Senate Passes Bill Increasing Penalties against Long Term Care Facilities

The Senate last week passed Senate Bill 216 unanimously. The bill would increase the civil penalties that can be imposed against long-term care facilities, regardless of whether the violations pose a serious threat to the health and safety of residents. Those fines have not been adjusted since 2000. Under SB 216, all fines levied against long-term care facilities would be doubled to account for inflation over the last 24 years.

Senate Bill 215 – Increasing In Person Inspections	Currrent Status – Senate Passed 21-0. Sent to the House.
House Sponsors – Johnson, Bolden, Cooke, Griffith, Lynn, Morrison, Osienski, Parker Selby // Smith, Gray, Hensley, Hilovsky, Short, Yearick	Senate Sponsors – Mantzavinos, Townsend, Hansen, Hoffner, Huxtable, Sokola, Walsh // Pettyjohn, Buckson, Hocker, Lawson, Wilson
House Yes Votes –	Senate Yes Votes – Brown Gay Hansen Hoffner Huxtable Lockman Mantzavinos McBride Paradee Pinkney Poore Sokola Sturgeon Townsend Walsh // Buckson Hocker Lawson Pettyjohn Richardon Wilson
House No Votes –	Senate No Votes –
House Absents or Not Voting –	Senate Absent or Not Voting –

Bill Sponsor Senator Spiros Mantzavinos: “When a family makes the difficult decision to place a loved one in a long term care facility, they should feel assured that they will receive the best care. However, if a long-term care facility jeopardizes their loved one’s health and well-being, there should be penalties.

I am proud of Senate Bill 216 passed on the Senate floor day. This bill increases the fiscal amount of civil penalties against a long-term care facility that is found to not meet the regulated standards of service and care. SB 216 is part of my Long-Term Care Package, a slate of bills that came forth after the dedicated work of the Long-Term Care and Memory Task Force – which I chaired with Rep. Kendra Johnson. As Delaware’s population quickly ages, it is crucial we put in place a sustaining infrastructure that meets the needs of our most vulnerable residents.

Thank you to my Senate colleagues for their unanimous support of SB 216.”