Daily Report for 9/18/2026

Governor's Actions

BillCurrent StatusSponsorSynopsisTitle
HB 122SignedGriffithThis Act clarifies and refines the criminal jurisdiction of Family Court. First, this Act alters the definition of “family” by removing the requirement that both parties be residents of this state. Second, this Act provides concurrent criminal jurisdiction in Family Court and the Court of Common Pleas for certain criminal offenses where the parentage of a child in common is in dispute. Finally, this Act provides Family Court and the Court of Common Pleas with concurrent criminal jurisdiction over non-felony, adult criminal cases that include charges that fall within both Family Court’s and Court of Common Pleas’ jurisdiction. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because Section 28 of Article IV of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to confer jurisdiction of a misdemeanor on the Family Court. This Act makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FAMILY COURT'S CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
HB 222SignedLambertThis Act updates the fine structure for violations of the State Nutrient Management Program. Under this Act, the Commission may impose a fine of not less than $125 nor more than $5,000 for each violation. The current fine may be not less than $25 nor more than $1,000 for each violation.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT.
SB 232 w/ HA 1SignedWilsonThis Act increases for the crime of criminal mischief to a class F felony when the person intentionally causes damage to an authorized emergency vehicle resulting in a pecuniary loss of $5,000 or more or in the authorized emergency vehicle becoming temporarily unable to be used to respond to an emergency. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CRIMINAL MISCHIEF.
HS 1 for HB 213SignedGriffithThis Act creates a privilege for confidential communications between a victim and a victim advocate. The victim can waive the privilege with a signed waiver. The privilege may also be overcome in certain circumstances, including mandated reporting of child abuse, communications relating to the intent to commit a violent crime, and in state custody and child abuse cases. This Act defines a victim advocate as an employee of a victim services agency, or formal volunteer under the supervision of an employee of a victim services agency who has completed a minimum of 20 hours of advocacy training. This substitute bill incorporates the change from HA1 to House Bill No. 213 regarding the exception for child abuse and state custody cases. It also explicitly excludes law-enforcement agencies and the Department of Justice from the definition of victim services agency. It clarifies that the victim advocate may claim the privilege but only on behalf of the victim. Finally, it adds a process and criteria for a defendant in a criminal case to overcome the privilege in certain circumstances. This is intended to mirror the exception to the therapist-client privilege articulated in Burns v. State, 968 A.2d 1012 (2009).AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO EVIDENCE AND WITNESSES.
HB 324SignedNealThis Act requires tattoo parlors to post signs raising awareness about human trafficking. This Act also requires the Department of Health and Social Services to encourage tattoo parlors and body piercing establishments to have individuals working for them complete training on recognizing, responding, and reporting signs of human trafficking, as well as referring clients to resources for victims of human trafficking. The Department must provide or make available to tattoo parlors and body piercing establishments a list of nonprofit organizations that provide this training, which must be available at no cost to any person who works at a tattoo parlor or body piercing establishment. This Act takes effect 1 year after its enactment into law.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TATTOO PARLORS, BODY PIERCING ESTABLISHMENTS, AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
HB 326 w/ HA 1SignedMorrisonThis Act increases the penalty when an individual commits theft by impersonating a family member of the victim. A person convicted of a violation of this section shall be imprisoned for not less than 60 days. The minimum sentence under this section may not be suspended.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THEFT BY IMPERSONATION OF A FAMILY MEMBER.
HB 342SignedGriffithCurrent law prohibits persons subject to Family Court protective orders from purchasing or possessing deadly weapons, with some exceptions. This Act extends this prohibition to individuals with out-of-state protective orders as well.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE POSSESSION AND PURCHASE OF DEADLY WEAPONS BY PERSONS PROHIBITED.
HB 355 w/ HA 1SignedMorrisonThe purpose of this Act is to protect victims of sexual assault, discrimination, or harassment from retaliatory lawsuits that arise when a victim of sexual assault discloses information regarding an act of sexual assault, discrimination, or harassment. Specifically, this Act protects assault victims from defamation lawsuits by placing a higher burden of proof on the complainant, even if the complainant is a private figure. It also entitles a prevailing defendant in a defamation lawsuit to attorneys’ fees and costs, actual damages, and punitive damages.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SEXUAL ASSAULT, HARASSMENT, AND DISCRIMINATION.
SB 281 w/ SA 1SignedParadeeThe Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), through the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD), operates the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill (DHCI), a Long-Term Care (LTC) facility in Smyrna, Delaware. DHCI is a facility of last resort for Delawareans that require a skilled nursing facility level of care and have no viable options for private nursing facility care. The Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill’s name no longer reflects the dignity of all residents who live there. The existing statute uses outdated and offensive language, often referring to residents as “inmates.” It does not align with current policies and procedures around operation and maintenance of DHCI or the skilled care, screening, and admission of its residents, nor does it recognize DHCI’s role as a skilled nursing facility that maintains a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This bill provides a technical update to reflect DHCI’s current practices, policies and procedures as a LTC facility of last resort. It strikes outdated language and aligns the statute with current DHCI, state, CMS practices and requirements. Finally, this bill renames the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill to the Eleanor Cain Center. It will be named in honor of Eleanor Lee Cain, who served as the DSAAPD director from 1973 to 2001 and was a champion for older adults.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TECHNICAL UPDATES FOR THE DELAWARE HOSPITAL FOR THE CHRONICALLY ILL.
SB 305SignedParadeeThis bill creates a special license plate for Delaware State University to support student access, academic excellence, and university programs that advance the institution’s mission.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES.
HB 409SignedK. WilliamsThis adds knowingly “operating”, “conducting”, or “advertising” prostitution businesses as acts that constitute promoting prostitution in the second degree under under § 1352 of Title 11. This Act also defines “illicit massage establishment” and clarifies that a person may be guilty of promoting prostitution in the second degree under § 1352 of Title 11 for managing, supervising, and controlling an illicit massage establishment. Likewise, under this Act, a person may be guilty of promoting prostitution in the second degree for operating, conducting, or advertising an illicit massage establishment. This Act defines “illicit massage establishment” as an establishment that facilitates prostitution using the cover of either of the following: (1) A massage establishment, as defined in § 5302 of Title 24. (2) A place where the practice of massage and bodywork, as defined in § 5302 of Title 24, is offered. This Act’s definition is based on those used by national and state human trafficking prevention organizations. Law enforcement has noted a trend where an illicit massage establishment is shut down only to be reopened again by the same operators. By ensuring it is clear that promoting prostitution in the second degree is an available offense to charge, this Act intends to dissuade the operation and reopening of illicit massage establishments. This Act updates internal references elsewhere in the Code to account for the addition of subsections in § 1352 to remove the undesignated paragraph. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROSTITUTION.
HB 408SignedK. WilliamsThis Act aligns the definition of child sex trafficking victim with the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. Under the federal TVPA of 2000, any minor who engages in commercial sex is identified as a trafficking victim regardless of whether a trafficker or controlling third party (e.g. a pimp) is involved or identified. The requirement of a third party minimizes the role buyers play in fueling demand and engaging in the exploitation that trafficking laws are designed to punish and prevents minor victims from being identified as victims. To align with the TVPA of 2000, the offenses of trafficking an individual and sexual servitude are amended so that the obtaining or purchasing of a minor for the purpose of commercial sexual activity is an offense, regardless of whether there is present a third party who maintains or makes that minor available. By ensuring these minors are identified as human trafficking victims, these minors will gain access to federal and state resources to support recovery. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAFFICKING AN INDIVIDUAL, FORCED LABOR AND SEXUAL SERVITUDE.
HB 411SignedOsienskiThis Act changes the name of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement to the Division of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Enforcement. This Act also corrects references from “agents” to “officers” of the Division.AN ACT TO AMEND THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO A DIVISION OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND MARIJUANA ENFORCEMENT.
HB 421SignedGriffithThis Act changes the criteria for granting or denying a sexual violence protective order by prohibiting the consideration of certain information only in the decision to deny a protective order rather than prohibiting its consideration at all.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE PROTECTIVE ORDERS.
SB 324SignedLockmanSenate Bill No. 188, enacted during this General Assembly, clarified that the law-enforcement agency practice of purchasing firearms for that agency’s law-enforcement officers for use by the officers in their official duties is exempted from the background check requirements under §§ 1448A, 1448B, and 1448D of Title 11 under our State’s permit to purchase firearms laws. This Act provides the same exemption from background check requirements for a qualified constable agency representative. A qualified constable agency representative means a constable working for an employer, as defined under § 5602 of Title 24, that has authorized the procurement of handguns by the constable on behalf of any constables working for that employer. For purposes of this Act, “constable” means an individual who satisfies all of the following: (1) Commissioned under Chapter 56 of Title 24. (2) Licensed to carry a firearm by the Professional Licensing Section of the Delaware State Police. (3) Authorized by the Constable Board of Examiners to carry a firearm in the performance of the constable’s official duties. This Act also makes void a permit to purchase and gives the Director of the State Bureau of Identification (SBI) permission to revoke a permit to purchase if the person is no longer a qualified constable agency representative.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DEADLY WEAPONS.
SB 53SignedHockerThis Act codifies the Delaware Farm and Food Council’s Farm to Community Program as a state-led initiative called the Delaware Farm to Community Program. The Farm to Community Program launched in 2023 under the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA). In 2 ½ growing seasons, the Farm to Community Program has effectively expanded the purchasing power of community outlets to procure local food products from local farmers and distribute the food products to individuals in need or facing food insecurity in Delaware’s urban and rural communities. Through this model, currently, 31 local farmers supply more than 100 varieties of fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products to 9 community outlets that serve 105 food distribution sites. The USDA canceled LFPA funding in 2025. Codifying the Farm to Community Program ensures continuity, strengthens Delaware’s food system infrastructure, increases availability of fresh and healthy seasonal foods, and increases the economic viability of local farmers, particularly small and medium-scale farmers.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE FARM TO COMMUNITY PROGRAM.
SB 332 w/ HA 1SignedPettyjohnThis Act clarifies that special vanity license plates, which in Delaware are personal property, may be transferred from one owner to another without violating a U.S. District Court injunction that bars Delaware from issuing any new special vanity license plates or recalling any that the Division of Motor Vehicles has already issued. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SPECIAL VANITY LICENSE PLATES.
HS 1 for HB 376SignedGrayThis Substitute for House Bill No. 376 removes provisions in the existing Town of Millville Charter that have been preempted or otherwise regulated by State law and makes technical changes. The original Bill reorganizes the Town Charter’s sections into corresponding articles, adds a preamble, and modernizes wording. Also, the Bill removes sections related to a Town-only assessment process, given the Town’s use of county assessments and adds a property tax cap of 3% of the total assessed value in the Town. The municipal election process is amended to include an ultimate tie-breaking mechanism. AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF MILLVILLE.
HB 465SignedRomerThis Act adds virtual currency to the money laundering definition in the criminal code and gives the State legal authority to attempt to return virtual currency for victims. It also provides that if money cannot be returned to the victims of the crime, or are outside of the United States, it should be disposed of per order of the Superior Court. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO VIRTUAL CURRENCY.
HS 1 for HB 276SignedCookeThis House Substitute for House Bill No. 276 permits the value of items stolen at separate times to be grouped and prosecuted as one charge, if the thefts were part of a course of conduct. This House Substitute differs from the original in that it defines “course of conduct” and restructures the statute to place the additional language regarding a course of conduct in the operative language regarding what must be shown in order to elevate the penalty for higher dollar value thefts. This means that the course of conduct is an element of the offense that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The theft statute otherwise remains the same. Like the original bill, this substitute makes technical corrections to conform with the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THEFT.
SB 345SignedPooreUnder current Delaware law, a minor cannot be guilty of the crime of prostitution under § 1342 of Title 11. This Act removes references to minors engaging in prostitution and being prostituted in favor of using the term "exploited" or “exploitation”, which is defined to mean acts by a minor that would constitute prostitution under § 1342(a) of Title 11 if that minor were 18 years old or older. This change is twofold. (1) It creates a separate term to refer to the exploitation of a minor since minors cannot be guilty of prostitution and prostitution is not otherwise defined outside of the offense in § 1342(a) of Title 11, which excludes minors; and (2) Recognizes a growing trend nationally and internationally to remove language that misleadingly implies that children are able to consent to, and participate in, prostitution. The Interagency Working Group on Sexual Exploitation of Children, comprised of representatives from the United Nations, INTERPOL, and organizations working to end the sexual exploitation of children, published a manual containing terminology guidelines for the protection of children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. While there is no single recommended term, attempts should be made to avoid stigmatizing a child and suggesting that the child had culpability in any acts undertaken. Sections 8 through 11 of this Act update internal references elsewhere in the Code to account for the addition of subsection designations in §§ 1352 and 1353. Sections 12 through 13 of this Act add the definition of “illicit massage establishment” from House Bill 409 and update it to account for the change in terminology that this Act makes. This addition of and update to the definition of “illicit massage establishment” only occurs if House Bill No. 409 is enacted. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO OFFENSES INVOLVING PUBLIC INDECENCY.
HS 2 for HB 218SignedChukwuochaThis Act requires that the court consider the existence of a military protective order as a factor in favor of granting an emergency protective order or a temporary sexual violence protective order. It further requires that a law-enforcement officer notify the agency that entered a military protective order against an individual, if the law-enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that the individual violated the military protective order.AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INTERPERSONAL AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE MILITARY.
SJR 21SignedHoffnerThis Senate Joint Resolution directs the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to study the feasibility of the automatic storage of biological evidence. DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF THE AUTOMATIC STORAGE OF BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE.
SB 349SignedPettyjohnThis Act names the Millsboro Bypass the “Senator Richard S. Cordrey Bypass” to honor Senator Cordrey’s decades of public service and lasting contributions to Delaware’s fiscal and economic stability.AN ACT TO NAME THE MILLSBORO BYPASS THE "SENATOR RICHARD S. CORDREY BYPASS."

New Legislation Introduced

No Introduced Legislation

Legislation Passed By Senate

No Legislation Passed By Senate

Legislation Passed By House of Representatives

No Legislation Passed By House

Senate Committee Assignments

No Senate Committee Assignments

House Committee Assignments

No House Committee Assignments

Senate Committee Report

No Senate Committee Report

House Committee Report

No House Committee Report

Senate Defeated Legislation

No Senate Defeated Legislation

House Defeated Legislation

No House Defeated Legislation

Nominations Enacted upon by the Senate

No Records