Where the Pen Meets the Paper As the legislative session winds down, several bills that have passed the House and Senate head upstairs to Gov. Jack Markell’s office for his signature to become law. A few notable bills were signed into law this week. House Bill 175, sponsored by Rep. Bryon Short, implements recommendations made by the task force the General Assembly established earlier this year chaired by Lt. Gov. Matt Denn. The task force was prompted by a 34-pecent increase in workers’ compensation rates, which led to increased costs for Delaware businesses and made it harder for them to compete with businesses from neighboring states. The bill places tighter controls on workers compensation medical costs, ensures that insurance carriers’ requests for rate increases receive a high level of scrutiny and improves the state’s workplace safety program. House Bill 165 provides the first major overhaul to the charter school system since its creation 18 years ago. Sponsored by Rep. Earl Jaques, the bill updates the charter school law to better hold charter schools accountable while strengthening the state’s support for charter schools. The legislation would make it more difficult for low-performing charter schools to exist in Delaware, while providing more flexibility and support to high-performing charter schools, especially those serving the state’s highest-need students. Legislation sponsored by Rep. Quinn Johnson also was signed into law this week. House Bill 89 will allow a free-standing rehabilitation hospital to be constructed in Middletown. HealthSouth, an Alabama-based rehabilitation hospital company, is planning to construct a facility in town that would create hundreds of construction jobs and a number of high-paying, long-term jobs in the medical field.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 21:09:33 +0000
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