Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: Passed House 3 D cosponsors

HB 261 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION OF PUPILS.

Last action — Signed by Governor

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

This bill has passed the House. Introduced January 13, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 52% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed House

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 3 sponsors

    3 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (3 D).

  • 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.

In plain language

The bill allows the Department of Education to set rules for transporting public school students.

This Act gives the Delaware Department of Education the authority to create regulations about how public school students are transported. It aims to ensure that there are clear and consistent guidelines for student transportation.

What this means for you
  • Families: This means families can expect clearer guidelines and regulations regarding how their children are transported to and from school.

Summary

This Act amends Title 14 to provide the Department of Education the authority to adopt rules and regulations regarding the transportation of public school students.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

25 added · 13 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to HB 261 clarifies that transportation for students enrolled in nonpublic, nonprofit schools is limited to the boundaries of a public school district, with the exception of out-of-district transportation that must be provided according to specific federal laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This means that while general transportation is confined to district limits, there are provisions in place to ensure compliance with federal regulations for eligible students.

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Williams HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE AMENDMENT NO.
Williams & Sen.
1 TO HOUSE BILL NO.
Sturgeon Rep.
261 AMEND House Bill No.
Harris HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE BILL NO.
261 by deleting lines 16 to 17 in their entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
261 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION OF PUPILS.
“(3) Pupils enrolled in nonpublic, nonprofit schools shall only be entitled to transportation within the described boundaries of a public school district and not beyond those boundaries.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
(3) Out of district transportation for nonpublic, nonprofit school students is required in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or any other State or federal law.”.
Section 1.
SYNOPSIS This Amendment clarifies that out of district transportation for nonpublic schools must be provided in accordance with the IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or any other State or federal law.
Amend § 2905, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
§ 2905.
Transportation Rules and regulations regarding the transportation of students of public and nonpublic, nonprofit elementary and high schools.
(a) The Department of Education shall make rules and regulations concerning the transportation of pupils students in nonpublic, nonprofit public elementary and secondary (high) schools in this State.
Such rules and regulations shall provide for at least the following:
(b) The Department shall make rules and regulations regarding the transportation of students in nonpublic, nonprofit elementary and secondary schools in this State.
The rules and regulations shall provide for at least the following:
(1) All rules and regulations relative to pupil student transportation to nonpublic, nonprofit schools shall be are the same as those applicable to public schools;
schools.
(2) Such The rules and regulations shall limit transportation of pupils students in nonpublic, nonprofit schools to the elementary and secondary schools, except as provisions of this title may assign such the transportation responsibility to the Department of Education on behalf of pupils students enrolled at other levels in a public school system;
system.
(3) Pupils Students enrolled in nonpublic, nonprofit schools shall only be are entitled to transportation only within the described boundaries of a public school district and not beyond those boundaries.
SYNOPSIS This Act amends Title 14 to provide the Department of Education the authority to adopt rules and regulations regarding the transportation of public school students.
SCD Page 1 of 1 Released:
DS Page 1 of 1 Released:
04/08/2026 03:54 PM 3491530126
01/13/2026 09:41 AM 0841530006
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Action History

  1. Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  2. Reported Out of Committee (Education) in Senate with 5 On Its Merits

  3. Assigned to Education Committee in Senate

  4. Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 2 ABSENT

  5. Amendment HA 1 to HB 261 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

  6. Reported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 11 On Its Merits

  7. Amendment HA 1 to HB 261 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  8. Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 59 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (59)

59 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 59 →

"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 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 →

SM

Passed 39 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 27000
Republican 12002
Total 39002
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Alonna Berry Democratic Yea
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 Not Voting
Richard G. Collins Republican Yea
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Yea
Valerie Jones Giltner Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Subjects

transportation education
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 261 do?
This Act amends Title 14 to provide the Department of Education the authority to adopt rules and regulations regarding the transportation of public school students.
Who sponsors HB 261?
HB 261 is sponsored by Kerri Evelyn Harris (Democratic), Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), and Kimberly Williams (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 261?
This bill has passed the House. Introduced January 13, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track HB 261?
Track HB 261 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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