Skip to main content
Independent and nonpartisan. SaveYourState is a civic information resource. It is not a government website and is not affiliated with any government agency, party, or campaign.

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

HB 359: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 AND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION OF HUMAN REMAINS.

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 359 is a bill introduced in the Delaware House on April 15, 2026. According to its official title, it concerns: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 AND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION OF HUMAN REMAINS. Primary sponsor: DeShanna Neal (Democratic), Nicole Poore (Democratic). It lists 10 additional sponsors. Most recent recorded action (September 24, 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 permits the State to bury or cremate an unclaimed body or remains of an indigent individual without requiring written consent of the next of kin or other legally responsible party. This statutory change will reduce costs, conserve cemetery space, and reduce environmental impacts by limiting formaldehyde exposure in the soil.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 11 · Republican 1

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
DeShanna NealPrimary sponsorDemocraticHouse13
Nicole PoorePrimary sponsorDemocraticSenate12
Alonna BerryCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse20
Nnamdi ChukwuochaCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse1
Stephanie HansenCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate10
Kerri HarrisCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse32
Kyra HoffnerCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate14
Russ HuxtableCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate6
Kendra JohnsonCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse5
Ray SeigfriedCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate5
Claire Snyder-HallCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse14
Dave WilsonCo-sponsorRepublicanSenate18

“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 Senate. Votes: 21 YES
  3. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 7 Favorable
  4. Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate
  5. Passed By House. Votes: 37 YES 4 ABSENT
  6. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 1 Favorable, 9 On Its Merits
  7. 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