Delaware · 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) · Bill
HB 35: AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE I OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO PROHIBITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY.
Passed both chambers Official data
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed one chamber
- Passed both chambers
- Enacted
Last official action: ·Record last updated:
Plain-language summary
HB 35 is a bill introduced in the Delaware House on June 17, 2025. According to its official title, it concerns: AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE I OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO PROHIBITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY. Primary sponsor: Sean Lynn (Democratic), Claire Snyder-Hall (Democratic), Bill Bush (Democratic), Melissa Minor-Brown (Democratic), Eric Morrison (Democratic), Kyra Hoffner (Democratic). It lists 5 additional sponsors. Most recent recorded action (June 30, 2025): Passed By Senate. Votes: 14 YES 7 NO.
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 is the first leg of a constitutional amendment to prohibit the imposition of the death penalty. Amending the Delaware Constitution requires not only the passing of the changes in this Act, but also passage of the same changes after the next general election by the next General Assembly. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend the Delaware Constitution. This Substitute for House Bill No. 35 makes technical corrections and omits the changes to § 12 of Article I to avoid confusion as there is a different currently pending amendment to that section.
Sponsors
Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 11
| Name | Role | Party | Chamber | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Lynn | Primary sponsor | Democratic | House | 31 |
| Claire Snyder-Hall | Primary sponsor | Democratic | House | 14 |
| Bill Bush | Primary sponsor | Democratic | House | 29 |
| Melissa Minor-Brown | Primary sponsor | Democratic | House | 17 |
| Eric Morrison | Primary sponsor | Democratic | House | 27 |
| Kyra Hoffner | Primary sponsor | Democratic | Senate | 14 |
| Mara Gorman | Co-sponsor | Democratic | House | 23 |
| Kerri Harris | Co-sponsor | Democratic | House | 32 |
| Larry Lambert | Co-sponsor | Democratic | House | 7 |
| Melanie Ross Levin | Co-sponsor | Democratic | House | 10 |
| Ray Seigfried | Co-sponsor | Democratic | Senate | 5 |
“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.
Recent official actions
- Passed By Senate. Votes: 14 YES 7 NO
- Reported Out of Committee (Executive) in Senate with 4 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits
- Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate
- Passed By House. Votes: 28 YES 12 NO 1 VACANT
- was introduced and adopted in lieu of HB 35