Delaware General Assembly

Lieu/Substituted 6/22/21

The General Assembly has ended, the current status is the final status.

SS 1 for SB 151 w/ HA 2

6/15/21

S. McBride

Sen. Hansen, Brown
Reps. Heffernan, Longhurst

Sen. Ennis, Mantzavinos, Paradee, Sokola, Townsend
Reps. Baumbach, Bolden, Griffith, K. Johnson, Kowalko, Lambert, Lynn, Minor-Brown, Morrison

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18, TITLE 21, AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROVIDING FOR DRIVER EDUCATION TRAINING, A DRIVER’S LICENSE, OR MOTOR VEHICLE INSURANCE FOR A CHILD IN THE CUSTODY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND THEIR FAMILIES OR AN INDIVIDUAL SUBJECT TO EXTENDED JURISDICTION.

Acquiring a driver’s license is an important part of young adults in foster care achieving normalcy and eventual independence. Yet, youth in long term foster care face numerous unique barriers in this endeavor. Not only are there logistical challenges in the process of obtaining a license for teenagers not in parental care, but the automobile insurance industry’s rules can be unaccommodating and financially prohibitive. And, research shows that youth who leave foster care with a driver’s license are more likely to have a successful outcome, avoiding homelessness and incarceration, as reliable transportation is a crucial step to employment. This Act seeks to aid youth in foster care by doing the following: (1) Establishing a pilot program within the Office of the Child Advocate (“Office”) that would pay the cost of driver education, licensure and other costs incidental to licensure, and motor vehicle insurance. (2) Prohibiting automobile insurers from using certain factors in determining a foster child’s automobile insurance rates. (3) Prohibiting the DMV from charging certain fees related to licensure for a foster child participating in the Office’s pilot program. (4) Exempting certain individuals from liability for negligence of a foster child.

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Takes effect upon being signed into law

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