AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, TITLES, AND NONHUMAN ENTITIES.
Summary
HB 191 amends Delaware Title 24 to make explicit that nonhuman entities, including artificial intelligence agents, cannot be licensed or certified in several health-care professions. The bill covers professional nursing, advanced practice registered nursing, practical nursing, medicine, and physician assistant practice. It also bars nonhuman entities from using protected professional titles and abbreviations associated with those professions, such as nurse, RN, APRN, physician, MD, DO, PA, and doctor/Dr.
The measure is primarily a clarification and title-protection bill. It does not create a new licensing framework for AI; instead, it reinforces that only human persons may hold these licenses or certifications and use the related professional designations in Delaware. By amending multiple sections of Title 24, the bill updates the state’s medical and nursing practice statutes to address AI explicitly and reduce ambiguity about whether an automated system could present itself as a licensed clinician.
Impact
HB 191 changes Delaware’s professional licensing statutes in Title 24 by adding explicit prohibitions on licensing, certification, and title use by nonhuman entities in nursing, medicine, and physician assistant practice. It affects the boards and regulatory provisions governing nurses, advanced practice nurses, physicians, and physician assistants, and it strengthens enforcement against misleading use of protected health-care titles by AI systems or other nonhuman entities.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received very favorably and without recorded opposition. It passed the House 38-0 and the Senate 19-0, indicating broad bipartisan support and little controversy in floor votes. The absence of committee transcript material also suggests there was no notable public dispute captured in the available record.
Contention
There is little visible contention in the available materials. The main policy issue is whether existing law already implicitly limited licensure to human beings or whether explicit statutory language was needed to address AI and other nonhuman entities. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a preventive consumer-protection and professional-standards measure, while any potential concerns would center on how broadly the title restrictions apply to AI-assisted tools versus fully autonomous systems; however, no formal opposition or specific objections are reflected in the vote history provided.