Rep. Stephanie Bolden

Section 1 of this Act updates the Delaware Code relating to the Board of Nursing (“Board”) by eliminating conflicting definitions of an “advanced practice registered nurse” in the Code, correcting inaccurate cross-references, and eliminating references to the Joint Practice Committee, a now defunct body, and replacing such references with the newly enacted Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Committee. Section 2 of this Act corrects the Delaware Code to use the correct defined term, “advanced practice registered nurse” rather than “advanced practice nurse,” which is deleted by Section 1 of this Act. Section 3 of this Act adds passage of the national examination to the qualifications for licensure as a registered nurse currently listed in § 1910, Title 24. Section 4 of this Act eliminates reference to the national examination for registered nurses in § 1911, Title 24. The change made by Sections 3 and 4 of this Act ensures that all of the qualifications in § 1910, Title 24, including passage of the examination, are required to be a registered nurse. Section 5 of this Act makes a technical correction to make it clear that “state” and “territory” as referenced in § 1912, Title 24 means a state or territory of the United States. Additional changes of this type are made in Sections 8 and 12 of this Act. Section 6 of this Act adds passage of the national examination to the qualifications for licensure as a licensed practical nurse currently listed in § 1914, Title 24. Section 7 of this Act eliminates reference to the national examination for licensed practical nurses in § 1915, Title 24. The change made by Sections 6 and 7 of this Act ensures that all of the qualifications in § 1914, including passage of the examination, are required to be a licensed practical nurse. Section 8 of this Act corrects the reciprocity provision for licensed practical nurses who obtain licensure in another jurisdiction on or after July 1, 1983, so that the licensed practical nurse provision is consistent with the registered nurse provision in § 1912, Title 24. Section 9 of Act clarifies what an advanced practice registered nurse who has been out of active clinical practice for at least 2 years must complete in order to renew a license. In addition, this Section adds a provision that specifically allows nursing licensees to apply for inactive status. Section 10 of this Act adds a provision authorizing the Board to impose a monetary penalty upon a licensee guilty of any offense described in § 1922, Title 24. Section 11 of this Act eliminates redundant purposes of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Committee. Section 12 of this Act adds a provision that enables an advanced practice registered nurse applicant to apply by endorsement. Section 13 of this Act clarifies that only advanced practice registered nurses with at least 2 years and 4,000 hours of experience who seek to obtain independent practice are required to maintain a collaborative agreement. Each Section of this Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This legislation amends the Delaware Code to establish the Department of Human Resources by transferring various divisions and other organizational units from the Office of Management and Budget to the newly established Department of Human Resources. The powers and duties of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Secretary of the Department of Human Resources are aligned to reflect the transfers of the divisions and other organizational units of the newly established Department of Human Resources. Various sections of the Delaware Code are amended to reflect changes in titles and nomenclature. This bill also establishes Office of Women's Advancement and Advocacy. This bill sets forth that the Office of Women's Advancement and Advocacy will be a unit of the Department of Human Resources. The purpose of this Office is to promote the equality of women in all areas of society. Functions of the Office include fostering and facilitating collaborations between all facets of government and private businesses to eliminate gender-based bias and discriminatory practices, study and report on the status of women in the State, compile and analyze statistics, advise executive and legislative bodies on the effect of proposed legislation, make specific legislative proposals and submit a report to the Governor, Secretary of the Department of Human Resources and the General Assembly at the beginning of every General Assembly of the Office’s activities and recommendations. The bill establishes that the governing body of the Office is the Commission for Women comprised of 9 members. This bill provides that the Office of Women’s Advancement and Advocacy oversees the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame Committee and the Delaware Women’s Workforce Council. The Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame Committee shall have 7 members and the Delaware Women’s Workforce Council shall be comprised of 11 members. Delaware Women’s Workforce Council shall conduct a study of gender-based inequities in workplaces in Delaware, recommend policies to remove gender-based inequities in the workplace, and develop and publish best practices for employers to achieve gender equality.

This Act clarifies that after a physician-patient relationship has been properly established in accordance with this section, subsequent communications and treatment may be conducted as the doctor and patient deem appropriate. As with all practice of medicine, such subsequent interactions must still meet the standard of care for the given field of medicine. The Act also clarifies that this statute is not intended to limit the practice of radiology or pathology – fields in which it has long been standard for an off-site specialist to examine records created by a treating physician or technician.

This concurrent resolution establishes a Task Force to study and make recommendations regarding the impact of consolidating school districts in the state of Delaware.

This Act replaces the current multistate nurse licensure compact with an enhanced version. The enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact allows for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to have one multistate license, with the privilege to practice in their home state and other compact states. Under the enhanced version, all nurses practicing under a multistate license must meet a minimum set of licensure requirements, including a fingerprint federal criminal background check. Nurses who fail to meet these requirements will not be eligible for a multistate license, and multistate privileges will be removed from nurses when disciplinary actions are taken against a home state multistate license. If Delaware fails to enact the enhanced nurse multistate licensure compact, Delaware nurses with current multistate licenses will no longer be permitted to practice in states that have enacted the enhanced version. Currently, 13 states have adopted this enhanced Compact and legislation to adopt it is pending in 15 other states.

Section 1 of this bill moves the date of primary elections for statewide office, county office, and municipal office to the fourth Tuesday in April, which is the date of the presidential primary (in presidential election years). The dates for submitting and withdrawing notification of candidacy have been adjusted accordingly. Section 2 of the bill changes the deadline for a minor political party selecting its candidate at the party’s convention. Section 3 of the bill changes the deadline for filing certificates of nomination from September 1st to April 1st. Section 4 changes the “closed” period in which a voter is not allowed to change his or her political affiliation to match the 60-day limit in 15 Del. C. § 3189 for presidential primaries.

This act allows Sussex County government to create Enterprise Zones within the unincorporated areas of Sussex County. The act also allows any municipality, a portion of which is located in Sussex County, to create Enterprise Zones..

This resolution directs the Delaware Emergency Medical Services Oversight Council and the Office of Emergency Medical Services to establish statewide metrics for emergency room wait times, with such information being publicly reported on a regular basis and available to emergency responders.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, on average, an incarcerated parent with a child support order has the potential to leave prison with nearly $20,000 in child support debt, having entered the system with around half that amount owed. This national statistic is consistent with Delaware, where the average child support debt for those currently incarcerated in Delaware is $10,000. Failing to recognize the inability to pay while incarcerated undermines the obligor's ability to make a successful transition and meet their obligations post-release, including the ability to pay child support. Delaware Family Court Rules will consider a term of incarceration that exceeds 1 year as evidence of a diminished earning capacity but the incarcerated parent needs to file a motion asking the Family Court for relief from the Child Support Order. The vast majority of incarcerated parents do not have independent income, resources, or assets with which to pay an obligation of child support consistent with their pre-incarceration circumstances. This Act automatically suspends child support orders when a defendant is incarcerated or involuntarily committed for over 180 days unless the defendant has the means to pay support while incarcerated or involuntarily committed, the defendant is incarcerated for a crime of domestic violence against the custodial relative or the supported child, or is incarcerated for failure to comply with an order to pay child support.

Delaware's Community College System, operated by Delaware Technical and Community College (“the College”), plays a critical role in the State's economy by providing workforce development and transfer education that connects Delawareans with good paying jobs within the State and region. This Act gives the College’s Board of Trustees the authority to issue bonds to finance the cost of major and minor capital improvements, deferred maintenance, and the acquisition of related equipment and educational technology and establishes the Community College Infrastructure Fund (“the Fund”) to pay the principal and interest on such bonds. This Act adopts the county Vo-Tech structure to finance the Fund by authorizing the College's Board of Trustees to collect a local property tax, subject to a cap. All money raised in a county must be placed in a segregated account and spent exclusively on projects in that county; this eliminates any possibility of applying this Act in an unconstitutional manner. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.