Delaware 151st General Assembly (2021-2022) Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 8 R · 6 D cosponsors

SB 61 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 3 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO RELATED USES OF FARM STRUCTURES IN AN AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION DISTRICT.

Last action — Signed by Governor

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

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 12, 2021. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 98% · high confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 18 sponsors

    3 primary, 15 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (8 R · 6 D) — 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.

Summary

The Agricultural Lands Preservation Act allows existing farm structures that are no longer in use, but which existed when the farmland was placed in the preservation program, to be converted to use for public gatherings under specific limitations. Experience has shown that these existing limitations do not adequately allow for renovation and modernization of these farm structures to accommodate the public gathering uses. This Act provides flexibility so a farm owner may upgrade the otherwise unused farm structures, while continuing to provide protection regarding agricultural activities conducted on the farmland. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Signed by Governor

  2. Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 2 ABSENT

  3. Suspension of Rules in House

  4. Reported Out of Committee (Agriculture) in House with 6 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits

  5. Assigned to Agriculture Committee in House

  6. Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  7. Reported Out of Committee (Agriculture) in Senate with 5 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits

  8. Reported Out of Committee (Agriculture) in Senate with 5 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits

  9. Introduced and Assigned to Agriculture Committee in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 15 co-sponsors · 44 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (15)

Not signed on (44)

44 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 44 →

"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

2/3

Passed 39 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 13000
Democratic 14002
Republican 12000
Total 39002
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Andria L. Bennett — Yea
David Bentz — Yea
Gerald L. Brady — Yea
John A. Kowalko — Yea
John L. Mitchell — Yea
Michael Ramone — Yea
Paul S. Baumbach — Yea
Peter C. Schwartzkopf — Yea
Ruth Briggs King — Yea
Sean Matthews — Yea
Sherry Dorsey Walker — Yea
Stephen Smyk — Yea
Valerie Longhurst — Yea
Debra Heffernan Democratic Yea
Edward S. Osienski Democratic Yea
Eric Morrison Democratic Yea
Franklin D. Cooke Democratic Yea
Kendra Johnson Democratic Yea
Kimberly Williams Democratic Yea
Krista Griffith Democratic Yea
Larry Lambert Democratic Yea
Madinah Wilson-Anton Democratic Not Voting
Melissa Minor-Brown Democratic Not Voting
Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha Democratic Yea
Sean M. Lynn Democratic Yea
Sherae'a Moore 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
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 Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Yea

Official roll call →

SM

Passed 21 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 5000
Democratic 11000
Republican 5000
Total 21000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Bruce C. Ennis — Yea
Colin Bonini — Yea
Ernesto B Lopez — Yea
Kyle Evans Gay — Yea
Sarah McBride — Yea
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
Darius J. Brown Democratic Yea
David P. Sokola Democratic Yea
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Yea
Laura V. Sturgeon Democratic Yea
Marie Pinkney Democratic Yea
Nicole Poore 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
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

housing agriculture
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 61 do?
The Agricultural Lands Preservation Act allows existing farm structures that are no longer in use, but which existed when the farmland was placed in the preservation program, to be converted to use for public gatherings under specific limitations. Experience has shown that these existing limitations do not adequately allow for renovation and modernization of these farm structures to accommodate the public gathering uses. This Act provides flexibility so a farm owner may upgrade the otherwise unused farm structures, while continuing to provide protection regarding agricultural activities conducted on the farmland. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Who sponsors SB 61?
SB 61 is sponsored by William J. Carson (Democratic), William Bush (Democratic), Stephanie L. Hansen (Democratic), Gerald W. Hocker (Republican), Trey Paradee (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Bryant L. Richardson (Republican), David P. Sokola (Democratic), David L. Wilson (Republican), Ronald E. Gray (Republican), Kevin S Hensley (Republican), Daniel B. Short (Republican), Lyndon D. Yearick (Republican), Ruth Briggs King, Gerald L. Brady, Ernesto B Lopez, and Bruce C. Ennis.
What is the current status of SB 61?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 12, 2021. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 61?
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