# Delaware SB 249: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUBSTANCE USE HARM REDUCTION. Delaware SB 249, AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUBSTANCE USE HARM REDUCTION., is a 153rd General Assembly (2024–2026) Senate bill sponsored by Marie Pinkney (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-09-30 (Signed by Governor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB249-153 - 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 249 - State: Delaware - Session: 153rd General Assembly (2024–2026) - Title: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUBSTANCE USE HARM REDUCTION. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-03-05 - Last action: 2026-09-30, Signed by Governor - Sponsor: Marie Pinkney (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 12 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (37 yes, 22 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 6 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - More help for harm reduction participants: benefit, medium. Delaware harm reduction programs must offer sterile supplies, drug-testing tools, overdose-reversal medicines, and disease-prevention barriers such as condoms. They must provide supply collection and disposal, infection screening, first aid, and wound care. Programs must offer education, training,… - Legal protection for harm reduction workers: benefit, low. People carrying out activities under the harm reduction law gain legal protections when acting in good faith with reasonable care. Protection covers criminal liability, professional discipline or other adverse action, and civil liability for injury or death. It does not cover injury or death caused… - Privacy rights for harm reduction participants: benefit, low. Participants can remain anonymous, and programs cannot require information that could reveal their identity. Records are confidential, not public, and protected from discovery in legal proceedings; participants can authorize disclosure in writing. The state generally cannot require data collection… - Fewer drug supplies count as paraphernalia: benefit, low. The law revises which objects count as drug paraphernalia, including production, mixing, packaging, and storage items intended for sale. It excludes legally authorized items, lawful marijuana or tobacco items, drug-testing tools, and items for concealing, containing, or storing drugs. Items used to… - New framework for harm reduction programs: benefit, low. The law replaces Delaware's prior harm reduction framework in Title 29 with a new chapter in Title 16. It repeals the former Title 29 sections 7990 through 7996. The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health can adopt evidence-based rules for program licensing and operation. Programs can use mo… - Penalties for covered drug paraphernalia offenses: cost, low. For objects that remain covered, knowingly possessing or using paraphernalia in violation of the law is a class B misdemeanor. Knowingly delivering, possessing with intent to deliver, converting, making, conveying, selling, or offering it for sale illegally is a class G felony. Those distribution-r… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Alonna Berry (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Stephanie T. Bolden (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kendra Johnson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kamela T Smith (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Larry Lambert (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Eric Morrison (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: DeShanna U Neal (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Cyndie Romer (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: David P. Sokola (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-06-23 | House | Passed (SM required) | pass | 22 | 16 | | | 2026-05-14 | Senate | Passed (SM required) | pass | 15 | 6 | | ## Actions (11) - 2026-09-30: Signed by Governor (Governor) - 2026-06-23: Passed By House. Votes: 22 YES 16 NO 2 NOT VOTING 1 ABSENT (House) - 2026-06-17: Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 4 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits (House) - 2026-05-19: Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House (House) - 2026-05-14: Passed By Senate. Votes: 15 YES 6 NO (Senate) - 2026-05-14: Amendment SA 2 to SB 249 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 15 YES 1 NO 5 NOT VOTING (Senate) - 2026-05-14: Amendment SA 2 to SB 249 - Introduced and Placed With Bill (Senate) - 2026-05-14: Amendment SA 1 to SB 249 - Stricken in Senate (Senate) - 2026-05-14: Amendment SA 1 to SB 249 - Introduced and Placed With Bill (Senate) - 2026-04-22: Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Introduced and Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate (Senate) ## Bill text - Current, 2026-03-05: [HTML](https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=142912&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=142912&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-SB249-153 (as of 2026-10-12).