Daily Report for 6/13/2018

Governor's Actions

No legislation is Signed by Governor Today

New Legislation Introduced

BillCurrent StatusSponsorSynopsisTitle
SCR 58PassedPooreThis Senate Concurrent Resolution does all of the following: (1) Recognizes Diwali as an important festival. (2) Recognizes and appreciates religious diversity in India and the United States. (3) Supports the friendship and cooperation between the United States and India. (4) Acknowledges the onset of Diwali and expresses its warmest wishes to those celebrating Diwali in Delaware, the United States, India, and throughout the world. RECOGNIZING THE GREAT CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FESTIVAL OF DIWALI.
SCR 74PassedPettyjohnThis resolution proclaims June 19, 2018 as Juneteenth Independence Day in Delaware and encourages the people of Delaware to reflect upon the significant roles and many contributions of African Americans and to celebrate this day with appropriate activities and events.RECOGNIZING JUNE 19, 2018 AS "JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE DAY" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE
HA 1 to HB 436StrickenCarsonThis Amendment establishes notice requirements when a lease is being transferred. 
HA 1 to HB 443PassedBradyThis Amendment clarifies that the Act applies to construction permits issued under § 6003(b)(1) of Title 7, which requires a permit be issued for the construction of any equipment, device, or other article that may cause or contribute to the discharge of an air contaminant. 
HA 1 to SB 172StrickenBaumbachThis Amendment clarifies that the term salaries, for purposes of this Act, includes benefits and other employment costs. This Amendment also requires that expenditures be coded and reported with a label that identifies the type and purpose of the expenditure. 
HA 1 to HB 421PWBLynnThis amendment clarifies that all parties to a wire, oral or electronic communication have to give prior consent before the interception and fixes a typographical error. 
HA 1 to HB 418PassedD. ShortThis amendment replaces the current provisions of Section 2 of the City of Seaford Charter titled Annexation of Territory to provide a more clearly outlined process for annexation of property into the City. The changes provide two distinct processes for annexation – a petition for 1-4 parcels of land contiguous to the City limits and one for 5 or more parcels of land contiguous to the City limits. All annexation petitions approved by the City have to have a Plan of Service and must be consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan.  
SB 249CommitteeLopezThis Act, modeled on similar laws in Virginia and Maryland, requires a health care provider to provide notice to a patient at the time blood is drawn to perform a laboratory test for Lyme disease that explains the limitations of the test and instructs the patient to see their health care provider if the patient continues to experience unexplained symptoms. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF INFORMATION ABOUT LYME DISEASE.
SCR 75PassedEnnisThis Concurrent Resolution recognizes June 13, 2018, as “National Time Out Day” in Delaware.RECOGNIZING JUNE 13, 2018, AS "NATIONAL TIME OUT DAY" IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

Legislation Passed By Senate

BillCurrent StatusSponsorSynopsisTitle
HB 312SignedMitchellThis Act includes “emergency medical technicians” within the definition of employee under the County/Municipal Police/Firefighter Pension Plan. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL POLICE/FIREFIGHTER PENSION PLAN.
HB 326 w/ HA 1, HA 2SignedK. WilliamsThis Act creates the Delaware Advance Scholarship Program (“Program”). The goal of this Act is to encourage Delaware students with intellectual disabilities to pursue studies for a comprehensive certificate or degree at a Delaware institution of higher education in order to promote economic self-sufficiency. This will result in an economic benefit to the State in the form of a more diverse, well-prepared workforce that is less reliant on government support. This Act follows the Higher Education Opportunities Act of 2008, which authorizes comprehensive transition and post-secondary programs as a pathway to higher education for students with intellectual disabilities. The Program will be effective beginning in the 2018 through 2019 academic year.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE ADVANCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
HB 363 w/ HA 1SignedK. WilliamsThis bill changes the time of school board and school referendum election from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO EDUCATION.
HB 369 w/ HA 1SignedOsienskiThis Bill expands the offense of falsifying business records by including the act of altering or modifying and creating false medical records. Currently, no specific statute exists to prevent a person from falsely creating, altering, or modifying a medical record. Expanding the offense of falsifying business records to include medical records will be a useful tool for combating healthcare provider fraud, protecting patients, and assisting patients in ensuring the integrity of their medical records.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE FALSIFICATION OF BUSINESS RECORDS.
SB 227 w/ SA 1 + HA 1, HA 1 to HA 1SignedTownsendThis Act promotes the use of primary care by doing the following: 1. Creating a Primary Care Reform Collaborative under the Delaware Health Care Commission. 2. Requiring all health insurance providers to participate in the Delaware Health Care Claims Database. 3. Requiring individual, group, and State employee insurance plans to reimburse primary care physicians, certified nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other front-line practitioners for chronic care management and primary care at no less than the physician Medicare rate for the next 3 years. Despite the demonstrated value of primary care, access to primary care for Delawareans has become increasingly difficult because insurance reimbursement rates fail to support an adequate infrastructure. The national average for primary care spending for an insurance plan is between 6% and 8% of the insurer’s total medical expenditures. Studies recommend, and some states are actively implementing, a 12% to 15% spending rate to have an effective system. Delaware’s average insurance spending on chronic care management and primary care is between 3% and 4%. Nationally, insurance reimbursement for primary care averages between 120% and 140% of Medicare rates. In Delaware the commercial market reimburses independent primary care at rates as low as between 65% and 85% of Medicare rates. Reliable data regarding insurance spending is difficult to obtain due to a combination of contractual restrictions and an absence of mandatory health care price transparency requirements applicable to commercial plans in Delaware This Act simultaneously enacts short-term and long-term solutions to strengthen the primary care system in this State. While the Primary Care Reform Collaborative and the Delaware Health Care Commission study and development long-term recommendations, requiring insurers to reimburse for chronic care management and primary care at the Medicare rates will stabilize existing resources and provide immediate benefits. The Primary Care Reform Collaborative and the Delaware Health Care Commission have reliable data and information from the Delaware Health Care Claims Database to use in this analysis and to make recommendations that will strengthen the primary care system in Delaware.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16, TITLE 18, AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PRIMARY CARE SERVICES.
SA 1 to SB 227PassedTownsendThis Amendment does all of the following: 1. Permits members of the Primary Care Collaborative to appoint a designee. 2. Clarifies that information may be provided to the Commission only to the extent permitted under federal law. 3. Clarifies that this Act does not apply to Medicaid. 4. Requires that chronic care management and primary care be reimbursed at a rate that is not less than the Medicare reimbursement for comparable services for policies, plans, or contracts entered or renewed on or after the effective date of this Act. 5. It limits the requirement to promulgate regulations to only the requirement that disputes under this Act be arbitrated by the Department of Insurance. 6. Clarifies the extent of the application of Medicare rate structures. 

Legislation Passed By House of Representatives

No Legislation Passed By House

Senate Committee Assignments

Committee
Banking, Business & Insurance
Education
Elections & Government Affairs
Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy
Executive
Health, Children & Social Services
Judicial & Community Affairs

House Committee Assignments

Committee
Administration
Education
Judiciary
Revenue & Finance
Sunset Committee (Policy Analysis & Government Accountability)

Senate Committee Report

Committee
Banking, Business & Insurance
Education
Elections & Government Affairs
Executive
Finance
Health, Children & Social Services
Judicial & Community Affairs
Transportation

House Committee Report

Committee
Administration
Economic Development/Banking/Insurance/Commerce
Education
Energy
Health & Human Development
Housing & Community Affairs
Judiciary
Labor
Manufactured Housing
Public Safety & Homeland Security
Revenue & Finance

Senate Defeated Legislation

No Senate Defeated Legislation

House Defeated Legislation

No House Defeated Legislation

Nominations Enacted upon by the Senate

NomineeStatusCommission/BoardReappointment
Culp, DawnConfirmedVictims' Compensation Assistance Program Appeals BoardNew
DeMatteis, ClaireConfirmedUniversity of Delaware Board of TrusteesNew
Hawkins, KathleenConfirmedUniversity of Delaware Board of TrusteesNew
Szczerba, MichaelConfirmedAssistant Aldreman of the Town of NewportNew