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

SB 291: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REPORTING AND REVIEW OF DEATHS OF INDIVIDUALS IN CUSTODY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.

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 291 is a bill introduced in the Delaware Senate on April 23, 2026. According to its official title, it concerns: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REPORTING AND REVIEW OF DEATHS OF INDIVIDUALS IN CUSTODY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. Primary sponsor: Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Mara Gorman (Democratic). It lists 7 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.

In 2013, Congress enacted the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, 34 U.S.C. § 60105, which requires states to report to the U.S. Department of Justice the deaths of individuals who die in the custody of law enforcement. Failure to comply may result in the reduction of certain federal grant funds. In 2024, the Criminal Justice Council, which is responsible for ensuring Delaware's participation in the data collection required by the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, arranged for the Statistical Analysis Center to serve as the Criminal Justice Center's agent to coordinate and manage the logistics of this data collection. The Criminal Justice Council and Statistical Analysis Center issued guidance to law enforcement on the requirements of the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 and the process and procedures to be used to comply with these reporting requirements. This Act codifies the process and procedures established by the Criminal Justice Council and Statistical Analysis Center related to the reporting required by the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013. In addition, this Act requires compliance reporting and provides that a law-enforcement agency that fails to comply with this Act is ineligible for certain funding until the agency complies with this Act.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 9

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
Marie PinkneyPrimary sponsorDemocraticSenate13
Mara GormanPrimary sponsorDemocraticHouse23
Alonna BerryCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse20
Larry LambertCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse7
Tizzy LockmanCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate3
Melissa Minor-BrownCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse17
Eric MorrisonCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse27
Ed OsienskiCo-sponsorDemocraticHouse24
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: 40 YES 1 ABSENT
  3. Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 2 Favorable, 8 On Its Merits
  4. Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House
  5. Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT
  6. Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in Senate with 4 On Its Merits
  7. Introduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in Senate

Sources

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