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Delaware · 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) · Bill

HB 131: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 6 AND 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PET STORES AND ANIMAL WELFARE.

Enacted Official data

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Enacted

Last official action: ·Record last updated:

Plain-language summary

HB 131 is a bill introduced in the Delaware House on May 1, 2025. According to its official title, it concerns: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 6 AND 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PET STORES AND ANIMAL WELFARE. Primary sponsor: Kim Williams (Democratic), DeShanna Neal (Democratic), Jack Walsh (Democratic). It lists 12 additional sponsors. Most recent recorded action (July 23, 2026): Signed by Governor.

Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written

Official summary

Abstract published by the legislature (via Open States). Text as published by the legislature; reproduced verbatim.

This Act fosters the humane treatment of animals and prevents animal cruelty by prohibiting retail pet stores from selling dogs or cats. It further authorizes retail pet stores to collaborate with animal shelters and animal rescue organizations to offer space to showcase dogs or cats for adoption. The Office of Animal Welfare will be responsible for enforcing this Act. Retailers will receive a civil penalty of no more than $500 for each prohibited sale. This Act takes effect 6 months after its enactment into law.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 15

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
Kim WilliamsPrimary sponsorDemocraticHouse19
DeShanna NealPrimary sponsorDemocraticHouse13
Jack WalshPrimary sponsorDemocraticSenate9
Alonna BerryCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse20
Nnamdi ChukwuochaCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse1
Dan CruceCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate1
Mara GormanCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse23
Krista GriffithCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse12
Stephanie HansenCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate10
Kyra HoffnerCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate14
Larry LambertCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse7
Melanie Ross LevinCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse10
Eric MorrisonCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse27
Claire Snyder-HallCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse14
Laura SturgeonCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate4

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

  1. Signed by Governor
  2. Passed By House. Votes: 41 YES
  3. Passed By Senate. Votes: 15 YES 6 NO
  4. Amendment SA 1 to HB 131 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 15 YES 5 NO 1 ABSENT
  5. Amendment SA 1 to HB 131 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
  6. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits
  7. Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate
  8. Passed By House. Votes: 33 YES 4 NO 1 NOT VOTING 3 ABSENT
  9. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 6 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits
  10. Introduced and Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House

Sources

  1. Open States / Plural (data from the official legislature website)
  2. Official legislature source