SB 151 – Driver License Assistance for Foster Care Youth

Senate Bill 151 is a bill that will help foster care children have some normalcy in their life as they approach their own adulthood. Namely, that rite of passage moment of getting your own driver’s license.

Youth in long term foster care face obstacles in doing this. The car insurance industry’s rules can be unaccommodating and financially prohibitive. And, research shows that youth who leave foster care with a driver’s license are more likely to have a successful outcome, avoiding homelessness and incarceration, as reliable transportation is a crucial step to employment and independence.

This Act seeks to aid youth in foster care by doing the following: (1) Establishing a pilot program within the Office of the Child Advocate (“Office”) that would pay the cost of driver education, licensure and other costs incidental to licensure, and motor vehicle insurance; 2) Prohibiting automobile insurers from using certain factors in determining a foster child’s automobile insurance rates; (3) Prohibiting the DMV from charging certain fees related to licensure for a foster child participating in the Office’s pilot program; (4) Exempting certain individuals from liability for negligence of a foster child.

Senator Sarah McBride: “As Chair of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, I’ve had the privilege of spending time with youth in and aging out of Delaware’s foster care system. One issue that I’ve consistently heard is that many in our care face insurmountable barriers to securing a drivers license and obtaining auto insurance, both critical parts of physical and economic mobility. Today, I introduced SB 151 alongside my friend Rep. Debra Heffernan to begin to remove these barriers by funding auto insurance policies for many youth in and aging out of foster care.All young people deserves the opportunity to find independence and work — and SB 151 is another important step in fostering that opportunity for young Delawareans in foster care.”

Senate Bill 151 Sponsors	Yes Votes	No Votes
S.McBride, Hansen, Brown, Ennis, Mantzavinos, Paradee, Sokola, Townsend
Heffernan, Longhurst, Baumbach, Bolden, Griffith, K.Johnson, Kowalko, Lambert, Lynn, Minor-Brown, Morrison
Current Status: Senate Finance 6/17/21