Delaware 153rd General Assembly Status: Introduced 1 D cosponsors

SB 282 — Delaware Wrongful Conviction Compensation and Services Act/Updates

Last action — Lieu/Substituted

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

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced April 22, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Not enough signal yet

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

Not enough signal yet to read this bill's trajectory — we surface a likelihood only once there's real movement (stage, sponsorship, committee, or votes) to point to.

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

This Act amends the Delaware Wrongful Conviction Compensation and Services Act (DWCCSA) in several ways. First, in order to make a prima facie showing of entitlement to compensation, under the Act, a petitioner must show that the petitioner did not commit a felony arising from the same transaction as the crime for which the petitioner was originally convicted. Second, the Act modifies what attorneys' fees may be recovered for an action to overturn, reverse, or vacate a conviction and an action under the DWCCSA. Under the Act, a petitioner who prevails on a cause of action against the state for wrongful conviction shall be awarded reasonable attorneys' fees, based on hours reasonably expended at the prevailing market rate for similar legal services in the state at the time of an award for damages for wrongful conviction, regardless of when the legal services were actually provided. Attorneys' fees may not exceed 15% of a damages award for wrongful conviction under § 7005(a) of Title 10. Attorneys' fees of $300,000 or less will be paid to the petitioner's attorneys in a lump sum; attorneys' fees in excess of $300,000 will be paid in annual installments of not more than $300,000, until the award is satisfied. Third, under the Act, the Office of Management and Budget takes over tasks and responsibilities that currently belong to the State Treasurer, including the annual adjustment in the amount of damages available under § 7005(a) of Title 10, management of the Wrongful Conviction Compensation Fund will exist with the legal services appropriation within the Office of Management and Budget, and the obligation to report quarterly to the Joint Finance Committee and the Controller General. The Act takes effect upon its enactment into law.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read SB 282 on the official Delaware source →

Action History

  1. Lieu/Substituted

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 61 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

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.

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

civil-rights labor
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 282 do?
This Act amends the Delaware Wrongful Conviction Compensation and Services Act (DWCCSA) in several ways. First, in order to make a prima facie showing of entitlement to compensation, under the Act, a petitioner must show that the petitioner did not commit a felony arising from the same transaction as the crime for which the petitioner was originally convicted. Second, the Act modifies what attorneys' fees may be recovered for an action to overturn, reverse, or vacate a conviction and an action under the DWCCSA. Under the Act, a petitioner who prevails on a cause of action against the state for wrongful conviction shall be awarded reasonable attorneys' fees, based on hours reasonably expended at the prevailing market rate for similar legal services in the state at the time of an award for damages for wrongful conviction, regardless of when the legal services were actually provided. Attorneys' fees may not exceed 15% of a damages award for wrongful conviction under § 7005(a) of Title 10. Attorneys' fees of $300,000 or less will be paid to the petitioner's attorneys in a lump sum; attorneys' fees in excess of $300,000 will be paid in annual installments of not more than $300,000, until the award is satisfied. Third, under the Act, the Office of Management and Budget takes over tasks and responsibilities that currently belong to the State Treasurer, including the annual adjustment in the amount of damages available under § 7005(a) of Title 10, management of the Wrongful Conviction Compensation Fund will exist with the legal services appropriation within the Office of Management and Budget, and the obligation to report quarterly to the Joint Finance Committee and the Controller General. The Act takes effect upon its enactment into law.
Who sponsors SB 282?
SB 282 is sponsored by Kyra L. Hoffner (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 282?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced April 22, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 282?
Track SB 282 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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