Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: Passed House 9 D cosponsors

HB 253 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 12 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PERSONS QUALIFIED TO RECEIVE LETTERS TESTAMENTARY OR OF ADMINISTRATION.

Last action — Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  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 December 18, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

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

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

Advancing 58% · moderate confidence

  • Passed House

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 11 sponsors

    11 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (9 D).

  • 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 allows felons to receive letters testamentary with permission from the Register of Wills.

This Act amends Delaware law to permit felons to be granted letters testamentary or of administration if the Register of Wills approves it. The decision is at the Register's discretion and requires good cause.

What this means for you
  • Families: This means families may have more options for managing the estates of deceased relatives if a qualified felon is involved.

Summary

This Act provides that a felon may receive letters testamentary, or of administration, when the Register of Wills permits it, in the Register’s discretion, upon good cause shown.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  2. Reported Out of Committee (Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 7 On Its Merits

  3. Reported Out of Committee (Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 7 On Its Merits

  4. Assigned to Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee in Senate

  5. Passed By House. Votes: 36 YES 1 NOT VOTING 4 ABSENT

  6. Reported Out of Committee (Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce) in House with 2 Favorable, 9 On Its Merits

  7. Introduced and Assigned to Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce Committee in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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11 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 51 not signed on

Sponsors (11)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (51)

51 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 51 →

"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

3/4

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 36 Yea · 0 Nay · 5 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 25002
Republican 11003
Total 36005
% of votes cast 88%0%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 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 Not Voting
Sherae'a Moore Democratic Yea
Sophie Phillips Democratic Yea
Stephanie T. Bolden Democratic Not Voting
William Bush Democratic Yea
William J. Carson Democratic Yea
Bryan W. Shupe Republican Yea
Charles S Postles Jr. Republican Yea
Daniel B. Short Republican Not Voting
Jeff Hilovsky Republican Yea
Jeffrey N. Spiegelman Republican Yea
Jesse R. Vanderwende Republican Yea
Kevin S Hensley Republican Yea
Lyndon D. Yearick Republican Not Voting
Michael F. Smith Republican Yea
Richard G. Collins Republican Yea
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Not Voting
Valerie Jones Giltner Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

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 253 do?
This Act provides that a felon may receive letters testamentary, or of administration, when the Register of Wills permits it, in the Register’s discretion, upon good cause shown.
Who sponsors HB 253?
HB 253 is sponsored by Stell Parker Selby, Kerri Evelyn Harris (Democratic), Nicole Poore (Democratic), William J. Carson (Democratic), Mara Gorman (Democratic), Spiros Mantzavinos (Democratic), Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Eric Morrison (Democratic), Melanie Ross Levin (Democratic), and Sarah McBride.
What is the current status of HB 253?
This bill has passed the House. Introduced December 18, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track HB 253?
Track HB 253 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes about 1 month ago · updated continuously

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