| SB 27 | Signed | Sturgeon | This Act increases the statute of limitations for filing an action for recovery upon a claim for unpaid wages from 1 year to 2 years, making it consistent with the statute of limitations under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 201, et seq. Many employees who are terminated spend the first period of unemployment attempting to secure other employment. After this focus on finding employment ends, 1 year may have passed or be about to pass, preventing employees who are owed wages from a previous employer from seeking legal redress.
This Act applies to claims when the date of the accruing of the cause of action on which the action is based is on or after the effective date of this Act.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LIMITATION OF ACTIONS FOR WORK, LABOR, OR PERSONAL SERVICES. |
| HCR 7 | Passed | Spiegelman | This Concurrent Resolution recognizes January 27th, 2023 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
| RECOGNIZING JANUARY 27TH, 2023 AS INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY. |
| HB 49 | Signed | Osienski | This Act provides post-pandemic related relief to both claimants receiving unemployment benefits and employers who are assessed unemployment taxes. This bill will increase the maximum weekly benefit amount payable to claimants seeking unemployment compensation benefits from the Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance from $400.00 a week to $450.00 a week. The funds necessary to pay the increased weekly benefit amounts will be paid from the Unemployment Trust Fund. Delaware currently pays unemployment claimants less per week in benefits than claimants are paid in each neighboring state. The maximum weekly benefit amount has not changed since 2019.
The Governor’s agreement to allow federal pandemic funds to be used to replace the funds in the Unemployment Trust Fund that were depleted from the surge of pandemic related claims has made the Unemployment Trust Fund sufficiently solvent so as to allow the Department to offer unemployment tax relief measures to Delaware employers for a one-year period during calendar year 2023, at a time when employers continue to face post-pandemic rising economic challenges, supply chain problems, and difficultly in staffing. This Act will provide temporary relief to employers who pay unemployment tax assessments by reducing the new employer tax rates, reducing or holding constant overall employer tax rates, and reducing the maximum earned rate. This Act will also temporarily simplify the tax rate schedules that are used to calculate unemployment assessments paid by employers. The Department estimates that these unemployment tax assessment changes will reduce the tax obligation of employers an estimated $50 million in 2023. The various tax assessment relief provisions set forth in Sections 2 and 3 of this Act are retroactive to January 1, 2023 and are intended to be in effect for the full calendar year 2023. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS AND EMPLOYER ASSESSMENTS. |
| SB 31 | Signed | Townsend | This Act corrects a technical error in SB 227 (149th General Assembly) by establishing requirements for group and blanket health insurance plans that align with existing requirements for individual and State employee health insurance plans. As introduced, SB 227 specified that coverage for chronic care management under all 3 of these health insurance plan types cannot be subject to patient deductibles, copayments, or fees. Senate Amendment 1 to SB 227 made various intentional changes to SB 227 but also accidentally deleted the line that applied this chronic care management requirement to group and blanket plans. SB 227, as amended, passed both chambers unanimously. As a result, since January 1, 2019, there has been an unintentional difference in the requirements between the plan types. This Act corrects that divergence.
This Act applies to policies, contracts, or certificates issued, renewed, modified, altered, amended, or reissued after December 31, 2023. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PRIMARY CARE COVERAGE. |
| SR 7 | Passed | Lockman | This Resolution enacts the Delaware State Senate Rules of Procedure for Ethics Violations. | RELATING TO THE DELAWARE STATE SENATE RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR ETHICS VIOLATIONS. |
| HCR 10 | Passed | Dorsey Walker | This House Concurrent Resolution honors and recognizes the leadership and achievements of African Americans and urges the celebration of Black History Month. | HONORING THE LEADERSHIP AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AND URGING THE CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. |
