Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 6 D · 3 R cosponsors

SB 31 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RETIRED STATE EMPLOYEE PENSION PLAN BURIAL BENEFITS.

Last action — Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

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

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 03, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 10 sponsors

    10 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (6 D · 3 R) — cross-party backing.

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 increases the burial benefit for individuals receiving a pension under the State Employees’ Pension Plan (Chapter 55 of Title 29 of the Delaware Code) from $7,000 to $10,000. The amount of this benefit has not been increased since 2001 (See 73 Del. Laws, c. 146, § 5). Section 1 of this Act directly increases the amount of the burial benefit for individuals receiving a pension under the State Employees’ Pension Plan and also increases the funeral benefits under additional pension plans because the amount of the benefits under the following pension plans is the same as the amount under § 5546 of Title 29: • The State Police Pension Plan, Chapter 83 of Title 11. • The Delaware County and Municipal Police and Firefighter Pension Plan, Chapter 88 of Title 11. • The early retirement option for state employees, Chapter 53 of Title 29. In addition, Section 1 of this Act increases the reasonable funeral expenses permitted in a wrongful death action under § 3724(d)(4) of Title 10 because the maximum for these damages is the amount under § 5546 of Title 29. 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

Action History

  1. Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

  2. Reported Out of Committee (Executive) in Senate with 7 On Its Merits

  3. Introduced and Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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10 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 52 not signed on

Sponsors (10)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (52)

52 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 52 →

"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

Subjects

finance veterans labor
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 SB 31 do?
Section 1 of this Act increases the burial benefit for individuals receiving a pension under the State Employees’ Pension Plan (Chapter 55 of Title 29 of the Delaware Code) from $7,000 to $10,000. The amount of this benefit has not been increased since 2001 (See 73 Del. Laws, c. 146, § 5). Section 1 of this Act directly increases the amount of the burial benefit for individuals receiving a pension under the State Employees’ Pension Plan and also increases the funeral benefits under additional pension plans because the amount of the benefits under the following pension plans is the same as the amount under § 5546 of Title 29: • The State Police Pension Plan, Chapter 83 of Title 11. • The Delaware County and Municipal Police and Firefighter Pension Plan, Chapter 88 of Title 11. • The early retirement option for state employees, Chapter 53 of Title 29. In addition, Section 1 of this Act increases the reasonable funeral expenses permitted in a wrongful death action under § 3724(d)(4) of Title 10 because the maximum for these damages is the amount under § 5546 of Title 29. 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 31?
SB 31 is sponsored by Lyndon D. Yearick (Republican), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Nicole Poore (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Russell Huxtable (Democratic), Melanie Ross Levin, Franklin D. Cooke (Democratic), David L. Wilson (Republican), Marie Pinkney (Democratic), and Darius J. Brown (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 31?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 03, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 31?
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