Why Should Delaware Care?
Government works best when its citizens are knowledgeable and engaged. Delaware’s government has scores of commissions, working groups, agencies and legislative committees. All must hold meetings that are open to the public. Below we highlight a few of those meetings that are happening this week.
Editor’s Note: Monday morning’s State Employee Benefits Committee was canceled due to inclement weather. Tuesday and Wednesday’s Joint Finance Committee hearings also were rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25, and Monday, March 2.
Below are some of the most important or interesting public meetings happening around the state this week.
- State board to finalize insurance coverage changes for weight loss drugs
- State utility regulator to hear input on possible grid connection costs for data centers
- Joint Finance Committee to review proposed Health and Social Services budget
- Education funding commission to discuss reforms, legislative timeline
State Employee Benefits Committee to change weight loss drug coverage
The State Employee Benefits Committee (SEBC), a board responsible for managing Delaware’s state employee health insurance plans, was scheduled to meet on Monday to finalize coverage changes for employees currently using weight-loss drugs.
That meeting was canceled due to inclement weather, and a reschedule date has not yet been shared.
Those changes could mean employees covered under the state’s health plan could soon pay much more out-of-pocket to get their weight-loss prescriptions or be uncovered altogether.
The SEBC previously met on Friday, Feb. 13, to introduce the potential coverage changes.
At that meeting, the committee heard multiple different options that could save the state money, but they would pass costs onto consumers using the drugs in the form of higher co-pays, almost four or five times higher than the current rate.
According to a presentation at the meeting, members pay $32 for a 30-day supply of the drug or $64 for a 90-day supply. If new copays are added to the state plan, those numbers would jump to $120 and $200, respectively.
Another option would be to completely eliminate coverage of the drugs for state employees who use them for weight loss, which officials suspect would save the state $179 million over the next three years.
If the state continues its coverage as is, the SEBC estimates it would cost nearly $211 million by 2029.
📍 The State Employee Benefits Committee meeting was canceled due to inclement weather.
Utility regulator to hear resident input on data center regulations
The Public Service Commission, the state body charged with regulating utility services, will hear public comment on Wednesday about Delmarva Power’s proposed “large-load tariff” for energy-hungry facilities like data centers to ensure they do not shift energy infrastructure costs onto other ratepayers.
The tariff, if approved by the PSC, would set a new electricity rate for data centers and require them to pay deposits to cover the engineering and equipment cost of electrical infrastructure improvements.
The proposal comes months after Delmarva revealed it is working with five data center developers whose projects would demand a combined 2 gigawatts (GW) of energy.
The peak load, or demand for electricity, of the entire state is 2.3 GW in the winter and 2.7 GW in the summer, according to PJM.
That means the proposed data centers would together almost double the power demand for all businesses and homes in the First State.
📍 The Public Service Commission will hear comments at 6 p.m. Wednesday inside the PSC Hearing Room, located at 841 Silver Lake Blvd. in Dover. For more details, including information about virtual attendance, click here.
Lawmakers to review Meyer’s proposed DHSS, DelDOT spending
Editor’s Note: Tuesday and Wednesday’s Joint Finance Committee hearings were rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25, and Monday, March 2. See below for the updated JFC hearing schedule.
State lawmakers’ budget hearings will continue this week with testimony from the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Transportation, two of the largest state departments by budget size.
Lawmakers will also review the Fire Prevention Commission’s budget proposal.
The Joint Finance Committee’s budget review for DHSS will span the entirety of both Tuesday and Wednesday’s hearings, as the department oversees a swath of large-scale programs used by many Delawareans, including Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
📍 The Joint Finance Committee will meet from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday at Legislative Hall, located at 411 Legislative Ave. in Dover.
Tuesday’s hearing was canceled. Wednesday’s hearing also was canceled.
Thursday’s hearing will feature orientation for the Department of Health and Social Services and testimony from the Fire Prevention Commission in the morning, and testimony from the Department of Transportation in the afternoon.
Beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 2, the JFC will hear from Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Christen Linke Young, as well as department-wide presentations.
For information about virtual attendance for the Tuesday meeting, click here. For the Wednesday meeting, click here. And for the Thursday meeting, click here.
Education funding reform discussions continue
The Public Education Funding Commission, created by the General Assembly to recommend how dollars should be distributed to Delaware schools, will meet on Monday to discuss the “legislative timeline” of its proposed hybrid funding formula.
The hybrid proposal incorporates the state’s traditional framework of distributing money on a per-student basis with one that allocates dollars based on student needs.
The commission will also discuss local education funding models, comparing Delaware’s referendum model to that of other states.
The commission’s work to reform public education spending comes after Gov. Matt Meyer made the issue a pillar of his gubernatorial campaign.
📍 The Public Education Funding Commission will meet virtually at 4 p.m. Monday. For more details, click here.
Nick Stonesifer and Olivia Marble contributed to this report.