Sen. Brian Pettyjohn

This Act replaces existing Chapter 83 of the Delaware Insurance Code and sets forth the permissible uses of credit information in rating personal insurance. This Act also prohibits insurance companies from increasing rates on current customers solely for having reached the age of 75 or above or for having a change in marital status due to the death of a spouse. This Act is substituted for House Bill No. 80 and differs from House Bill No. 80 by removing the required and optional rating-factors lists and the required offering of a good driver discount plan in lieu of provisions which more clearly define how insurance companies may use credit information and insurance scores in calculating their rates.

This legislation authorizes the Department to operate its principal office in the Dover area and an additional branch office in Sussex County.

This bill removes the notary requirement for requests for absentee ballots. Delaware is the only state that requires a notary to authorize a voter's affidavit for an absentee ballot. In some cases, the potential voter may have to pay for the notary and Delaware essentially charges them to vote.

This Act is the result of the recommendation made by the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee in its review of the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline ("the Board") that the Division of Professional Regulation amend applicable statutes that are outdated and unnecessary, to provide for consistency with § 8735, Title 29 of the Delaware Code, relating to administrative procedures. Specifically, this Act permits the Board to utilize non-board member medical licensees as coinvestigators when specialties are required to opine on the disciplinary cases, as long as the co-investigator is licensed in the specialty at issue; creates administrative licensure for medical professionals who do not wish to practice medicine but serve as administrators in the state to applicants who meet all qualifications for licensure except active practice hours; removes antiquated language from Title 17 regarding hearing procedures and instead reiterates hearings are conducted pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act; and deletes references to the removed language. Finally, this Act makes minor modifications to each of the sub-councils organized under the Board, to standardize procedures across each of the five councils. Specifically, the Act add a duty to report unprofessional conduct to Respiratory Care Practitioners, permits the Genetic Counselor Advisory Council and the Regulatory Council for Physician Assistants to waive their quarterly meeting requirement with the approval of the Board; clarifies that temporary licenses may be granted by each of the councils under the signature of the Executive Director and the council chair; and permits council members appointed to fill vacancies to serve out those vacancies, along with two three-year terms. The language submitted for this Act has not been corrected to conform the Act to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act fulfills recommendations made by the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee. First, this Act adds language to establish the circumstances under which Trustees of the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation may be removed, using language standard to boards and commissions in this State. Second, this Act limits review of a preservation easement after 25 years of the easement's acquisition to only easements that were acquired before the enactment of this Act. Preservation easements acquired after the enactment of this Act are not subject to termination under § 917 of Title 3. Third, this Act corrects an internal reference, and makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

This Act extends the Office of Foreclosure Prevention and Automatic Residential Foreclosure Mediation Program an additional two years, from January 18, 2018 until January 18, 2020. The Office of Foreclosure Prevention and the Automatic Residential Foreclosure Mediation Program were originally scheduled to sunset on January 18, 2014, two years after their enactment. The sunset date was extended to January 18, 2018 (six years) in 2013 via 79 Del. Laws c. 27 (House Bill No. 40, as amended by Senate Amendment No. 1, 147th General Assembly).

This bill will sunset the Delaware Estate Tax on December 31, 2017.

Recognizing a fundamental economic change toward businesses that require innovation, The Honorable John C. Carney, Governor of the State of Delaware, issued Executive Order One on January 18, 2017 creating a Working Group of business and government leaders to study methods to improve coordination between the public and private sectors, attract growing businesses and foster economic development throughout the State. The Governor appointed members of the Working Group representing government, business leaders and the community. The Working Group conducted public meetings in the State to receive input from the public on issues related to business development and retention in the changing economy. The Working Group considered research and input from experts in the area of public/private partnerships as well as statutes and data from other states. The Working Group issued a report to the Governor on April 7, 2017 recommending the establishment of a public/private partnership in Delaware to focus on investment attraction, entrepreneurship and innovation, talent development and retention, and research and analysis. Upon consideration of the Working Group report, the General Assembly intends to appropriate funding for the Public/Private Partnership, a nonprofit public/private partnership comprised of leaders in the public, business and the community to build a stronger entrepreneurial environment in the State. The Public/Private Partnership will focus on leveraging private resources to improve business recruitment, retention and expansion, identify and develop a talented workforce, connecting with the global economy and building a stronger entrepreneurial environment. To ensure public accountability the Partnership will submit to the Governor and the General Assembly tax returns, financial statements, organizational polices and will make available for inspection meeting minutes. To make the most efficient use of available resources, this legislation eliminates the Delaware Economic Development Office because the public/private partnership will be conducting business attraction and development functions formerly performed by that Office. This legislation transfers tourism, the Delaware Motion Picture and Television Commission and duties related to administration and the financial analysis of proposed economic development projects to the Department of State. The transfer will improve efficiency, eliminate redundancy and foster business attraction, innovation, tourism, small business development, business retention, minority, women, disadvantaged and veteran owned businesses. Sections 3 through 21 of this Act simply make conforming changes throughout Title 29 and other titles of the Delaware Code where references to the Delaware Economic Development Office appear. The Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism is referenced in its place. The bill also removes some Code Sections that reference funds and functions that no longer exist.

This concurrent resolution establishes the Medicaid Cost Efficiency Task Force to study and make findings and recommendations regarding Delaware’s Medicaid program.

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.