While the exact number of nurse vacancies in Delaware fluctuates, healthcare providers agree that the current shortage is unsustainable. Nursing shortages lead to missed nursing care, higher morbidity, and mortality rates. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) outlines a number of contributing factors impacting the current national nursing shortage. One is a lack of nursing school faculty - including the preceptors that provide supervision and instruction for clinical practice. Since Delaware’s nursing education programs must require clinical learning experiences provided by these preceptors, nursing students have difficulty completing the required coursework necessary for degree and licensure. Section 1 of this Act provides for an annual appropriation in an amount determined by the General Assembly to the Delaware Nursing Workforce Initiative or similar nonprofit to administer a program to provide funding to hospitals and clinical facilities to implement or continue offering preceptorship programs. Section 2 provides that this Act is effective 6 months after enactment.
This Substitute for House Bill No. 383 specifies by position title which Department of Transportation employees must be paid overtime after working 37.5 hours in a week beginning July 1, 2026.
This resolution directs the Department of Labor, in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Social Services, to study the creation of a Delaware Healthcare Apprenticeship Degree Program that would place aspiring healthcare professionals in paid clinical positions in healthcare facilities while they complete the training and schooling necessary to become credentialed healthcare professionals. The resolution requires that the study consider how any recommended program may be funded through Delaware’s federal Rural Health Transformation Program award and implemented through or in coordination with the competitive awards made by the Department of Health and Social Services under that program, so that the program complements, rather than duplicates, the State’s ongoing healthcare workforce initiatives. This resolution also directs the Department of Labor to consult with stakeholders to make recommendations for degreed apprenticeship programs beyond healthcare and requires the Department to submit a report of its findings to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Division of Legislative Services by May 1, 2027.
This Act establishes an automatic enrollment feature for newly hired state employees in the State’s 457(b) deferred compensation retirement plan. The Board may, through a plan amendment, modify the definition of a covered employee. Under the Act, a predetermined percentage of an employee’s salary will be automatically deducted from each paycheck and contributed to the 457(b) plan upon hire. This Act allows new employees to opt out at any time prior to the commencement of automatic withdrawals, which normally commences 90 days after hire. If an employee does not opt out of automatic enrollment during this 90-day period, the employee will be enrolled and contributions will commence. The employee will thereafter have an additional 30 days to opt out and request a refund of any contributions. Refund requests must be submitted no later than 120 days after the date of hire. Employees under a collective bargaining agreement are not subjected to auto-enrollment but are able to participate if should they elect to do so. This Act takes effect 10 days after the date of publication in the Register of Regulations of a notice from the State Treasurer that the Office of Management and Budget has certified to the State Treasurer that necessary payroll upgrades necessary to implement this Act have been completed.
This Joint Resolution directs the Department of Education to compile and submit a comprehensive report regarding the workforce data and compensation of education support professionals for the most recent school year. The report must identify staffing levels, vacancies, average wages paid, and the number of employees earning below a $40 hourly wage threshold. The Department is further required to recommend pay scales that align with a minimum living wage and submit its findings to the General Assembly and relevant state offices by November 2, 2026.
This Act requires that the Office of Management and Budget prepare an annual report regarding hiring for state large public works projects with an aggregate cost of $3 million or more. The information in these reports will help identify if Delaware workers, particularly individuals who live near a state public works project, are being hired to work on these projects and for how many hours. This information will also inform the Department of Labor regarding the trades for which trainings should be developed, including details such as if there is a need for training that acclimates aging workers to new technology or to develop youth workforce trainings to prepare future generations to meet employer needs.
This Act increases the salary supplement for school counselors and school nurses from 6% to 12% upon national certification. It further clarifies that salary supplements only apply if the employee is employed in the applicable profession and permits the DOE to identify additional positions subject to a salary supplement in Department regulations. This Substitute includes school social workers in those employees eligible for a 12% salary supplement.
This Act directs the Interagency Resource Management Committee to coordinate planning, program development, and funding related to child care affordability initiatives, including voluntary cost-sharing partnerships between the State, employers, community sponsors, and families. The purpose of such programs is to expand access to affordable, licensed child care and support workforce initiatives.
This Act adds the definition of child-serving entity for the purpose of requiring a service letter verification from any child-serving entity where an employee may have worked. “Child-serving entity” is already defined in § 309 of Title 31 and includes DSCYF, residential child-care facilities, public and private schools, youth camps, summer schools, and other entities. If a previous employer fails to respond to a service letter, this Act also requires that the prospective employee report the failure to respond to the DOL.
This Act provides that School Social Workers who have successfully passed the Association of Social Work Boards National Clinical Examination and hold a Licensed Clinical Social Worker License with a salary supplement. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
