Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 19 D · 4 R cosponsors

HB 54 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF SUICIDE PREVENTION.

Last action — Signed by Governor

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed House
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 06, 2025. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Matt Meyer (Democratic) on August 20, 2025.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 98% · high confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 25 sponsors

    25 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (19 D · 4 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

This Act establishes the Office of Suicide Prevention to address suicide prevention and to do the following: (1) Serve in coordination with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families as a place to reach all suicide prevention resources in the State. (2) Assist the suicide prevention coalition in its mission. (3) Provide suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention vision and guidance to stakeholders throughout the State. (4) Work with community level prevention organizations to promote best practices in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. (5) Oversee suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention funding application processes and seek grant funds to further suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. (6) Prepare an annual report for the General Assembly and Governor that outlines the work of the Office and progress made towards suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, beginning on October 15, 2026. (7) Create the State’s Suicide Prevention Plan, with approval of the suicide prevention coalition, and update it no fewer than every three years. The Act provides that the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health will choose a Director to carry out the Office’s duties.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

55 added · 8 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment removes the designation of the bill as "DJ's Act" and focuses solely on establishing the Office of Suicide Prevention under the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. This change means that the bill is now centered more on the structural creation of the office and its functions, rather than highlighting a specific advocacy narrative associated with its previous title.

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Morrison HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE AMENDMENT NO.
Morrison & Rep.
1 TO HOUSE BILL NO.
Minor-Brown & Sen.
54 AMEND House Bill No.
Mantzavinos Reps.
54 by inserting a new Section after line 24 as follows:
Bush, Heffernan, Griffith, K.
“Section 2.
Johnson, Lambert, Romer, Phillips, Burns, Ortega, Ross Levin, Snyder-Hall, Kamela Smith, Neal, Osienski, Chukwuocha, Bolden, K.
This Act is known as “DJ’s Act.”.
Williams;
SYNOPSIS This Amendment names this Act "DJ's Act" after the advocate and their children who inspired it.
Sens.
Walsh, Pinkney, Hoffner, Hocker, Buckson, Wilson, Huxtable, Poore, Seigfried, Brown, Cruce, Hansen, Lawson, Lockman, Paradee, Pettyjohn, Richardson, Sokola, Sturgeon, Townsend HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE BILL NO.
54 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF SUICIDE PREVENTION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
Section 1.
Amend Chapter 62, Title 16 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
§ 6203.
Office of Suicide Prevention.
(a) The Office of Suicide Prevention is established under the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Division” means “Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.” (2) “Office” means “Office of Suicide Prevention.” (c) The Office is established to address suicide prevention and to do all of the following:
(1) Serve in coordination with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families as a place to reach all suicide prevention resources in the State.
(2) Assist the suicide prevention coalition in its mission.
(3) Provide suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention vision and guidance to stakeholders throughout the State.
(4) Work with community level prevention organizations to promote best practices in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
(5) Oversee suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention funding application processes and seek grant funds to further suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
(6) Prepare an annual report for the General Assembly and Governor that outlines the work of the Office and progress made towards suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
The first report is due on October 15, 2026.
DS Page 1 of 1 Released:
DS Page 1 of 2 Released:
03/18/2025 10:11 AM 0161530023
03/05/2025 04:18 PM (7) Create the State’s Suicide Prevention Plan, referenced in § 6201 of this title, with approval of the suicide prevention coalition, on or before January 1, 2026.
(8) Update the State’s Suicide Prevention Plan no fewer than every three years.
(d) The Office will be led by a Director, who shall report to the Director of the Division.
Additional employees may be hired consistent with recommendations of the Division and available funding.
SYNOPSIS This Act establishes the Office of Suicide Prevention to address suicide prevention and to do the following:
(1) Serve in coordination with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families as a place to reach all suicide prevention resources in the State.
(2) Assist the suicide prevention coalition in its mission.
(3) Provide suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention vision and guidance to stakeholders throughout the State.
(4) Work with community level prevention organizations to promote best practices in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
(5) Oversee suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention funding application processes and seek grant funds to further suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
(6) Prepare an annual report for the General Assembly and Governor that outlines the work of the Office and progress made towards suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, beginning on October 15, 2026.
(7) Create the State’s Suicide Prevention Plan, with approval of the suicide prevention coalition, and update it no fewer than every three years.
The Act provides that the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health will choose a Director to carry out the Office’s duties.
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03/05/2025 04:18 PM 0161530011
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Action History

  1. Signed by Governor

  2. Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT

  3. Reported Out of Committee (Finance) in Senate with 4 On Its Merits

  4. Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

  5. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 4 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits

  6. Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate

  7. Passed By House. Votes: 37 YES 4 ABSENT

  8. Amendment HA 1 to HB 54 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

  9. Reported Out of Committee (Appropriations) in House with 2 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits

  10. Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House

  11. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 7 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits

  12. Amendment HA 1 to HB 54 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  13. Introduced and Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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25 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 37 not signed on

Sponsors (25)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (37)

37 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 37 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

SM

Passed 20 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 14001
Republican 6000
Total 20001
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
Daniel Cruce Democratic Yea
Darius J. Brown Democratic Yea
David P. Sokola Democratic Yea
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Yea
Kyra L. Hoffner Democratic Yea
Laura V. Sturgeon Democratic Yea
Marie Pinkney Democratic Yea
Nicole Poore Democratic Not Voting
Ray Seigfried Democratic Yea
Russell Huxtable Democratic Yea
S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic Yea
Spiros Mantzavinos Democratic Yea
Stephanie L. Hansen Democratic Yea
Trey Paradee Democratic Yea
Brian Pettyjohn Republican Yea
Bryant L. Richardson Republican Yea
Dave G. Lawson Republican Yea
David L. Wilson Republican Yea
Eric Buckson Republican Yea
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Yea

Official roll call →

SM

Passed 37 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 26000
Republican 11003
Unaffiliated 0001
Total 37004
% of votes cast 90%0%0%10%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Stell Parker Selby — Not Voting
Claire Snyder-Hall Democratic Yea
Cyndie Romer Democratic Yea
DeShanna U Neal Democratic Yea
Debra Heffernan Democratic Yea
Edward S. Osienski Democratic Yea
Eric Morrison Democratic Yea
Frank Burns Democratic Yea
Franklin D. Cooke Democratic Yea
Josue O Ortega Democratic Yea
Kamela T Smith Democratic Yea
Kendra Johnson Democratic Yea
Kerri Evelyn Harris Democratic Yea
Kimberly Williams Democratic Yea
Krista Griffith Democratic Yea
Larry Lambert Democratic Yea
Madinah Wilson-Anton Democratic Yea
Mara Gorman Democratic Yea
Melanie Ross Levin Democratic Yea
Melissa Minor-Brown Democratic Yea
Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha Democratic Yea
Sean M. Lynn Democratic Yea
Sherae'a Moore Democratic Yea
Sophie Phillips Democratic Yea
Stephanie T. Bolden Democratic Yea
William Bush Democratic Yea
William J. Carson Democratic Yea
Bryan W. Shupe Republican Yea
Charles S Postles Jr. Republican Yea
Daniel B. Short Republican Yea
Jeff Hilovsky Republican Yea
Jeffrey N. Spiegelman Republican Yea
Jesse R. Vanderwende Republican Not Voting
Kevin S Hensley Republican Not Voting
Lyndon D. Yearick Republican Yea
Michael F. Smith Republican Yea
Richard G. Collins Republican Not Voting
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Yea
Valerie Jones Giltner Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety healthcare
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 54 do?
This Act establishes the Office of Suicide Prevention to address suicide prevention and to do the following: (1) Serve in coordination with the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families as a place to reach all suicide prevention resources in the State. (2) Assist the suicide prevention coalition in its mission. (3) Provide suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention vision and guidance to stakeholders throughout the State. (4) Work with community level prevention organizations to promote best practices in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. (5) Oversee suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention funding application processes and seek grant funds to further suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. (6) Prepare an annual report for the General Assembly and Governor that outlines the work of the Office and progress made towards suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, beginning on October 15, 2026. (7) Create the State’s Suicide Prevention Plan, with approval of the suicide prevention coalition, and update it no fewer than every three years. The Act provides that the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health will choose a Director to carry out the Office’s duties.
Who sponsors HB 54?
HB 54 is sponsored by Stell Parker Selby, Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), David P. Sokola (Democratic), Franklin D. Cooke (Democratic), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Darius J. Brown (Democratic), Edward S. Osienski (Democratic), Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Dave G. Lawson (Republican), Claire Snyder-Hall (Democratic), Josue O Ortega (Democratic), Bryant L. Richardson (Republican), David L. Wilson (Republican), Cyndie Romer (Democratic), Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Nicole Poore (Democratic), Russell Huxtable (Democratic), William Bush (Democratic), Spiros Mantzavinos (Democratic), Trey Paradee (Democratic), Eric Morrison (Democratic), Melanie Ross Levin (Democratic), and Sarah McBride.
What is the current status of HB 54?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 06, 2025. Enacted.
Where can I track HB 54?
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