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Committee hears bill to raise Department of Insurance fee retention and licensing fees
Summary
House Bill 18 would allow the Delaware Department of Insurance to retain up to $5,000,000 (up from $1,400,000) collected in licensing fees and would increase certain fees by $25; Department staff requested prompt passage to address rising expenses.
The Senate Banking, Business Insurance and Technology Committee on April 9, 2025, heard House Bill 18, which would amend Title 18 of the Delaware Code to increase the Department of Insurance's ability to retain licensing‑fee revenue and raise certain licensing fees.
Department and sponsor testimony said the bill would raise the Department of Insurance's retention cap from $1,400,000 to $5,000,000 and would increase licensing fees generally by $25. Chris Haas, who identified herself as representing the Department of Insurance, told the committee Delaware regulates large insurance premiums and that agency expenses have risen since 2020.
Haas said, "Delaware is a lead global regulator," and added the department "regulate[s] the ninth most premium, across the country," a reference to the state's outsized role in insurance regulation. She summarized agency figures presented to the committee, saying fee revenue has allowed contributions to the general and special funds and that department expenses had risen roughly 18 percent since 2020. Haas told the committee the department is requesting "as immediate passage as possible" to help prepare for the next fiscal year and that prior fee levels had not been adjusted in roughly 20 years.
Senators present asked no substantive follow‑up questions on policy design during the hearing. No members of the public provided oral testimony. The committee did not take a formal recorded vote on the bill at the April 9 meeting; staff and sponsors asked the committee to consider the measure and gather cosponsors.
If enacted as described in testimony, the bill would change state code language in Title 18 to increase the Department of Insurance's retained fee cap and permit the department to adjust licensing fees; the transcript did not show specific statutory text or an enacted effective date.
