HB 299 — Life Insurance Policy/Suicide/Update Provision
Last action — Signed
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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 October 01, 2026. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Matt Meyer (Democratic) on October 01, 2026.
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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1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).
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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.
In plain language
The bill reduces the suicide exclusion period in life insurance from 2 years to 1 year.
This Act changes Delaware law to shorten the period that life insurance policies can exclude suicide coverage from 2 years to 1 year. Additionally, if a death benefit is denied due to suicide within that year, insurers must refund all premiums paid.
What this means for you
- Families: If a loved one passes away by suicide within the first year of obtaining a life insurance policy, families are entitled to a refund of premiums paid.
Summary
Current Delaware law provides that a life insurance policy may contain a provision excluding or restricting coverage in the event of death by suicide within 2 years from the date of issue of the policy. This Act reduces the time period to 1 year from the date of issue of the policy. It applies to a policy that is issued after the effective date of the Act. This Act also requires that in the event any death benefit is denied because the insured dies as a result of suicide within 1 year from the date of issue of the policy, the insurer must refund all premiums paid for coverage providing the denied death benefit on the insured. This Act is effective 6 months after its enactment into law.
Bill Text
We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.
Read HB 299 on the official Delaware source →Action History
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Signed
Sponsors
- Eric Morrison · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 61 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
- Eric Morrison Democratic
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (61)
61 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 61 →"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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 95% | 0% | 0% | 5% |
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 | Not Voting |
| Dave G. Lawson | Republican | Yea |
| David L. Wilson | Republican | Yea |
| Eric Buckson | Republican | Yea |
| Gerald W. Hocker | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 25 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Republican | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 36 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| % 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 | Not Voting |
| 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 | 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 |
| Jeff Hilovsky | Republican | Yea |
| Jeffrey N. Spiegelman | Republican | Yea |
| Jesse R. Vanderwende | Republican | Not Voting |
| 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 | Not Voting |
| Timothy D. Dukes | Republican | Yea |
| Valerie Jones Giltner | Republican | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB 299 do?
- Current Delaware law provides that a life insurance policy may contain a provision excluding or restricting coverage in the event of death by suicide within 2 years from the date of issue of the policy. This Act reduces the time period to 1 year from the date of issue of the policy. It applies to a policy that is issued after the effective date of the Act. This Act also requires that in the event any death benefit is denied because the insured dies as a result of suicide within 1 year from the date of issue of the policy, the insurer must refund all premiums paid for coverage providing the denied death benefit on the insured. This Act is effective 6 months after its enactment into law.
- Who sponsors HB 299?
- HB 299 is sponsored by Eric Morrison (Democratic).
- What is the current status of HB 299?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced October 01, 2026. Enacted.
- Where can I track HB 299?
- Track HB 299 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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