Delaware 149th General Assembly (2017-2018) Status: In Committee 2 D cosponsors

HB 461 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO UNLAWFUL SEXUAL CONTACT.

Last action — Introduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House

Track this bill free

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

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

This bill died with 149th General Assembly (2017-2018). It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Delaware law criminalizes “therapeutic deception,” a representation by the health professional that sexual contact by the health professional is consistent with or part of the patient’s treatment. This Act creates a felony level offense for a person that is a health professional and who, in the course of providing professional health services to the victim, intentionally has sexual contact with the victim. This would criminalize all sexual contact between a health professional and the health professional’s patient. This Act makes this conduct a felony offense, rather than a misdemeanor, due to the vulnerability of the victim as a patient seeking services from a health professional.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Introduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

2 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 59 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (1)

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

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights healthcare
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 461 do?
Delaware law criminalizes “therapeutic deception,” a representation by the health professional that sexual contact by the health professional is consistent with or part of the patient’s treatment. This Act creates a felony level offense for a person that is a health professional and who, in the course of providing professional health services to the victim, intentionally has sexual contact with the victim. This would criminalize all sexual contact between a health professional and the health professional’s patient. This Act makes this conduct a felony offense, rather than a misdemeanor, due to the vulnerability of the victim as a patient seeking services from a health professional.
Who sponsors HB 461?
HB 461 is sponsored by Kimberly Williams (Democratic), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), and Ruth Briggs King.
What is the current status of HB 461?
This bill died with 149th General Assembly (2017-2018). It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HB 461?
Track HB 461 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 461

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 461

Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

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

Track this bill →