HCR 35

This House Concurrent Resolution establishes an Interagency Pharmaceuticals Purchasing Study Group (“Study Group”) to coordinate the existing efforts to leverage bulk purchasing to negotiate lower prices and make recommendations to maximize the opportunities to coordinate State-funded pharmaceutical purchases. Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Passed

HB 2

This Act creates the Delaware Federal Employees Civil Relief Act which provides the temporary suspension of judicial and administrative proceedings and transactions in Delaware that may adversely affect the civil rights of Federal workers during a shutdown. This Act only applies to Federal workers who reside in Delaware. The Act permits a Federal worker who is furloughed or required to work without pay during a shutdown to apply to a court or administrative agency for a temporary stay, postponement or suspension of any payment of rent, mortgage, tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, or other civil obligation or liability. A court or administrative agency may grant such relief if it finds that the ability of the Federal worker to pay such obligation has been materially affected by the shutdown. The length of stay may be for the period of the shutdown and 90 days thereafter. This Act also prohibits landlords from evicting a federal worker from premises that are occupied or intended to be occupied primarily as a residence. This Act also prohibits the lapse, termination or forfeiture of the health, life, disability, or motor vehicle insurance policy of a Federal worker without a court order. This Act also places limits on the interest rate that can be imposed on a Federal worker during a shutdown. Finally, this Act empowers the Attorney General to enforce the provisions of the Act and permits a court to impose a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for violations of the Act.

Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Signed

HS 1 for HB 105

Step therapy protocols are a mechanism by which health insurance companies require patients to try one or more prescriptions drugs before coverage is provided for the actual drug prescribed by the patient’s health care provider. This Act creates a Step Therapy Exception Process whereby patients who are required by their insurance company to go through step therapy protocols can, under certain circumstances, bypass step therapy to obtain the initially-prescribed medication. This Act does not apply to state or federal governmental plans.

Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Signed

HB 40

This bill: (1) increases the number of directors on the Board and allows the Board to appoint four additional directors; (2) implements clarifying language; (3) sunsets the former Advisory Council to replace it with a subcommittee structure to allow greater participation from members of the public and to allow the Corporation to appoint and receive assistance and expertise from a greater variety of experts; and (4) allows the Board of Directors to amend the Certificate of Incorporation with approval from the General Assembly.

Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Signed

HCR 21

This resolution celebrates Delaware’s observance of the centennial of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing for women’s suffrage. It further calls on the Delaware Heritage Commission to organize meaningful events and exhibits to honor the 100th anniversary and establish a subcommittee to plan a parade commemorating the occasion.

HB 94

This Act will increase payments of child support arrears or retroactive support from payments for settlements and awards from negligence, personal injury, and workers compensation cases by requiring that all insurers share information with an insurance claim data collection organization. The Division of Child Support Services (“Division”) uses an insurance claim data collection organization to match individuals who are in arrears on child support or who owe retroactive child support with individuals with insurance claims based upon negligence, personal injury, or workers’ compensation cases. The data collection organization performs a data match of the claimants provided by insurers and child support obligors provided by the Division. The data collection organization provides reports of matches to the Division so that the Division can issue a lien against the insurance claim to collect the child support arrears or retroactive support. Currently, some insurers voluntarily submit claim information to the insurance claim data collection organization and in 2018, $424,977 in unpaid child support was collected through this process. This Act requires that all insurers submit claim information to the insurance claim data collection organization and is expected to collect an additional $150,000 – $200,000 in unpaid child support. This Act also allows written notice of a lien or action to perfect the lien to be sent by electronically or by first class mail to conform to industry practices. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Co-Prime Sponsor: Poore; Status: Signed