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Bill results

in committee · Delaware · House Jan 16, 2018

HB 296: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ABLE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS.

This bill creates a tax deduction of up to $2,500 for an individual or $5,000 for a married couple for contributions to a qualified 529A savings account, or "ABLE" plan - a special account for meeting the needs of certain individuals with disabilities. The deduction may only be claimed by a taxpayer who makes less than $125,000 or a married couple who makes less than $250,000. It is applicable only to ABLE plans sponsored by the State of Delaware or offered by a consortium of states of which Delaware is a member.
Nicole Poore (D) Trey Paradee (D) · 8 co-sponsors
in committee · Delaware · House Jan 9, 2018

HB 293: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PREVAILING WAGE.

This Act replaces the prevailing wage survey method of setting the prevailing wage with a method based on payroll information currently being provided to the Department of Labor. Also, this Act removes the prevailing wage lock-in authorized by House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 145 (148th General Assembly). This Act also removes the Prevailing Wage Advisory Committee (“Committee”) from the Delaware Code. The Committee was established to advise the General Assembly how the prevailing wage survey may be improved or if the survey should be eliminated. The Committee reported in January 2016 that “the best option is to continue the survey for 2016 and report back to the legislature in the future.” Because this Act replaces the prevailing wage survey, the Committee is no longer needed. Finally, this Act takes effect on January 1, 2019.
Ron Gray (R) Gerald Hocker (R) Ruth Briggs King (R) · 11 co-sponsors
in committee · Delaware · House Dec 14, 2017

HB 285: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO POSSESSION OF DEADLY WEAPONS BY PERSONS PROHIBITED AND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY.

This Act is designed to create procedures in Delaware for making sure firearms are not in the hands of dangerous people while protecting due process and not creating a barrier to care for those suffering from mental illness. This Act intends to put Delaware at the forefront of this important issue by not simply looking narrowly for mental illness. Statistically, mental illness has little to do with homicide perpetration but conversely increases the chance of being a victim of violence. This bill looks instead for propensities of violence, a much more reliable and evidence-based metric. This metric will also ensure that we can provide care to those more likely to commit violent acts and help destigmatize mental illness here in Delaware. Specific components of this Act are set forth below. This Act applies when a person who has been committed to a hospital for treatment of a mental condition by a judge shall be deemed a person prohibited. The current law appears to apply to “any person who has ever been committed for a mental disorder,” but in reality this only applies to persons who have been involuntarily committed and subject to adjudication such as a hearing. It also clarifies that perpetrators of violent crimes who have been found Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity, Guilty But Mentally Ill, or Mentally Incompetent to Stand Trial are persons prohibited, including juveniles who fall into those categories. The provisions of § 1448B will not retroactively apply to any persons adjudicated in the past, which would create undue burden. This Act expands the definition of “persons prohibited” to include those persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms pursuant to a court order under the procedures set forth in § 1448B of Title 11. Newly created § 1448B sets forth a procedure whereby law enforcement, upon receiving a report of a violent person and who is demonstrating behaviors that the provider believes are dangerous can refer the matter to the Department of Justice to petition the Superior Court for an order requiring such person to relinquish the person’s firearms or ammunition. This Act revises and clarifies an existing statute, 11 Del C. § 5402, which currently solidifies the need for mental health professionals to report those with mental illness who may be a threat to others. Currently, the section contains a limited duty of a treating hospital to warn law enforcement of a specific threat, but this clarifies the original intent of the section and requires that to avoid liability that all treating mental health professionals must report dangerous persons to law enforcement. The appropriate law enforcement agency must then determine whether a civil action should be initiated under newly created § 1448C of this Title, to relinquish the person’s firearms or ammunition and to take appropriate investigative action. Pursuant to § 1448C, the Court may order dangerous persons to relinquish to a law enforcement officer, voluntarily or otherwise, any firearms or ammunition owned, possessed, or controlled by such person. The Court may also, in its discretion, issue an order directing any law enforcement agency to forthwith search for and seize firearms and ammunition of any such person prohibited upon a showing of good cause by the petitioner. The court order to relinquish firearms would issue upon a finding that the person was prohibited, without further showing. The order authorizing police to search for and seize weapons would require a further showing, akin to an affidavit in support of a warrant, of “good cause” that the prohibited weapons would be found in a particular place or in the possession of the person prohibited. Any person subject to an order of the Court pursuant to § 1448C may petition the Court for an order to return firearms or ammunition by establishing to a preponderance of evidence that he or she is not a danger to self or others. In addition, as is the case under the current law, any person who is adjudicated to be a person prohibited pursuant to this Act has the opportunity to demonstrate, pursuant to § 1448A of Title 11, that he or she is no longer prohibited from possessing a firearm and therefore is no longer a person prohibited.
Anthony Delcollo (R) Andria L. Bennett (D) · 8 co-sponsors
in committee · Delaware · Senate Jul 12, 2017

SB 138: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 7 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FUNDS OF THE REGIONAL GREENHOUSE GAS INITIATIVE.

This Act will direct the first $8 million in auction proceeds received from the sale of emission allowances through the regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and CO2 Emission Trading Program to be directed to the General Fund for the fiscal year 2018. The balance of the funds will be directed to the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to be directed for the public benefit in accordance with the goals and purposes of this initiative.
Gregory F. Lavelle (R) F. Gary Simpson (R)
in committee · Delaware · Senate Jul 12, 2017

SB 132: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR FERTILITY CARE SERVICES.

This Act requires that health insurance offered in this State provide coverage for fertility care services, including in vitro fertilization ("IVF") procedures for persons, who along with their partner, suffer from a disease or condition that results in the inability to procreate or to carry a pregnancy to viability. Like all other diseases, infertility should be covered by insurance. According to the National Infertility Association, RESOLVE, infertility affects 1 in 8 couples and 1 in 4 cannot afford treatment. Everyone deserves the right to procreate. Right now, many Delaware families diagnosed with infertility fall into a “coverage gap” and pay out-of-pocket for fertility care services. Only certain employers provide any fertility care coverage in Delaware and many of these plans provide very limited coverage. Families generally must pay high co-pays or adhere to service restrictions and lifetime dollar caps that strictly limit their treatment options, and thus make it unaffordable for many of them to proceed without risking their financial security or without achieving a successful pregnancy. For example, 1 IVF cycle can cost between $15,000 and $25,000 and, on average, it takes 2 to 3 cycles to achieve pregnancy. Additionally, highly inflated managed care pharmacy prices for IVF medications, where families with coverage can pay as much as 100% more for medications compared to prices charged to self-pay families, often contribute to 25-50% or more of total IVF costs, which can quickly drain lifetime caps and severely limit overall IVF care options. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 15 states currently have laws requiring insurance coverage for infertility diagnosis or treatment, including 2 states that border Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. This puts the State at a significant competitive disadvantage, as many reproductive age residents intentionally change employers and leave Delaware to gain more attractive fertility care benefits. It is also well-documented that individuals who self-pay for IVF procedures, or have limited benefits, often demand that 2 or more embryos be transferred to their uterus. This is a dangerous and costly approach for heavily burdened health care resources, and can be completely avoided, with greater access to covered fertility care services. This Act require insurers to cover fertility care services based on the latest IVF technologies to increase pregnancy success rates for singleton births at the lowest possible costs. This will greatly reduce the risk of multiple births and greatly reduce hospital and health care costs, thus saving employers money. Several recent studies have found that the cost of perinatal and neonatal care for twins is about $100,000, whereas singleton pregnancies cost about $13,000. Triplet pregnancies can cost $400,000 or more. For every 100 pregnancies from IVF that are singletons (but could have been twins), about $8.7 million dollars is saved, on top of reduced pain and suffering for parents and premature babies. This Act would significantly reduce this high financial and societal burden, with the promotion of IVF technologies that exclusively use single-embryo transfers. This Act could increase the number of persons treated for infertility, but also increase the number of babies born in Delaware by 2-300 per year, thus increasing the state’s birth rate by 1-2% and providing a boost to the local economy, while also decreasing health care costs.
Val Longhurst (D) Bryan Townsend (D) · 9 co-sponsors
in committee · Delaware · Senate Jul 12, 2017

SB 136: AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR CERTAIN GRANTS-IN-AID FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2018; SPECIFYING CERTAIN PROCEDURES, CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS FOR THE EXPENDITURE OF SUCH FUNDS.

This Act provides supplementary appropriations to certain Grants-in-Aid for Fiscal Year 2018. Section 1 – Government Units and Senior Center $18,582,949 Section 2 – One-Times and Community Agencies $12,886,495 Section 3 – Fire Companies $4,711,925 Section 4 – Veterans Organizations $244,230 GRAND TOTAL $36,425,599
Gregory F. Lavelle (R) F. Gary Simpson (R)
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