Sen. Dave Sokola

Maddy summaryThis bill designates April 2026 as "National Donate Life Month" within the State of Delaware. It serves as a symbolic recognition to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation during that specific time period. The measure does not alter any laws or create new programs but simply establishes an official state designation for the month.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates April 29, 2026, as "World Wish Day" throughout the state of Delaware. As a concurrent resolution, it serves primarily to formally recognize this date rather than to create new laws or alter government operations. The measure does not impose any requirements on individuals or organizations and has no direct impact on daily life or policy. Its only effect is to establish an official state designation for the specific day mentioned in the title.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the week of April 27 to May 2, 2026, as "Auctioneers Week" throughout the State of Delaware. It directly affects auctioneers and the general public by officially acknowledging their profession during this specific time period. The primary mechanism is a formal declaration that establishes these dates for recognition purposes. As a commemorative resolution, the measure does not alter laws, budgets, or government operations.

This Act makes it an unlawful practice to engage in a commercial transaction with a consumer who interacts with computer technology, under circumstances where a reasonable person would believe that person is engaging with an actual human, without notifying the consumer that the consumer is communicating with a computer and not a human being. It provides a private right of action for damages. It provides that a violation is an unlawful practice and prohibited trade practice. It permits the Attorney General to seek injunctive relief and a civil penalty of not more than $5 million dollars for violations. This Act is effective 180 days after its enactment into law.

In Delaware, all individual health insurance policies, all group and blanket health insurance policies, the State employee health insurance plan, and Medicaid are required to cover chiropractic and physical therapy treatment for chronic back pain without annual or lifetime numerical limits on physical therapy or chiropractic care visits. To evaluate the effectiveness of this coverage requirement, the Patient Centered Care Subcommittee of the Addiction Action Committee, under the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, sent a survey to chiropractic therapy and physical therapy providers in Delaware. Although the survey showed that the coverage requirement has improved treatment of chronic pain patients, the survey also showed that the coverage requirement provides supportive chronic pain treatment for only the thoracic region of the spine, which is the middle of the spine from the base of the neck to the bottom of the ribs, and the lumbar region of the spine, which is the lower back. The treatment of chronic pain through chiropractic supportive care, physical therapy, or both, can prevent a patient from requiring opioid pain medications or more expensive treatments, but excluding vital areas of the spine and body from coverage may limit the effectiveness of chiropractic therapy and physical therapy treatment and limits a chronic pain patient’s potential for improvement. This Act encourages treatment of chronic pain patients without opioids by updating the required health insurance coverage to prohibit annual or lifetime numerical visits on physical therapy or chiropractic care visits that are for the purpose of treating the spine and other neuromusculoskeletal structures, including extremities. The updated coverage required under this Act applies to all policies, contracts, or certificates issued, renewed, modified, altered, amended, or reissued after December 31, 2026. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act codifies the Delaware State Police program that makes available a “blue envelope” for use by a person with a disability. The intent of this program is to increase safety for both officers and persons with a disability during a traffic stop. The envelope contains written information for officers regarding interacting with a person with a disability, as well as guidance for the person with a disability on safe interactions with law-enforcement during a traffic stop. The envelope is sized to be able to contain a driver’s license, motor vehicle registration card, and insurance identification card and other related documents.

This Concurrent Resolution designates April 22, 2026, as "4-H Day" in the State of Delaware and calls upon Delaware's citizens to recognize the many contributions of the State's 4-H programs.

House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 215 differs from House Bill No. 215 as follows: this substitute provides a definition of a premium cigar and modifies the tax rate changes in House Bill 215 by setting the tax rate for other tobacco products at 40% of the wholesale price, maintaining the tax for premium cigars at 30% of the wholesale price, and setting the tax rate for vapor products at 10 cents per fluid milliliter. A definition of “nicotine pouch” is added. As with House Bill 215, House Substitute No.1 increases the cigarette tax rate to $3.60 per pack, increases some license fees, and changes the definition of “tobacco products” to include more items. This substitute bill sets the effective date of the tax rate increases as September 1, 2026, and the effective date of the increased license fees as January 1, 2027. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 10 of Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to increase the effective rate of a tax or fee levied by the State.

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes April 19-25, 2026, as "Crime Victims' Rights Week" in the State of Delaware. The following websites provide more information on Crime Victims' Rights Week and the resources available to victims and survivors of crime: Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, at https://dcadv.org Delaware Victims' Rights Task Force, at https://delawarevictimservices.org

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the week of April 20-24, 2026, as "National Home Visiting Week" throughout the State of Delaware. It serves as a symbolic recognition to highlight the importance of home visiting services without altering any laws or government programs. The measure was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and does not require the governor's signature to take effect.