| HB 9 w/ HA 1 | Signed | Griffith | This Act requires that all passenger vehicles and light duty vehicles owned and operated by the State be zero emission vehicles by 2040 by requiring increasing volumes of zero emission vehicles every few years.
The Office of Management and Budget shall be authorized to grant exemptions to these requirements. Law enforcement vehicles and vessels of State agency law-enforcement personnel; vehicles owned by the Department of Education, school districts, and charter schools; and designated take home vehicles shall be exempt from these requirements as well. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STATEWIDE FLEET. |
| SB 237 | Signed | Hansen | This Act amends the provisions in Title 9 of the Delaware Code relating to the county comprehensive plans for Sussex, Kent, and New Castle Counties, and Title 22 of the Delaware Code relating to municipal comprehensive plans for municipalities with populations greater than 2,000, to require that their comprehensive plans increase community resiliency and address the impacts of climate change.
The Delaware Code provisions regarding county comprehensive plans are being amended to require that future land use plans reflect strategies that consider community resiliency and reduce the vulnerability of property, agriculture, infrastructure, and cultural and natural resources from the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events, and that those strategies be informed by the Delaware Climate Action Plan and Implementation Plans as amended, and in consultation with the Office of State Planning and Coordination. The new provisions add “walking trails” to the mobility element to be considered, and require that consideration be given to alternatives to auto-centric development patterns, including transit services. County comprehensive plans must be consistent with the State Implementation Plan and consider designated State evacuation routes. The county comprehensive plans must also consider forests, habitat areas, and wildlife corridors. The housing element for county comprehensive plans must consider anticipated growth areas and be in conformance with the strategies reflected in future land use plans and encourage the development of new housing growth away from areas vulnerable to inland and coastal flooding.
This Act will not take effect until November 15, 2026. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 9 AND 22 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING. |
| HS 2 for HB 13 | Signed | Phillips | This Act requires the Director of the Sustainable Energy Utility to administer a program to provide financial assistance to Delaware residents for the cost of purchase and installation of electric vehicle supply equipment. For a low-income applicant (meaning up to 300% of the federal poverty level for household income), financial assistance covering up to 90% of the purchase and installation costs may be covered. For all other applicants the program may offer assistance to cover up to 50% of the costs.
| AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES. |
| HS 2 for HB 110 | Signed | Minor-Brown | Section 1 amends Title 31 to require all health benefit plans delivered or issued for Medicaid to cover services related to the termination of pregnancy. Coverage provided under this section is not subject to any deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement and must cover the full scope of services permissible under the law. It also moves the definition of “carrier” out of individual provisions and into the general definition section for the chapter.
Section 2 adds a definition of “religious employer” to Title 18. Sections 3 and 4 amend Title 18 to require both individual and group health carriers to cover services related to the termination of pregnancy with identical cost-sharing prohibitions. Certain types of limited coverage plans are exempt from the requirement, and HDHP and catastrophic plans are exempt from the cost-sharing prohibitions if such requirements would cause them to lose their status and treatment under federal law. A religious employer may obtain an exclusion from the carrier if the requirements conflict with the organization’s bona fide religious beliefs and practices.
Section 5 amends Title 29 to require coverage for services related to the termination of pregnancy under the state employee health plan. Coverage shall not be subject to any deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement and shall apply to the full scope of services permissible under the law.
The changes to Medicaid and the state employee health plan are effective January 1 of the year following enactment. The changes to insurance requirements for private group, blanket, and individual coverage are effective for policies issued, renewed, or altered after December 31, 2025.
This substitute differs from the original bill as follows: (1) It makes several technical corrections; (2) It limits the permissible applications of referral, prior authorization, and in-network requirements to ensure full and timely access to covered services; (3) It requires federal funds to be used for Medicaid services wherever the use of federal funds is allowed and specifies State funds will otherwise be used for covered services; (4) It adds a definition of religious employer and requires a religious employer to cover services when the life or health of the covered individual is at risk; (5) It changes the effective and application dates of the coverage requirements; (6) It caps the benefit at $750 per year per covered individual for Medicaid; and for private insurance it allows the benefit to be limited to $750 per covered individual per year.
The bill also makes a technical change by moving the definition of “carrier” out of individual sections of Chapter 5 of Title 29 and into the general definitions section for that chapter.
| AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 18, 29, AND 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY. |
| SB 265 w/ SA 1, SA 2 | Signed | Hansen | The Delaware Energy Solutions Act of 2024 authorizes processes necessary to help meet the net zero goals of the Climate Change Solutions Act of 2023. The bill facilitates a transition to carbon-free energy sources by (i) preparing for offshore wind to be a significant element of Delaware’s energy future, if cost is competitive with other potential sources, and (ii) increasing options for interconnecting renewable energy resources to the transmission grid.
The bill authorizes the State Energy Office (SEO), with the approval of the Public Service Commission (PSC), to issue solicitations to procure offshore wind. A solicitation can be for a project that serves only Delaware, or in coordination with other states, and authorizes procurement of at least 800 megawatts but not more than 1,200 megawatts of power to Delaware, in a single or multiple solicitations.
Solicitations proceed through the following steps:
The SEO drafts a solicitation for wind energy if it believes market conditions would result in a bid of no more than 110 percent of the “Delaware Benchmark Price,” defined as the average price that Delmarva Power has paid for power and renewable energy compliance over the prior three years.
The Renewable Energy Task Force, an existing public body, must be consulted on the structure and factors of the proposed solicitation.
The PSC evaluates the proposed solicitation and determines in a public process, with public comment, if issuing the solicitation would be in the public interest. If so, PSC issues a Preliminary Order allowing the solicitation to proceed.
Municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives are provided an option to participate in the potential project. Third-party “Qualified Purchasers,” such as those that currently purchase electricity for Delaware industries and utilities, could also participate.
After preliminary PSC approval, SEO issues the solicitation. Pricing is the key factor, and the returned bids will also include information about avoided greenhouse gas emissions as well as environmental, economic, health and electric grid benefits to Delaware.
The SEO cannot proceed to negotiate a contract unless a bid comes back with a price at or below 110 percent of the Delaware Benchmark Price. If contract negotiations occur, SEO confers with PSC staff in finalizing the terms of the contract.
PSC reviews the proposed purchase contract to verify that the bid meets all statutory and solicitation requirements, including the examination of the bid price to ensure it is no more than 110 percent of the Delaware Benchmark Price, and is competitive with other new renewable or carbon-free energy projects in the region.
If PSC approval is granted, Delmarva Power and any public utility that elected to participate would amend their rates to pass on the costs or savings of the project to their customers.
In addition to allowing offshore wind procurement, the bill enhances the PSC’s current Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) process by giving the Commission authority to issue a CPCN in connection with renewable energy interconnection facilities, such as the transmission lines from an offshore wind project to a nearby substation, or the lines connecting a utility scale solar project (over 30 MW) to a nearby substation. The bill outlines the factors PSC should consider when granting a CPCN for renewable energy interconnection facilities. Additionally, the bill provides separate authority to the Delaware Department of Transportation to permit such facilities in a State-owned Right of Way under Title 17, once a CPCN is issued by the PSC.
| AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 17, 26, AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE ENERGY SOLUTIONS ACT OF 2024. |
| HB 402 | Signed | Bush | This Act requires new schools and state buildings over 50,000 square feet to meet certain requirements to ensure that the building's roof is able to support solar energy infrastructure. | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO COUNTY BUILDING CODES. |
