Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: Passed House Bipartisan · 3 D · 1 R cosponsors

HB 408 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAFFICKING AN INDIVIDUAL, FORCED LABOR AND SEXUAL SERVITUDE.

Last action — Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  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 May 07, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

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

Prognosis

Likely to advance 70% · high 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.

  • 4 sponsors

    4 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (3 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.

In plain language

This bill updates definitions to identify child sex trafficking victims without needing a third party involved.

The bill aligns Delaware law with federal standards, recognizing minors involved in commercial sex as trafficking victims. This change allows these victims to access more resources for recovery.

What this means for you
  • Families: Families with minors involved in commercial sex may see increased resources available for support and recovery.

Summary

This Act aligns the definition of child sex trafficking victim with the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. Under the federal TVPA of 2000, any minor who engages in commercial sex is identified as a trafficking victim regardless of whether a trafficker or controlling third party (e.g. a pimp) is involved or identified. The requirement of a third party minimizes the role buyers play in fueling demand and engaging in the exploitation that trafficking laws are designed to punish and prevents minor victims from being identified as victims. To align with the TVPA of 2000, the offenses of trafficking an individual and sexual servitude are amended so that the obtaining or purchasing of a minor for the purpose of commercial sexual activity is an offense, regardless of whether there is present a third party who maintains or makes that minor available. By ensuring these minors are identified as human trafficking victims, these minors will gain access to federal and state resources to support recovery. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Bill Text

Action History

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

  2. Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in Senate with 4 On Its Merits

  3. Assigned to Judiciary Committee in Senate

  4. Passed By House. Votes: 35 YES 1 NO 5 ABSENT

  5. Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 3 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits

  6. Introduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

4 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 58 not signed on · 1 voted No

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (58)

58 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 58 →

"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 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 →

2/3

Passed 35 Yea · 1 Nay · 5 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 26001
Republican 9104
Total 35105
% of votes cast 85%2%0%12%
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 Not Voting
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 Not Voting
Daniel B. Short Republican Not Voting
Jeff Hilovsky Republican Nay
Jeffrey N. Spiegelman Republican Yea
Jesse R. Vanderwende Republican Yea
Kevin S Hensley Republican Not Voting
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 Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
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 408 do?
This Act aligns the definition of child sex trafficking victim with the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. Under the federal TVPA of 2000, any minor who engages in commercial sex is identified as a trafficking victim regardless of whether a trafficker or controlling third party (e.g. a pimp) is involved or identified. The requirement of a third party minimizes the role buyers play in fueling demand and engaging in the exploitation that trafficking laws are designed to punish and prevents minor victims from being identified as victims. To align with the TVPA of 2000, the offenses of trafficking an individual and sexual servitude are amended so that the obtaining or purchasing of a minor for the purpose of commercial sexual activity is an offense, regardless of whether there is present a third party who maintains or makes that minor available. By ensuring these minors are identified as human trafficking victims, these minors will gain access to federal and state resources to support recovery. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Who sponsors HB 408?
HB 408 is sponsored by Cyndie Romer (Democratic), David L. Wilson (Republican), Nicole Poore (Democratic), and Kimberly Williams (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 408?
This bill has passed the House. Introduced May 07, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track HB 408?
Track HB 408 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 408

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 HB 408

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 →