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

SB 29 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FUNERAL EXPENSES FOR CERTAIN VOLUNTEERS WITH FIRE OR AMBULANCE COMPANIES.

Last action — Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

  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.

  • 8 sponsors

    8 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (5 D · 2 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 to $10,000 the amount of funeral expenses which can be paid for the funeral of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company. The amount of this benefit has not been increased since 2004 (See 74 Del. Laws, c. 339, § 1). 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

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

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

This bill increases the maximum funeral expenses covered for deceased volunteer firefighters and ambulance members from $7,000 to $10,000.

  • § 6750, Title 18

    $7,000. → $10,000.

    Increases the maximum funeral expense benefit for deceased volunteer firefighters and ambulance personnel.

  • § 6750, Title 18

    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. → 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, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company for at least 10 years.

    Clarifies the eligibility requirement for funeral expenses by streamlining the text.

  • § 6750, Title 18

    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. → 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.

    Removes redundancy in defining the eligibility of active members for funeral expenses.

Action History

  1. Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

  2. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 5 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits

  3. Amendment SA 1 to SB 29 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

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

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

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

Subjects

public-safety veterans
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 29 do?
Section 1 of this Act increases to $10,000 the amount of funeral expenses which can be paid for the funeral of a deceased member of a volunteer fire company, volunteer fire company ladies auxiliary, or volunteer ambulance and rescue company. The amount of this benefit has not been increased since 2004 (See 74 Del. Laws, c. 339, § 1). 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 29?
SB 29 is sponsored by Lyndon D. Yearick (Republican), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Nicole Poore (Democratic), Melanie Ross Levin, Russell Huxtable (Democratic), David L. Wilson (Republican), and Darius J. Brown (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 29?
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 29?
Track SB 29 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB 29

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 29

Last checked for changes about 2 months ago · updated continuously

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

Track this bill →