Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: Passed Senate Bipartisan · 5 D · 2 R cosponsors

SB 279 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL-BASED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS.

Last action — Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 NO

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

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced April 15, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

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

Odds of enactment

High chance

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

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

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

Prognosis

Likely to advance 74% · high confidence

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    9 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (5 D · 2 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.

In plain language

The bill standardizes the pay schedule for school-based occupational therapists in Delaware.

This Act clarifies how school-based occupational therapists' salaries are determined, creating a uniform baseline similar to other clinicians. It addresses discrepancies arising from different program lengths and credit systems in colleges and universities.

What this means for you
  • Workers: This means a more consistent and fair salary structure for occupational therapists working in schools.

Summary

This Act clarifies the pay schedule for school-based occupational therapists. Due to varying program lengths, such as accelerated programs, and the different methods of how colleges and universities award credits, it is challenging to accurately and equitably determine the appropriate lane on the salary schedule for school-based occupational therapists. This Act creates a uniform baseline for school-based occupational therapists on the salary schedule in a manner similar to other school-based clinicians such as audiologists and speech-language pathologists.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 NO

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

  3. Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House

  4. Reported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 10 On Its Merits

  5. Assigned to Education Committee in House

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

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

  8. Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

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

  10. Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

9 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 53 not signed on · 1 voted No

Sponsors (9)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (53)

53 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 53 →

"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 40 Yea · 1 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 27000
Republican 13100
Total 40100
% of votes cast 98%2%0%0%
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 Yea
Richard G. Collins Republican Yea
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Nay
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Yea
Valerie Jones Giltner Republican Yea

Official roll call →

SM

Passed 20 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 15000
Republican 5001
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 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 Not Voting
David L. Wilson Republican Yea
Eric Buckson Republican Yea
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

labor 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 SB 279 do?
This Act clarifies the pay schedule for school-based occupational therapists. Due to varying program lengths, such as accelerated programs, and the different methods of how colleges and universities award credits, it is challenging to accurately and equitably determine the appropriate lane on the salary schedule for school-based occupational therapists. This Act creates a uniform baseline for school-based occupational therapists on the salary schedule in a manner similar to other school-based clinicians such as audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
Who sponsors SB 279?
SB 279 is sponsored by Stell Parker Selby, Melanie Ross Levin, Eric Morrison (Democratic), Spiros Mantzavinos (Democratic), David L. Wilson (Republican), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Claire Snyder-Hall (Democratic), Dave G. Lawson (Republican), and Nicole Poore (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 279?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced April 15, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 279?
Track SB 279 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB 279

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of SB 279

Last checked for changes about 1 month ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →