Bill Commons

DE HB 303

enacted

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11, TITLE 19, AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO JUVENILE PROBATION AND PAROLE OFFICERS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES OF THE DIVISION OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND THEIR FAMILIES.

Delaware · 2025-2026 Regular Session (153rd General Assembly) · lower

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Quick answers

Did DE HB 303 pass?

Yes. DE HB 303 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-06-24): Signed by Governor

What is DE HB 303 about?

This Act makes various changes related to Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers employed by the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families (DSCYF) in the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services’ Serious Juvenile Offender (SJO) Unit. Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers in the SJO Unit are specialized staff who are responsible for monitoring the highest-risk youth. Unlike the majority of the Division’s Community Services staff monitoring youth on pretrial supervision or aftercare, the officers in the SJO Unit are sworn law enforcement officers authorized to carry a firearm and enforce warrants. This Act does not change the existing powers and duties of DSCYF Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers, but instead updates Delaware Code to align with their position classification. This Act adds Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers employed by DSCYF to the Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Employment Relations Act (POFERA). This will allow the officers in the SJO Unit to seek union representation under the Fraternal Order of Police like the Department of Correction’s Probation and Parole Officers, the DSCYF Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers’ closest state agency counterparts. This Act also adds DSCYF employees to the existing statute that enables Department of Correction employees to receive a service pension after 25 years if they internally promote after 20 years of credited service. This Act also changes references throughout Delaware Code to be consistent with the position classification name and makes technical corrections to existing code to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Who sponsors DE HB 303?

John "Jack" Walsh, Claire Snyder-Hall, David P. Sokola and 4 others are the primary sponsors of DE HB 303.

Description

This Act makes various changes related to Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers employed by the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families (DSCYF) in the Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services’ Serious Juvenile Offender (SJO) Unit. Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers in the SJO Unit are specialized staff who are responsible for monitoring the highest-risk youth. Unlike the majority of the Division’s Community Services staff monitoring youth on pretrial supervision or aftercare, the officers in the SJO Unit are sworn law enforcement officers authorized to carry a firearm and enforce warrants. This Act does not change the existing powers and duties of DSCYF Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers, but instead updates Delaware Code to align with their position classification. This Act adds Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers employed by DSCYF to the Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Employment Relations Act (POFERA). This will allow the officers in the SJO Unit to seek union representation under the Fraternal Order of Police like the Department of Correction’s Probation and Parole Officers, the DSCYF Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers’ closest state agency counterparts. This Act also adds DSCYF employees to the existing statute that enables Department of Correction employees to receive a service pension after 25 years if they internally promote after 20 years of credited service. This Act also changes references throughout Delaware Code to be consistent with the position classification name and makes technical corrections to existing code to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Introduced
2026-03-05
Latest action
2026-06-24 — Signed by Governor
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Sponsors

  • John "Jack" Walshprimary
  • Claire Snyder-Hallprimary
  • David P. Sokolaprimary
  • Eric Morrisonprimary
  • Marie Pinkneyprimary
  • Stell Parker Selbyprimary
  • Krista Griffithprimary

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-06-24

    Signed by Governor

    executive-signature

  2. 2026-06-17

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

    passage

  3. 2026-05-13

    Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in Senate with 4 On Its Merits

    committee-passage

  4. 2026-04-23

    Assigned to Judiciary Committee in Senate

    introduction,referral-committee

  5. 2026-04-23

    Passed By House. Votes: 34 YES 7 ABSENT

    passage

  6. 2026-03-25

    Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 9 On Its Merits

    committee-passage

  7. 2026-03-05

    Introduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House

    introduction,referral-committee

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • SM

    2026-04-23 · pass · 34-0

    Member-level votes (41)
    • Alonna Berry: yes
    • Stephanie T. Bolden: yes
    • Frank Burns: yes
    • William Bush: yes
    • William J. Carson: yes
    • Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha: yes
    • Richard G. Collins: yes
    • Franklin D. Cooke: yes
    • Daniel B. Short: yes
    • Timothy D. Dukes: yes
    • Mara Gorman: yes
    • Ronald E. Gray: yes
    • Krista Griffith: yes
    • Kerri Evelyn Harris: yes
    • Debra Heffernan: yes
    • Kevin S Hensley: other
    • Jeff Hilovsky: yes
    • Valerie Jones Giltner: yes
    • Kendra Johnson: yes
    • Kimberly Williams: yes
    • Kamela T Smith: yes
    • Larry Lambert: yes
    • Sean M. Lynn: other
    • Michael F. Smith: yes
    • Melissa Minor-Brown: yes
    • Shannon Morris: other
    • Eric Morrison: yes
    • DeShanna U Neal: yes
    • Josue O Ortega: other
    • Edward S. Osienski: yes
    • Sophie Phillips: other
    • Charles S Postles Jr.: yes
    • Cyndie Romer: yes
    • Melanie Ross Levin: yes
    • Sherae'a Moore: yes
    • Bryan W. Shupe: yes
    • Claire Snyder-Hall: yes
    • Jeffrey N. Spiegelman: yes
    • Jesse R. Vanderwende: other
    • Madinah Wilson-Anton: yes
    • Lyndon D. Yearick: other

  • 2/3

    2026-06-17 · pass · 21-0

    Member-level votes (21)
    • Darius J. Brown: yes
    • Eric Buckson: yes
    • Daniel Cruce: yes
    • Stephanie L. Hansen: yes
    • Gerald W. Hocker: yes
    • Kyra L. Hoffner: yes
    • Russell Huxtable: yes
    • Dave G. Lawson: yes
    • S. Elizabeth Lockman: yes
    • Spiros Mantzavinos: yes
    • Trey Paradee: yes
    • Brian Pettyjohn: yes
    • Marie Pinkney: yes
    • Nicole Poore: yes
    • Bryant L. Richardson: yes
    • Ray Seigfried: yes
    • David P. Sokola: yes
    • Laura V. Sturgeon: yes
    • Bryan Townsend: yes
    • John "Jack" Walsh: yes
    • David L. Wilson: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=142888

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-10-19T21:18:26.504501Z

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