DE SB 234
enactedAN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 20 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FIRST RESPONDERS.
Delaware · 2025-2026 Regular Session (153rd General Assembly) · upper
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Quick answers
Did DE SB 234 pass?
Yes. DE SB 234 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-07-23): Signed by Governor
What is DE SB 234 about?
This Act creates a definition of “first responder” in Chapter 31 of Title 20, pertaining to emergency management. Currently, the term is referenced, but it is not actually defined, creating potential uncertainty about who qualifies as a first responder in this context. This Act defines a first responder as a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical services personnel member, hazardous materials response team member, 911 dispatcher, emergency manager, or other individual who is responsible for the protection and preservation of life or property and who is called on to respond to emergencies. This Act is a substitute for Senate Bill No. 234 and differs from Senate Bill No. 234 in that it adds a definition of “law enforcement officer” to clarify which law enforcement personnel are included in the definition of “first responder” and makes minor technical corrections to the definition of “first responder”.
Who sponsors DE SB 234?
David L. Wilson, Valerie Jones Giltner, Brian Pettyjohn are the primary sponsors of DE SB 234.
Description
This Act creates a definition of “first responder” in Chapter 31 of Title 20, pertaining to emergency management. Currently, the term is referenced, but it is not actually defined, creating potential uncertainty about who qualifies as a first responder in this context. This Act defines a first responder as a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical services personnel member, hazardous materials response team member, 911 dispatcher, emergency manager, or other individual who is responsible for the protection and preservation of life or property and who is called on to respond to emergencies. This Act is a substitute for Senate Bill No. 234 and differs from Senate Bill No. 234 in that it adds a definition of “law enforcement officer” to clarify which law enforcement personnel are included in the definition of “first responder” and makes minor technical corrections to the definition of “first responder”.
- Introduced
- 2026-03-17
- Latest action
- 2026-07-23 — Signed by Governor
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Sponsors
- David L. Wilsonprimary
- Valerie Jones Giltnerprimary
- Brian Pettyjohnprimary
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-07-23
Signed by Governor
executive-signature
2026-07-01
Passed By House. Votes: 41 YES
passage
2026-05-05
Reported Out of Committee (Public Safety & Homeland Security) in House with 8 On Its Merits
committee-passage
2026-04-22
Assigned to Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee in House
introduction,referral-committee
2026-04-21
Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT
passage
2026-03-18
Reported Out of Committee (Corrections & Public Safety) in Senate with 4 Favorable
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-03-17
Adopted in lieu of the original bill SB 234, and Assigned to Corrections & Public Safety Committee in Senate
introduction,referral-committee
Versions
- Bill TextCompare
Documents
Votes
SM
2026-04-21 · pass · 20-0
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: other
- 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
SM
2026-07-01 · pass · 41-0
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: yes
- Jeff Hilovsky: yes
- Valerie Jones Giltner: yes
- Kendra Johnson: yes
- Kimberly Williams: yes
- 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: yes
- Lyndon D. Yearick: yes
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-10-21T22:24:32.181666Z
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