HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

149th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 304

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STATE SONG.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend Section 303, Title 29 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 303. State song.

The official state song shall consist of the poem "Our Delaware" containing 3 verses, each verse in honor of a county of this State, written by George B. Hynson; a fourth verse in praise of the State and pledging the loyalties of its citizens, written by Donn Devine; and a musical score composed specifically for the state song by Will M. S. Brown ; provided, however that the phrase “loyal son” is replaced with “loyal one”, and “his pillow” is replaced by “a pillow” where those phrases appear therein .

SYNOPSIS

This Act substitutes gender neutral phrases for the ones currently contained in the State Song of Delaware. The proposed changes come at the request of Donn Devine, a retired Brigadier General in the Delaware National Guard and co-author of the State Song of Delaware, who believes that this new phrasing will make the song more relevant to future generations of Delawareans.