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 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 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 creates a new Delaware Nursing Advancement Fund (Fund) for purposes of funding a nonprofit that will maintain information and conduct studies about the nursing workforce, advance the profession of nursing, monitor trends in the nursing applicant pool, facilitate partnerships, educate the public about opportunities and careers in nursing, and distribute information about the nursing workforce. Money for the Fund will come from a $10 fee on initial and renewal applications to the Board of Nursing, as well as any disciplinary fines. The Division of Professional Regulation will make a grant award to a nonprofit to accomplish the purposes of the Fund. This Act requires a three-fourths majority vote for passage because of the requirements of Section 4, Article VIII of the Delaware Constitution.
This Act imposes certain requirements upon a public utility if it intends to relocate a call center outside the service territory of the public utility or contract call center work outside of the service territory of the public utility. The requirements include providing notice to the Public Service Commission, current and prospective employees at the call center, and the union leadership of any current or prospective employees at the call center.
This Concurrent Resolution urges the Delaware Department of Human Resources to develop a statewide educational strategy on menopause to support public and private organizations and to improve understanding of menopause’s impact on Delaware’s workforce. This report is due no later than June 30, 2027.
This Act provides the following support for federal workers during a government shutdown: (1) In Section 1 of this Act, interest free loans to provide financial assistance. (2) In Section 2 of this Act, free transportation on public transit. (3) In Sections 3 through 6 of this Act, deferral of certain State, county, and school tax filings, payments, and collections.
This Act makes updates to the Delaware workplace safety program to increase the workers’ compensation insurance credit that businesses can access while maintaining overall program stability. Past legislation that adjusted Workplace Safety Program parameters led to the filing of a new Experience Rating Plan by Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau, which inadvertently resulted in lower discounts. Most businesses with lower-than-average claim costs, regardless of size, continue to see reductions in their experience modification factors. The Workplace Safety Program credit and the experience modification factor savings result in a similar savings as before for employers with favorable loss history. However, this was not the intention of prior law. This Act ensures that companies can reach maximum premium savings of 12%.
