Delaware 151st General Assembly (2021-2022) Status: Passed House Bipartisan · 7 R · 6 D cosponsors

HB 387 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE MEDICAL CARE OF POLICE DOGS INJURED IN THE LINE OF DUTY.

Last action — Reported Out of Committee (Corrections & Public Safety) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits

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

This bill died with 151st General Assembly (2021-2022). It reached “Passed House” 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This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

This Act is made to authorize Paramedics and other Emergency Medical Services Personnel to provide medical care to Police Dogs injured at the scene of an emergency. This Act also grants civil and criminal immunity to such Emergency Employees who provide medical services to Police Dogs, so long as their efforts to assist the Police Dog were in good faith. However, it does clarify that in a situation where a person and a Police Dog need Emergency Medical Care at the same time the Medical Services Personnel are prohibited from providing care to the Police Dogs over the Individual Person, if the care of the Police Dog would hinder the Person’s Care.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill authorizes paramedics and emergency medical services personnel to provide medical care to injured police dogs and establishes liability protections for them while clarifying circumstances under which care for dogs may be prioritized over individuals.

  • § 9816

    Paramedics or other Emergency Medical Services Personnel are authorized to provide Emergency Medical Services to an injured Police Dog at the Scene of an Emergency that has resulted in the Police Dog’s injury.

    This provision allows emergency medical services to treat injured police dogs.

  • § 9816

    Paramedics and other Emergency Medical Services Personnel are authorized to transport the Police Dog to a designated veterinary facility and to provide services to the Police Dog during transport to said facility, if the Paramedic or Emergency Medical Services Personnel deem it necessary for the Police Dog’s survival.

    This allows paramedics to transport injured police dogs and provide care during transport.

  • § 9816

    No Paramedic or Emergency Medical Services Personnel who in good faith attempts to render or facilitate emergency medical care to an injured Police Dog shall be liable for any civil damages which occur as a result of any act or omission of the Paramedic or Emergency Medical Services Personnel in the rendering of such care; unless such Paramedic or Emergency Care Personnel is guilty of willful and wanton, reckless or grossly negligent conduct.

    This provides civil immunity for emergency personnel treating injured police dogs in good faith.

  • § 9816

    Paramedics and Emergency Medical Service Personnel are prohibited from providing emergency medical services to a Police Dog if their services are needed concurrently to provide services to an Individual Person, and the care of the Police Dog would hinder the care of said Individual.

    This clarifies that care for human victims takes precedence over police dogs in emergencies.

Action History

  1. Reported Out of Committee (Corrections & Public Safety) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits

  2. Assigned to Corrections & Public Safety Committee in Senate

  3. Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 ABSENT

  4. Reported Out of Committee (Public Safety & Homeland Security) in House with 8 Favorable

  5. Introduced and Assigned to Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 14 co-sponsors · 44 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (14)

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

SM

Passed 40 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 13000
Democratic 15001
Republican 12000
Total 40001
% of votes cast 98%0%0%2%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Andria L. Bennett — Yea
Charles "Bud" M. Freel — Yea
David Bentz — 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 Yea
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 →

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 387 do?
This Act is made to authorize Paramedics and other Emergency Medical Services Personnel to provide medical care to Police Dogs injured at the scene of an emergency. This Act also grants civil and criminal immunity to such Emergency Employees who provide medical services to Police Dogs, so long as their efforts to assist the Police Dog were in good faith. However, it does clarify that in a situation where a person and a Police Dog need Emergency Medical Care at the same time the Medical Services Personnel are prohibited from providing care to the Police Dogs over the Individual Person, if the care of the Police Dog would hinder the Person’s Care.
Who sponsors HB 387?
HB 387 is sponsored by David P. Sokola (Democratic), David L. Wilson (Republican), William J. Carson (Democratic), Franklin D. Cooke (Democratic), Stephanie L. Hansen (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Dave G. Lawson (Republican), Ronald E. Gray (Republican), Debra Heffernan (Democratic), Ernesto B Lopez, Michael F. Smith (Republican), Bruce C. Ennis, Stephen Smyk, Jeffrey N. Spiegelman (Republican), Kimberly Williams (Democratic), Lyndon D. Yearick (Republican), John L. Mitchell, and Ruth Briggs King.
What is the current status of HB 387?
This bill died with 151st General Assembly (2021-2022). It reached “Passed House” 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 387?
Track HB 387 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

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