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

SB 249: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUBSTANCE USE HARM REDUCTION.

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

SB 249 is a bill introduced in the Delaware Senate on March 5, 2026. According to its official title, it concerns: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUBSTANCE USE HARM REDUCTION. Primary sponsor: Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Nnamdi Chukwuocha (Democratic). It lists 11 additional sponsors. Most recent recorded action (September 30, 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 does all of the following: (1) Establishes a regulatory framework for substance use harm reduction programs that provides immunities for program providers and staff. (2) Modifies the definition of drug paraphernalia. (3) Decriminalizes possession of paraphernalia for individuals who use drugs, while retaining prohibitions for paraphernalia used in the manufacturing or distribution of drugs and the selling of certain drug paraphernalia. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 13

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
Marie PinkneyPrimary sponsorDemocraticSenate13
Nnamdi ChukwuochaPrimary sponsorDemocraticHouse1
Alonna BerryCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse20
Stephanie BoldenCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse2
Kendra JohnsonCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse5
Larry LambertCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse7
Eric MorrisonCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse27
DeShanna NealCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse13
Cyndie RomerCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse25
Ray SeigfriedCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate5
Kam SmithCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse15
Dave SokolaCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate8
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: 22 YES 16 NO 2 NOT VOTING 1 ABSENT
  3. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 4 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits
  4. Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House
  5. Passed By Senate. Votes: 15 YES 6 NO
  6. Amendment SA 2 to SB 249 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 15 YES 1 NO 5 NOT VOTING
  7. Amendment SA 2 to SB 249 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
  8. Amendment SA 1 to SB 249 - Stricken in Senate
  9. Amendment SA 1 to SB 249 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
  10. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits
  11. Introduced and Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate

Sources

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