Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 6 D · 1 R cosponsors

SB 131 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ALLOWING DENTAL HYGIENISTS TO ADMINISTER LOCAL ANESTHESIA.

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 May 08, 2025. Enacted.

Signed by Governor Matt Meyer (Democratic) on August 25, 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.

  • 8 sponsors

    8 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (6 D · 1 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

This Act expands the definition of the “practice of dental hygiene” under Title 24 (Professions and Occupations) to include the administration of local anesthesia under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist and directs the State Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene (“Board”) to establish the necessary requirements and standards. Currently, Delaware is the only state in the nation that does not allow dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia. Delaware also suffers from a shortage of dental care providers, leaving many Delawareans unable to access timely, quality, affordable dental care. Administering local anesthesia is a task that properly trained dental hygienists can do safely, as shown by the experiences of every other state. Expanding dental hygienists’ scope of practice to allow them to administer local anesthesia under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist will enable them to provide a broader range of services to patients and take some of the burden off the state’s limited supply of dentists. Section 4 of this Act requires the Board to adopt regulations setting the requirements and standards to allow dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia under direct supervision of a licensed dentist no later than January 1, 2026. Section 5 of this Act provides that Sections 1 through 3 of this Act are effective on either January 1, 2026, or when the State Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene publishes final regulations implementing the Act, whichever is earlier. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Signed by Governor

  2. Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 VACANT

  3. Reported Out of Committee (Sunset Committee (Policy Analysis & Government Accountability)) in House with 5 On Its Merits

  4. Assigned to Sunset Committee (Policy Analysis & Government Accountability) Committee in House

  5. Passed By Senate. Votes: 18 YES 3 ABSENT

  6. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 7 Favorable

  7. Re-Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate

  8. Introduced and Assigned to Legislative Oversight & Sunset Committee in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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8 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 54 not signed on

Sponsors (8)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (54)

54 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 54 →

"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

2/3

Passed 40 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 26000
Republican 14000
Total 40000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
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 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 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 18 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 14001
Republican 4002
Total 18003
% of votes cast 86%0%0%14%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
Daniel Cruce Democratic Yea
Darius J. Brown Democratic Not Voting
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 Not Voting
Eric Buckson Republican Yea
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Subjects

healthcare labor
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Frequently asked questions

What does SB 131 do?
This Act expands the definition of the “practice of dental hygiene” under Title 24 (Professions and Occupations) to include the administration of local anesthesia under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist and directs the State Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene (“Board”) to establish the necessary requirements and standards. Currently, Delaware is the only state in the nation that does not allow dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia. Delaware also suffers from a shortage of dental care providers, leaving many Delawareans unable to access timely, quality, affordable dental care. Administering local anesthesia is a task that properly trained dental hygienists can do safely, as shown by the experiences of every other state. Expanding dental hygienists’ scope of practice to allow them to administer local anesthesia under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist will enable them to provide a broader range of services to patients and take some of the burden off the state’s limited supply of dentists. Section 4 of this Act requires the Board to adopt regulations setting the requirements and standards to allow dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia under direct supervision of a licensed dentist no later than January 1, 2026. Section 5 of this Act provides that Sections 1 through 3 of this Act are effective on either January 1, 2026, or when the State Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene publishes final regulations implementing the Act, whichever is earlier. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Who sponsors SB 131?
SB 131 is sponsored by David L. Wilson (Republican), Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Nicole Poore (Democratic), Melanie Ross Levin, Franklin D. Cooke (Democratic), Kerri Evelyn Harris (Democratic), Bryan Townsend (Democratic), and Marie Pinkney (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 131?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced May 08, 2025. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 131?
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