HB 131 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE PROCEDURE FOR NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION.
Last action — Signed by Governor
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed House
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✓Passed Senate
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced April 15, 2021. Enacted.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased 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
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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10 sponsors
2 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.
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Bipartisan support
Sponsored across 2 parties (4 R · 3 D) — cross-party backing.
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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.
Summary
This Act implements the procedure for the notice of a proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution authorized by the amendment to § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution proposed by House Bill No. 130 by doing the following: (1) Making the Secretary of the Senate ("Secretary") and Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives ("Chief Clerk") responsible for ensuring that a proposed amendment by their respective house is disseminated to the public as required by § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution and this Act. (2) Requiring the notices be published in at least 1 newspaper of general circulation in each county and posted on the Department of Election's and General Assembly's websites. (3) Requiring the Secretary, Chief Clerk, State Election Commissioner, and Director of the Division of Research to review and approve the notice to be disseminated. (4) Requiring the Secretary and Chief Clerk to provide notice of, and certain information about, the dissemination of the notice of a proposed amendment. Because the next General Assembly must concur in the proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution, this Act does not take effect until the passage of the second leg of the constitutional amendment in the 152nd General Assembly.
Bill Text
- Bill Text View text Current pdf
AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.
This Act establishes a procedure for notifying the public of a proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution.
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§ 914
The Secretary of the Senate, for an amendment proposed by a Senate bill.
Assigns responsibility for dissemination of proposed amendments to the Secretary of the Senate for Senate bills.
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§ 914
The Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives, for an amendment proposed by a House bill.
Assigns responsibility for dissemination of proposed amendments to the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives for House bills.
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§ 914
The Secretary, Chief Clerk, State Election Commissioner, and Director of the Division of Research shall review and approve the notice to be disseminated under subsection (b) of this section.
Establishes a review and approval process for the public notice by specific officials.
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§ 914
The individual responsible for dissemination under subsection (c) of this section shall provide immediate notice of doing so to all of the following: The Governor; The members of the General Assembly; The Director and Legislative Librarian of the Division of Research of Legislative Council; The State Archivist and Records Administrator.
Creates a requirement for immediate notification to key officials upon dissemination of proposed amendments.
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§ 914
The notice provided under paragraph (e)(1) of this section must include all of the following: A list of the newspapers in which the publication of the proposed amendment required under subsection (b)(1) of this section occurred and the date of publication in those newspapers; The place within the websites in which the posting required under subsection (b)(2) of this section is to be found and the date of the posting.
Specifies the information that must be included in the notice provided to officials.
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§ 914
The proposed amendment must be published not more than 120 days before the next general election and not less than 90 days before the next general election in at least 1 newspaper of general circulation in each county.
Sets a timeline for publishing proposed amendments to ensure timely public awareness.
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§ 914
The proposed amendment must be posted for at least the 90 days before the next general election prominently on the Department of Election’s and General Assembly’s websites.
Mandates that the proposed amendment be posted online for public access.
Action History
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Signed by Governor
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Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
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Reported Out of Committee (Executive) in Senate with 6 On Its Merits
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Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate
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Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 ABSENT
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Suspension of Rules in House
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Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 2 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits
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Introduced and Assigned to Administration Committee in House
Sponsors
- David P. Sokola · Primary
- Bryan Townsend · Cosponsor
- S. Elizabeth Lockman · Cosponsor
- Gerald W. Hocker · Cosponsor
- Brian Pettyjohn · Cosponsor
- Daniel B. Short · Cosponsor
- Timothy D. Dukes · Cosponsor
- John L. Mitchell · Cosponsor
- Valerie Longhurst · Cosponsor
- Peter C. Schwartzkopf · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →2 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 52 not signed on
Sponsors (2)
- David P. Sokola Democratic
- Peter C. Schwartzkopf
Co-sponsors (8)
- Bryan Townsend Democratic
- S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic
- Gerald W. Hocker Republican
- Brian Pettyjohn Republican
- Daniel B. Short Republican
- Timothy D. Dukes Republican
- John L. Mitchell
- Valerie Longhurst
Not signed on (52)
52 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 52 →"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.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % 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 |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Democratic | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 98% | 0% | 0% | 2% |
How each member voted (41)
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB 131 do?
- This Act implements the procedure for the notice of a proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution authorized by the amendment to § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution proposed by House Bill No. 130 by doing the following: (1) Making the Secretary of the Senate ("Secretary") and Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives ("Chief Clerk") responsible for ensuring that a proposed amendment by their respective house is disseminated to the public as required by § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution and this Act. (2) Requiring the notices be published in at least 1 newspaper of general circulation in each county and posted on the Department of Election's and General Assembly's websites. (3) Requiring the Secretary, Chief Clerk, State Election Commissioner, and Director of the Division of Research to review and approve the notice to be disseminated. (4) Requiring the Secretary and Chief Clerk to provide notice of, and certain information about, the dissemination of the notice of a proposed amendment. Because the next General Assembly must concur in the proposed amendment to the Delaware Constitution, this Act does not take effect until the passage of the second leg of the constitutional amendment in the 152nd General Assembly.
- Who sponsors HB 131?
- HB 131 is sponsored by David P. Sokola (Democratic), Bryan Townsend (Democratic), S. Elizabeth Lockman (Democratic), Gerald W. Hocker (Republican), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Daniel B. Short (Republican), Timothy D. Dukes (Republican), John L. Mitchell, Valerie Longhurst, and Peter C. Schwartzkopf.
- What is the current status of HB 131?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced April 15, 2021. Enacted.
- Where can I track HB 131?
- Track HB 131 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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