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SPONSORED LEGISLATION
HB3 - An Act To Amend Title 14 Relating To School Attendance.
Valerie J. Longhurst, Laura Sturgeon, Debra J. Heffernan
Last updated over 1 year ago
20 Co-Sponsors
According to a recent CDC survey, the COVID pandemic exacerbated an existing mental health crisis for students. One in 5 school aged children has a mental health condition, and 45% of children may have experienced a traumatic event. This bill provides for excused absences for the mental or behavior health of a student and requires that any student taking more than 2 such excused absences will be referred to a behavioral health specialist. This bill provides a supplemental tool to identify students struggling with mental and behavioral health issues and legitimizes these struggles faced by many students. Moreover, this bill makes clear that the mental and behavioral health of students is a priority in this State.
STATUS
Passed
HB83 - An Act To Amend Title 14 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Oral Health Screenings.
Kimberly Williams, Sarah McBride, Sherry Dorsey Walker
Last updated over 1 year ago
23 Co-Sponsors
This Act requires every public school and charter school to provide students enrolled in kindergarten with an oral health screening by the last student attendance day of each school year. Notification to the parent or guardian must be done and a copy of the oral health screening results sent home. A referral to a dentist, if required, will be provided by the Bureau of Oral Health and Dental Services. The Division of Public Health (DPH), through the Delaware Smile Check Program, offers school-based oral screenings, at no cost to the school districts, schools, including charter schools, or the students. This Substitute Bill takes out the requirement to advise teachers of the results of the oral health screenings, including Special Education Coordinators and Educational Diagnosticians of students with an IEP. This Substitute Bill also removes any follow-up requirements, by the school, with the students parent or guardian. The Substitute Bill also makes the school requirements, under this Act, contingent on the Delaware Smile Check Program remaining in effect or a comparable program to provide free oral health screenings to all enrolled kindergarten students. This Act takes effect for the 2024-2025 school year.
STATUS
Passed
SB151 - An Act To Amend Title 6 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Mandatory Disclosure Of Information In Long-term Care Facilities Offering Dementia Care Services.
Spiros Mantzavinos, Brian Guy Pettyjohn, Kendra Johnson
Last updated 4 months ago
15 Co-Sponsors
This Act is a substitute for Senate Bill No. 151. Like Senate Bill No. 151, this Act requires included facilities to disclose information related dementia care services in the form determined by the Department of Health and Social Services, and it establishes requirements for the dissemination of that information. Like Senate Bill No. 151, any violation of this Act is an unlawful practice under § 2513 of Title 6 and a violation of subchapter II of Chapter 25 of Title 6 of the Delaware Code. This Act differs from Senate Bill No. 151 in the following ways: (1) it narrows the scope of the disclosure requirements to apply only to assisted living facilities that advertises, markets, or otherwise represents that the facility provides dementia care services; (2) it revises the definition of dementia care services, and defines direct care, memory care services, and secured memory care unit; (3) it replaces the term agent with the term authorized representative; (4) it revises the list of information that must be included in the disclosure form; (5) it clarifies the Departments and the facilitys role in preparing and completing the disclosure; (6) it removes the requirement that an included facility must publish the disclosure on the facilitys website; and (7) it grants the Department of Health and Social Services the authority to investigate potential violations and refer cases to the Department of Justice.
STATUS
Passed
SB189 - An Act To Amend Title 16 Of The Delaware Code Relating To The Uniform Controlled Substances Act And Drug Testing Strips.
Nicole Poore, Melissa Minor-Brown, Spiros Mantzavinos
Last updated over 1 year ago
8 Co-Sponsors
This Act adds xylazine and it isomers, esters, ethers, salts and salts of isomers, esters and ethers to Schedule III of the Delaware Uniform Controlled Substances Act and expands the authorization for the distribution of testing strips to determine the presence of controlled substances. According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the emergence of xylazine across the United States appears to be following the same path as fentanyl, starting in the Northeast and then spreading to the South and working its way into drug markets westward, and the low cost of xylazine contributes to xylazines increased presence in the nations illegal drug supply. Xylazine is approved only for veterinary use, xylazine is a non-opioid with increasing presence as an adulterant, often in conjunction with opioids, in the illicit drug supply. When used alone and in conjunction with other drugs, xylazine is implicated as a cause or contributing cause of death in the United States. When used in conjunction with an opioid, such as heroin or fentanyl, xylazine may worsen respiratory depression in the event of a drug overdose, and because xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone is not known to be effective at reversing overdoses, and there is no known antidote or reversal agent for xylazine overdose in humans. This Act also exempts testing strips from the drug paraphernalia statute and expands the limitations on liability for lay individuals and organizations that provide a drug testing strip to an individual who uses drugs to reduce the likelihood of the individual experiencing harm.
STATUS
Passed
HR8 - Amending The Temporary Rules Of The House Of Representatives Of The 152nd General Assembly.
Bryan W. Shupe, Ruth Briggs King, Jeff Hilovsky
Last updated over 1 year ago
6 Co-Sponsors
This Resolution amends the Temporary Rules of the House of Representatives of the 152nd General Assembly to require legislation assigned to a committee be acted on by the committee unless the House prime sponsor or floor manager of the legislation requests the committee to not act on the legislation. If the legislation is not acted on by the committee within 12 legislative days, the legislation must be placed on the agenda for the committees next meeting time assigned under Rule 33(a) or a date agreed to by the Chair of the committee and the House prime sponsor or floor manager of the legislation and must be heard and acted on at that meeting. The Chief Clerk shall send notice of legislation reaching its twelfth legislative day in committee without action to the Chair of the committee and the House prime sponsor or floor manager of the legislation.
STATUS
Introduced
SCR54 - Proclaiming May 11, 2023, As Home Care Advocacy Day In The State Of Delaware.
Kyra L. Hoffner, Kerri Evelyn Harris, Valerie J. Longhurst
Last updated over 1 year ago
18 Co-Sponsors
The resolution proclaims May 11, 2023, as "Home Care Advocacy Day" in Delaware.
STATUS
Engrossed
HB200 - An Act To Amend Title 14 Of The Delaware Code Relating To School-based Mental Health Services.
Valerie J. Longhurst, Marie Pinkney, Debra J. Heffernan
Last updated 4 months ago
26 Co-Sponsors
This Act establishes a mental health services unit for Delaware high schools. The unit is phased in over 3 years, beginning in FY2024, to arrive at a final ratio of 250 full-time equivalent students grades 9-12 for a full-time school counselor, school social worker, or licensed clinical social worker. Additionally, a unit ratio of 700 full time equivalent students for grades 9-12 for employment of a full-time school psychologist. This Act defines mental health services as prevention, response, and coordination services delivered to students in high schools. Mental Health disorders are the most common health problem for school aged youth. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in five youth are affected by a mental health disorder. Additionally, 50% of lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14. Untreated mental illness leads to negative outcomes including increased risk of dropout, homelessness, substance abuse, other chronic illnesses, incarceration, and possibly suicide. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, ninety percent of people who have taken their own life have had an underlying mental health condition, and suicides are on the rise. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicides are now the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-14. Delaware schools need trained and experienced mental health professionals to provide prevention and support programs and services to students. This bill will lower ratios of students to counselors and increase access to mental health services for high school students. Districts and charters should prioritize the hiring of school counselors who provide mental health services over those who provide career counseling.
STATUS
Passed
HB130 - An Act To Amend Title 29 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Deferred Compensation For Public Officers And Employees Of The State.
Valerie J. Longhurst, William Charles Paradee, Krista Griffith
Last updated over 1 year ago
19 Co-Sponsors
There are thousands of casual/seasonal employees, who work for the State of Delaware. These hard-working individuals make up a critical part of the state government workforce and play a significant role in keeping our state running and delivering services to the people of Delaware. Since these individuals are not eligible for the state pension plan, many of them are eager to participate in a retirement savings plan so that they can save, invest, and build wealth for a secure and comfortable retirement. Currently, these individuals are not permitted to participate in the states 457(b) plan. This bill allows casual/seasonal employees the opportunity to participate in the 457(b) plan.
STATUS
Passed
HB244 - An Act To Amend Title 14 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Funding For Athletic Trainers.
Michael F. Smith, Nicole Poore, Valerie J. Longhurst
Last updated 6 months ago
13 Co-Sponsors
This Act directs phased in unit funding for every school or district to have an athletic trainer. A school or district with less than 3 sports teams must submit an application to the Department of Education should it wish to receive partial funding for an athletic trainer position. The State Board of Education may review any objection to the Departments decision.
STATUS
Introduced
HR17 - Requesting The Department Of Natural Resources And Environmental Control (dnrec) Pause And Reconsider The Process Of Promulgating The California Advanced Clean Car Ii (accii) Regulations That Seek To Restrict, And Ultimately Eliminate, The Sale And Registration Of New Light-duty Fuel-powered Vehicles In Delaware By Model Year 2035.
Michael Ramone, Ruth Briggs King, Richard G. Collins
Last updated over 1 year ago
15 Co-Sponsors
This resolution requests that the Department of Natural Resources pause its ongoing process of promulgating California ACCII regulations. The Department is requested to determine the fiscal impacts of imposing the ACCII regulations on Delawareans. A further request is made that the Department evaluate the approach taken by Pennsylvania and Colorado, two states that, like Delaware, have chosen to follow California vehicle emissions regulations under Section 177 of the U.S. Clean Air Act. The Department is also requested to evaluate the protocol observed by 33 other states in following the EPA vehicle emission regulations.
STATUS
Failed
BIOGRAPHY
INCUMBENT
Representative from Delaware district HD-004
COMMITTEES
Delaware House
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Delaware House from Delaware
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