Bill Commons

DE SB 118

enacted

AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 472, VOLUME 83 OF THE LAWS OF DELAWARE RELATING TO CIVIL ACTIONS FOR TORTIOUS INJURIES, INCLUDING DEATH, TO LAWFULLY OWNED PETS.

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

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Quick answers

Did DE SB 118 pass?

Yes. DE SB 118 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2025-08-20): Signed by Governor

What is DE SB 118 about?

In the 151st General Assembly, SS1 to SB 258 was passed, which permitted pet owners to pursue compensatory damages without limitation for veterinary bills incurred to care for a pet that was injured by the negligence, reckless, or intentional acts of another individual or that individual's pet. This act removes a sunset provision that would have these changes expire on October 14, 2025.

Who sponsors DE SB 118?

Stell Parker Selby, Melanie Ross Levin, Daniel B. Short and 1 others are the primary sponsors of DE SB 118, joined by 3 cosponsors.

Description

In the 151st General Assembly, SS1 to SB 258 was passed, which permitted pet owners to pursue compensatory damages without limitation for veterinary bills incurred to care for a pet that was injured by the negligence, reckless, or intentional acts of another individual or that individual's pet. This act removes a sunset provision that would have these changes expire on October 14, 2025.

Introduced
2025-05-01
Latest action
2025-08-20 — Signed by Governor
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Sponsors

  • Stell Parker Selbyprimary
  • Melanie Ross Levinprimary
  • Daniel B. Shortprimary
  • Brian Pettyjohnprimary
  • Stephanie L. Hansencosponsor
  • Gerald W. Hockercosponsor
  • Kimberly Williamscosponsor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2025-08-20

    Signed by Governor

    executive-signature

  2. 2025-06-30

    Passed By House. Votes: 37 YES 3 ABSENT 1 VACANT

    passage

  3. 2025-06-24

    Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 10 On Its Merits

    committee-passage

  4. 2025-06-11

    Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House

    introduction,referral-committee

  5. 2025-06-10

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 18 YES 3 ABSENT

    passage

  6. 2025-05-14

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

    committee-passage

  7. 2025-05-01

    Introduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in Senate

    introduction,referral-committee

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • SM

    2025-06-10 · pass · 18-0

    Member-level votes (21)
    • Darius J. Brown: other
    • Eric Buckson: yes
    • Daniel Cruce: yes
    • Stephanie L. Hansen: yes
    • Gerald W. Hocker: other
    • 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: other

  • SM

    2025-06-30 · pass · 37-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • 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: other
    • Mara Gorman: yes
    • Ronald E. Gray: yes
    • Krista Griffith: yes
    • Kerri Evelyn Harris: yes
    • Debra Heffernan: yes
    • Kevin S Hensley: yes
    • Jeff Hilovsky: yes
    • Valerie Jones Giltner: yes
    • Kendra Johnson: yes
    • Kimberly Williams: other
    • Kamela T Smith: yes
    • Larry Lambert: yes
    • Sean M. Lynn: yes
    • Michael F. Smith: yes
    • Melissa Minor-Brown: yes
    • Shannon Morris: yes
    • Eric Morrison: yes
    • DeShanna U Neal: yes
    • Josue O Ortega: yes
    • Edward S. Osienski: yes
    • Sophie Phillips: yes
    • 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: yes
    • Madinah Wilson-Anton: other
    • Lyndon D. Yearick: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=142163

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-10-23T00:09:54.198475Z

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Known limitations

  • Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
  • Committee referrals are not yet captured.

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