiring the SEBC be provided all agreements between PBMs and pharmaceutical companies when those agreements are for drugs contracted for on behalf of the SEBC. 9. Performing audits when the SEBC believes it should be entitled to information to achieve transparency or clarity. This Substitute differs from Senate Joint Resolution No. 7 by directing the SEBC to prepare a report by August 1, 2026, to summarize any difficulties in implementing any of these policies and to submit the report to the Governor; the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, for distribution to all members of the General Assembly; the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services; and the Public Archives.
This House Joint Resolution directs the Department of Health and Social Services (“DHSS”) to explore participating in the federal Restaurant Meals Program (RMP). The RMP is an option that states may incorporate into their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to ensure that SNAP recipients who are senior citizens, disabled, or unhoused, or other eligible family members of those participants, may use their SNAP benefits to buy hot foods or hot prepared meals. These populations may otherwise experience barriers that prevent them having the opportunity to access a nutritious and sustaining meal. This Joint Resolution also requires DHSS to provide a report to the General Assembly as to its findings.
This Act requires health care employers to implement a smoke evacuation system for surgical procedures that generate surgical smoke. This Substitute for House Bill No. 173 clarifies that the Division of Health Care Quality is responsible for enforcement of this chapter.
This Legislation is the Delaware Pre-Authorization Reform Act of 2025. Section 1 of the Act applies to health Insurance Contracts regulated under Chapter 33 of Title 18. Section 1 provides that changes in utilization review terms for a health-care service, such as the clinical criteria used to conduct utilization reviews for a health-care service, will apply only upon re-authorization of the health-care service. Covered persons must be notified at least 6 months before any changes to utilization review terms, except in certain circumstances such as changes in clinical guideline status In addition, Section 1 sets qualifications for who may make determinations with regard to requests for pre- authorization of health-care services and appeals of adverse determinations; a timeline and required contents for the notification of an outcome of appeal of an adverse determination or a notification that additional information is necessary to make the determination of appeal; and requirements for any utilization review entity used to perform utilization review by an insurer, health-benefit plan, or health-service corporation. Section 1 also shortens the timelines for the determination of pre-authorization requests and notification to the health-care provider of the determination. For requests for pre-authorization of non-urgent health-care services not submitted electronically, the utilization review entity must notify the health-care provider within 5 business days of receipt of the request; for requests submitted electronically, notification must be given within 3 business days of receipt. For requests for pre-authorization for urgent health-care services submitted electronically, notification must be given within 24 hours of receipt. By January 1, 2027, insurers, health-benefit plans, health-service corporations, and utilization review entities must accept and respond to electronic pre-authorization requests through the same platform as the electronic request was submitted. In addition, Section 1 extends the time period that a pre-authorization is valid for from 60 days to 90 days. Finally, Section 1 provides that no more than 1 pre-authorization may be required for a single episode of care, and that if pre-authorization is granted as to a health-care service that is part of a group of services for which a bundled payment is charged, pre-authorization for the other health-care services included in the group is deemed to be approved as well. Section 2 of the Act applies to Group and Blanket Health Insurance under Chapter 35 of Title 18 and makes the same changes to pre-authorization standards and procedures that Section 1 of the Act makes to Health Insurance Contracts regulated under Chapter 33 of Title 18. Section 3 of the Act provides that the State Employee Benefits Committee established under § 9602 of the Title 29 of the Delaware Code must ensure that carriers administering plans for group health insurance comply with the requirements and provisions for pre-authorization set forth in Chapter 33, Subchapter II and Chapter 35, Subchapter V of Title 18. Section 4 of the Act provides that the Act will apply to health insurance policies, contracts, or certificates issued, modified, or renewed after December 31, 2026. Section 5 of the Act provides that the Department of Health and Social Services must, to the extent feasible, assure that contracts awarded to carriers providing health insurance relating to Medicaid assistance comply with the requirements and provisions for pre-authorization set forth in Chapter 33, Subchapter II and Chapter 35, Subchapter V of Title 18. Section 6 provides that this Act is known as the "Delaware Pre-Authorization Reform Act of 2025."