Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 14 D · 6 R cosponsors

SB 28 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FUNERAL EXPENSES FOR CERTAIN VOLUNTEERS WITH FIRE OR AMBULANCE COMPANIES.

Last action — Signed by Governor

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

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 03, 2025. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Matt Meyer (Democratic) on September 09, 2025.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 98% · high confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 23 sponsors

    23 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (14 D · 6 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Section 1 of this Act requires that $7,000 be paid for the funeral expenses of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue. Consistent with a legal interpretation of the existing law by state agencies, Section 1 of this Act continues to enable the payment of funeral expenses for the funeral of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company even if the member was also a state employee entitled to burial benefits under § 8331 of Title 11, § 8395 of Title 11, § 8846 of Title 11, or § 5316 of Title 29. However, Section 1 of this Act makes changes to existing law to make this legal interpretation clear and to specifically identify the state employee burial benefits to which this provision applies. Section 2 of this Act delays the effect of this Act until October 1, 2025, to provide time to implement this Act after the enactment of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations act containing the funding for this Act. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

44 added · 21 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to SB 28 clarifies that funeral expenses for deceased volunteer firefighters must be paid from the same self-insurance fund used for line-of-duty disability benefits for firefighters. Additionally, it redesignates the section providing funeral expenses to align with the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This matters because it ensures consistency in funding sources for related benefits and conforms the bill to legislative drafting standards.

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Brown DELAWARE STATE SENATE 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE AMENDMENT NO.
Brown & Sen.
1 TO SENATE BILL NO.
Wilson & Rep.
28 AMEND Senate Bill No.
Heffernan & Rep.
28 on line 3 by deleting “§ 6750.” before “Funeral” and inserting in lieu thereof “§ 6750.
Snyder-Hall Sens.
§ 6701A.” therein.
Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Hoffner, Huxtable, Lawson, Lockman, Mantzavinos, Paradee, Pettyjohn, Pinkney, Poore, Richardson, Seigfried, Sokola, Sturgeon, Townsend, Walsh;
FURTHER AMEND Senate Bill No.
Reps.
28 between lines 17 and 18 by inserting the following and redesignating bill Section numbers accordingly:
Lambert, Michael Smith, Yearick DELAWARE STATE SENATE 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE BILL NO.
“Section 2.
28 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FUNERAL EXPENSES FOR CERTAIN VOLUNTEERS WITH FIRE OR AMBULANCE COMPANIES.
Amend Chapter 67A, Title 18 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
§ 6702A.
Section 1.
Source of payments under this chapter.
Amend § 6750, Title 18 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
Payments made under this chapter must be made from the fund established under subchapter III of Chapter 65 of this title.
§ 6750.
The General Assembly shall, when necessary, provide adequate funding to the fund to cover claims under this chapter.”.
Funeral expenses for deceased volunteer firefighters.
SYNOPSIS This Amendment clarifies that funeral expenses for deceased volunteer firefighters must be paid from the same self-insurance fund as line-of-duty disability benefits for firefighters under § 6707 of Title 18.
(a) The reasonable funeral expenses of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company shall must be paid in the amount not to exceed of $7,000.
This clarification is consistent with current procedure but is necessary because the section providing funeral expenses for deceased volunteer firefighters is in Chapter 67A of Title 18, not Chapter 67.
(b)(1) If the deceased member of such company was a state employee entitled to a funeral benefit, this chapter shall not apply.
This Amendment also redesignates the section providing funeral expenses for deceased volunteer firefighters to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
A An individual is eligible for funeral expenses under this chapter if the individual served, in this State, as an active member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company for the purposes of this chapter is one who has served as an active member of such organization in Delaware for at least 10 years.
(2) The 10 years of service required under paragraph (b)(1) of this section includes years of service as an active member of 1 or more volunteer fire companies, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliaries, or volunteer ambulance and rescue companies in this State.
(c) If an individual eligible for funeral expenses under this chapter was a state employee entitled to a benefit under § 8331 of Title 11, § 8395 of Title 11, § 8846 of Title 11, § 5316 of Title 29, or § 5546 of Title 29, the individual is also eligible for the benefit under this chapter.
Section 2.
This Act takes effect on October 1, 2025.
SYNOPSIS Section 1 of this Act requires that $7,000 be paid for the funeral expenses of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue.
DLS :
MJC :
CM Page 1 of 2 Released:
01/02/2025 03:25 PM Consistent with a legal interpretation of the existing law by state agencies, Section 1 of this Act continues to enable the payment of funeral expenses for the funeral of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company even if the member was also a state employee entitled to burial benefits under § 8331 of Title 11, § 8395 of Title 11, § 8846 of Title 11, or § 5316 of Title 29.
However, Section 1 of this Act makes changes to existing law to make this legal interpretation clear and to specifically identify the state employee burial benefits to which this provision applies.
Section 2 of this Act delays the effect of this Act until October 1, 2025, to provide time to implement this Act after the enactment of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations act containing the funding for this Act.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
CM Page 1 of 1 Released:
CM Page 2 of 2 Released:
03/12/2025 08:26 AM 4801530067
01/02/2025 03:25 PM 4801530030
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How this bill changes current law

2 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This amendment clarifies the funding source for funeral expenses for deceased volunteer firefighters and makes necessary adjustments to section numbering.

  • § 6750

    § 6750. → § 6701A.

    The reference for funeral expenses is updated to a new section number.

  • Chapter 67A, Title 18

    § 6702A. Source of payments under this chapter. Payments made under this chapter must be made from the fund established under subchapter III of Chapter 65 of this title. The General Assembly shall, when necessary, provide adequate funding to the fund to cover claims under this chapter.

    A new section is added establishing the source of payments for funeral expenses from a specific fund.

Action History

  1. Signed by Governor

  2. Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 1 ABSENT 1 VACANT

  3. Reported Out of Committee (Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce) in House with 1 Favorable, 8 On Its Merits

  4. Assigned to Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce Committee in House

  5. Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  6. Amendment SA 1 to SB 28 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

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

  8. Amendment SA 1 to SB 28 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  9. Introduced and Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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23 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 39 not signed on

Sponsors (23)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (39)

39 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 39 →

"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 39 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 25001
Republican 14000
Total 39001
% of votes cast 98%0%0%3%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
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 Not Voting
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 Yea
Kevin S Hensley Republican Yea
Lyndon D. Yearick Republican Yea
Michael F. Smith Republican Yea
Richard G. Collins Republican Yea
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Yea
Valerie Jones Giltner Republican Yea

Official roll call →

SM

Passed 21 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 15000
Republican 6000
Total 21000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
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 Yea
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 →

Subjects

public-safety veterans
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Frequently asked questions

What does SB 28 do?
Section 1 of this Act requires that $7,000 be paid for the funeral expenses of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue. Consistent with a legal interpretation of the existing law by state agencies, Section 1 of this Act continues to enable the payment of funeral expenses for the funeral of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company even if the member was also a state employee entitled to burial benefits under § 8331 of Title 11, § 8395 of Title 11, § 8846 of Title 11, or § 5316 of Title 29. However, Section 1 of this Act makes changes to existing law to make this legal interpretation clear and to specifically identify the state employee burial benefits to which this provision applies. Section 2 of this Act delays the effect of this Act until October 1, 2025, to provide time to implement this Act after the enactment of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations act containing the funding for this Act. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Who sponsors SB 28?
SB 28 is sponsored by Stell Parker Selby, Lyndon D. Yearick (Republican), Michael F. Smith (Republican), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), David P. Sokola (Democratic), Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Bryant L. Richardson (Republican), Nicole Poore (Democratic), Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Trey Paradee (Democratic), Spiros Mantzavinos (Democratic), Josue O Ortega (Democratic), Dave G. Lawson (Republican), Melanie Ross Levin, Franklin D. Cooke (Democratic), Claire Snyder-Hall (Democratic), Russell Huxtable (Democratic), David L. Wilson (Republican), Darius J. Brown (Democratic), and Sarah McBride.
What is the current status of SB 28?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 03, 2025. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 28?
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