# Delaware SB 17: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10, TITLE 11, AND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CRIME VICTIMS AND WITNESSES. Delaware SB 17, AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10, TITLE 11, AND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CRIME VICTIMS AND WITNESSES., is a 153rd General Assembly (2024–2026) Senate bill sponsored by Bryan Townsend (Democratic); status failed, last action 2025-08-20 (SS 1 for SB 17 - Signed by Governor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB17-153 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Delaware SB 17 - State: Delaware - Session: 153rd General Assembly (2024–2026) - Title: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10, TITLE 11, AND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CRIME VICTIMS AND WITNESSES. - Status: failed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-01-10 - Last action: 2025-08-20, SS 1 for SB 17 - Signed by Governor - Sponsor: Bryan Townsend (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 8 - Touches household money: yes - Economic provisions PRIA read: 19 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Immigrant witnesses get new detention protections: benefit, medium. Officers cannot hold crime witnesses or other people able to provide evidence solely for actual or suspected immigration violations. This protection applies when the person is not charged with or convicted of a state crime. Officers also cannot hand that person over to federal immigration authoriti… - Immigration detention protections for crime victims: benefit, medium. Delaware officers cannot detain crime victims solely for actual or suspected immigration violations. Officers cannot turn these victims over to federal immigration authorities without a judicial warrant. These protections apply when the victim is not charged with or convicted of a state crime. - Safer court access for crime victims: benefit, medium. Victims get prompt proceeding notices unless they opt out, and can choose someone to attend instead. Victims and family members can attend criminal proceedings, even when called to testify, except grand juries or good-cause exclusions. Courts must allow requested support people unless exclusion is… - Sex-offense victims can refuse lie detectors: benefit, medium. Officials cannot ask or require alleged sex-offense victims to take lie detectors or other truth-telling tests as an investigation condition. If an official breaks this rule, the victim’s refusal cannot block investigation, charges, or prosecution. - Stronger privacy for victims and witnesses: benefit, medium. Law-enforcement agencies generally cannot disclose victims’ and witnesses’ home addresses, phone numbers, schools, or workplaces, including family details. Witness identities are also protected, and covered information is not a public record. Courts generally cannot require home addresses, schools,… - Funeral help and retained victim funds: benefit, medium. Eligible claimants can receive up to $7,500 total for funeral and burial costs. These costs must be actually and necessarily incurred because of a crime-related injury or death. Separate limits on covered losses still apply to secondary victims and homicide claimants. The law removes required trans… - Better case updates for crime victims: benefit, low. The Department of Justice must reasonably try to notify victims about prosecution decisions and their legal basis, scheduling, convictions, sentences, and appeals. In felony cases, it must try to share plea or resolution terms before a plea is offered. Misdemeanor victims must be told that pleas ca… - More crime victims qualify for rights: benefit, low. The law broadens which offenses qualify victims for Delaware’s crime victim rights and protections. Coverage includes listed offenses involving people, property, children, vulnerable adults, court proceedings, public health, release bonds, and witness intimidation. It also includes vehicle offenses… - More people qualify for crime protections: benefit, low. The law defines victims using police reports or charging documents and includes people who represent them. Victims can choose representatives; family members can represent deceased victims. Parents, guardians, or custodians can represent children or impaired victims who cannot meaningfully take par… - More sentencing input for crime victims: benefit, low. Victims can speak with the officer preparing the presentence investigation. The officer must reasonably try to confer and record when a victim is unavailable or declines. Victims can attend sentencing and make a separate statement, even after helping with a presentence victim-impact statement. Afte… - Victims and witnesses get property back: benefit, low. Police must promptly return victims’ and witnesses’ property once it is no longer needed as evidence. This right does not cover illegal property or property subject to forfeiture. The law does not set a specific return deadline. - Victims can review their body-camera statements: benefit, low. Victims can review parts of body-camera recordings that include their own statements. The police training commission must periodically review camera standards and propose updates when needed. That review covers recording storage and sharing, including victims’ access to footage of their statements. - Victims get input before records disappear: benefit, low. For covered adult requests to clear criminal records, the Attorney General must ask victims for their position. The office must include known positions in its answer and promptly tell victims the court’s decision orally. Victim input also applies to children’s discretionary violent-felony requests… - Victims get release and pardon notices: benefit, low. Corrections and children’s services agencies must notify victims about expected release, actual release, community placement, parole or pardon hearings, and escape. Escape notices must be immediate, by phone or in person. Victims can request release-condition information and whether the defendant f… - Job protections for working crime victims: benefit, low. Employers cannot fire or discipline crime victims or their representatives because they take part in covered case activities. Protected activities include preparing for a proceeding at a prosecutor’s request. Attendance is protected when reasonably needed to protect the victim’s interests or requir… - Clearer rights information for crime survivors: benefit, low. At first contact, investigating agencies must promptly give victims an incident report and explain their rights. They must share compensation and service information, arrest and pretrial-release information instructions, safety procedures, and complaint instructions. The Department of Justice prepa… - Victims and witnesses get complaint reviews: benefit, low. The Department of Justice must enforce these rights for victims, witnesses, and their families. Each law-enforcement agency must name a supervisor to receive, review, and promptly address complaints. Victims, witnesses, or people acting for them can file complaints. After investigating, agencies mu… - Victims face limits on court remedies: cost, low. Failure to follow these rights does not create a damages claim against government workers, officials, or entities. Apart from administrative complaints, victims’ and witnesses’ sole court remedy for agency noncompliance is requesting an order requiring action. This request is called a writ of manda… - Faster trials and support, with eligibility limits: mixed, medium. Child victims and witnesses have rights to faster trials, especially in child-abuse and child-sexual-abuse cases. Courts and prosecutors must promote prompt trials for victims and witnesses with cognitive disabilities. These victims and witnesses must get explanations they understand; victims can a… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Stephanie L. Hansen (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Spiros Mantzavinos (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: DeShanna U Neal (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Sophie Phillips (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Cyndie Romer (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Senate ## Actions (14) - 2025-08-20: SS 1 for SB 17 - Signed by Governor (Governor) - 2025-06-26: SS 1 for SB 17 - Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 2 NO 1 VACANT (House) - 2025-06-26: SS 1 for SB 17 - - Defeated In House by Voice Vote (House) - 2025-06-26: Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 17 (Senate) - 2025-06-25: SS 1 for SB 17 - Reported Out of Committee (Appropriations) in House with 4 On Its Merits (House) - 2025-06-20: SS 1 for SB 17 - Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House (House) - 2025-06-18: SS 1 for SB 17 - Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 8 On Its Merits (House) - 2025-06-05: SS 1 for SB 17 - Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House (House) - 2025-05-22: SS 1 for SB 17 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT (Senate) - 2025-05-15: SS 1 for SB 17 - Reported Out of Committee (Finance) in Senate with 4 On Its Merits (Senate) - 2025-05-07: Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 17 (Senate) - 2025-03-26: Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate (Senate) - 2025-03-26: Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in Senate with 5 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits (Senate) - 2025-01-10: Introduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in Senate (Senate) ## Bill text - Current, 2025-01-10: [HTML](https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=141767&legislationTypeId=1&docTypeId=2) ## Related bills - HS 1 for HB 449: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DIETITIAN/NUTRITIONIST LICENSURE ACT. (passed house) - HB 357: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DUTY TO SUPPORT POOR PERSONS. (signed) - SB 279: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL-BASED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS. (vetoed) - HB 393: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROTECTIONS FOR PUBLIC UTILITY CONSUMERS. (vetoed) - SB 231: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS. (vetoed) - HB 356: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PFAS IN FIREFIGHTING FOAM AND EQUIPMENT. (failed) ## Sources - [Current (HTML)](https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=141767&legislationTypeId=1&docTypeId=2) ## Related - [HS 1 for HB 449: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DIETITIAN/NUTRITI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HS1FORHB449-153) - [HB 357: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DUTY TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB357-153) - [SB 279: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL-BASED OCCUPATI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB279-153) - [HB 393: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROTECTIONS FOR PUBLI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB393-153) - [SB 231: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB231-153) - [HB 356: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PFAS IN FIREFIGHTING…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB356-153) - [Delaware bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/delaware/bills) - [Delaware state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/delaware) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB17-153 (as of 2026-10-12).