Three bills unanimously flew through the Delaware House of Representatives Tuesday.
The first one, House Bill 83, sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams, D-Marshallton, requires every public school to provide kindergarten students an oral health screening by the last day of each school year.
“Oral health care is so vital for our children’s health, not just physically but mentally and socially,” Williams said. “Not only can this impact their attendance but it can lead to a lower self-esteem, withdraw from social interactions and cause an overall impact on their learning in the classroom.”
HB 83, she said, would task the Bureau of Oral health and Dental Services with providing the screenings as part of its Smile Check Program, which is led by Dr. Nick Conte.
The districts will not have to pay for the screenings.
HB 83 will now go to the Senate, where it will be assigned to a committee.
House Bill 117, sponsored by House Minority Leader Rep. Mike Ramone, R-Pike Creek South, also passed unanimously.
The legislation changes the qualifications for professional land surveyors. It also makes clear that there is no civil or criminal trespass when a professional land surveyor enters upon land in the course of preparing a survey.
Land surveyors are responsible for creating maps, measuring plots of land to identify boundaries for design and construction purposes, settle property line disputes and more.
HB 117 also passes to the Senate..
Senate Bill 71, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, was the third and final bill that passed the House Tuesday without a not vote.
The bill is one of three bills that are being presented to the General Assembly this session that deal with the intersection of animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence.
If passed, workers from the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, police or prosecutors and the Department of Justice would be required to report animal abuse to the Office of Animal Welfare if it is present in a child abuse or domestic violence case.
The bill also will provide immunity to people who submit reports in good faith.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
