Dover, Del. —The House today approved legislation that would mandate the development of an accreditation process for facilities that perform “invasive medical procedures,” including abortions.
House Bill 144, sponsored by Rep. Bryon Short (D-Highland Woods), is a companion measure that dovetails with legislation passed earlier this year, also authored by Short, that allows the Department of Health and Social Services to investigate complaints regarding unsanitary or unsafe conditions at medical facilities.
According to the latest bill, DHSS would have the authority to require invasive procedure facilities to obtain independent accreditations in order to operate. If DHSS received complaints about an accredited facility, and the complaints were investigated and found to be valid, the department could shut down the facility.
House Minority Leader Rep. Greg Lavelle (R-Sharpley) attempted to add language to HB 144 that would broaden the complaint process established in the earlier bill, but the amendment was defeated.
Only one legislator voted against HB 144, Rep. Don Blakey (R-Camden-Wyoming).
Shortly after the bill passed, Sen. Michael Katz (D-Centerville) sent out an email to reporters accusing Short of plagiarizing the language used in HB 144, with copies of correspondence to House leadership asking for an ethics investigation.
According to Katz, Short lifted the language for HB 144 directly from Senate Bill 90, legislation Katz claims to have drafted first.
Katz, an anesthesiologist by trade, said he refused to place Short on his bill as a cosponsor because he wasn’t happy with how Short handled the earlier bill regarding unsanitary and unsafe conditions.
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