Mission Statement
The Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC) is a state agency legislatively created to improve Delaware’s response to domestic violence and sexual assault. The DVCC brings together all stakeholders including service providers, policy-level officials and community partners to eradicate domestic violence. The DVCC is committed to leading the nation through innovative legislative action, community education and an outstanding coordinated system response to violence in families and the community.
The following legislation has been passed by the 152nd Delaware General Assembly…
Senate Bill 70
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ANIMALS IN PROTECTION FROM ABUSE PROCEEDINGS.
This Act adds the following acts against a person’s companion animal or service animal to the definition of abuse for protection from abuse proceedings: 1. Engaging in cruelty. 2. Inflicting physical injury. 3. Engaging in a course of alarming or distressing conduct. In addition, this Act provides specific authority for the Court to include provisions in a protection from abuse order that grant a petitioner exclusive care, custody, or control of a companion animal and order a petitioner to stay away from the companion animal.
Primary Sponsor: Senator Nicole Poore
Signed by the Governor: June 27, 2023
Senate Bill 71
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REPORTING SUSPECTED ANIMAL CRUELTY.
This Act requires law-enforcement agencies, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, and the Department of Justice to report suspected animal cruelty to the Office of Animal Welfare that is discovered while performing their responsibilities in child welfare cases. This Act also provides immunity to people who in good faith, report suspected animal cruelty.
Primary Sponsor: Senator Stephanie Hansen
Signed by the Governor: June 27, 2023
House Bill 95
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO COMPANION ANIMALS IN THE DISPOSITION OF MARITAL PROPERTY.
This Act requires Family Court to award possession and provide for the care of companion animals when dividing marital property after considering the well-being of the companion animal.
Primary Sponsor: Representative Krista Griffith
Signed by the Governor: June 27, 2023
House Bill 184 with House Amendment 1
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT.
Delaware law expressly prohibits employment discrimination based upon surviving domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Such discrimination includes: (1) failing or refusing to hire or discharging an employee because the individual was a victim of domestic violence, sexual offense, or stalking; or (2) failing or refusing to make reasonable accommodations to the limitations known to the employer and related to domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking. Current statute requires the victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking to provide verification to their employer. This bill provides employers with the option to require verification in order to receive accommodations.
Primary Sponsor: Representative Cyndie Romer
Signed by the Governor: July 25, 2023
The following legislation was passed by the 151st Delaware General Assembly…
House Bill 316
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 13 AND 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COORDINATING COUNCIL.
This Act expands the Membership of the Council by adding the Chief Magistrate of the Justice of the Peace Court. This Act also removed limitations on the use of voting by proxy by members of the Council. Finally, the bill adds the Fatal Incident Review Team of the DVCC to the list of entities that are entitled to receive protected health information without informed consent. The protected health information at issue is essential for the Fatal Incident Review Team to include in the reviews.
Primary Sponsor: Representative Krista Griffith
Signed by the Governor: June 14, 2022
House Bill 254 with Senate Amendment 1
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PUPIL AND STUDENT IDENTIFICATION CARDS.
This Act requires all public schools that serve pupils in grades 7-12 that issue pupil identification cards to have printed on the identification cards the telephone or text numbers for the National Suicide Prevention and National Domestic Violence Hotlines and allows them to add the National Sexual Assault, Teen Dating Violence and Bullying Hotlines. The Act requires all public institutions of higher learning in Delaware, which issue student identification cards, to print on the student identification cards the telephone or text numbers for National Suicide Prevention, Domestic Violence Hotlines and local campus police or campus security telephone numbers and allows the institutions to add the National Sexual Assault Hotline number. This Act will be implemented for the 2022-2023 school year.
Primary Sponsor: Representative Krista Griffith
Signed by the Governor: August 4, 2022
House Substitute 1 for House Bill 264
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROTECTIVE ORDERS FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE.
This Act permits a person who has been the victim of non-consensual sexual conduct or non-consensual sexual penetration to apply for a sexual violence protective order if the person has a reasonable fear, based on specific conduct occurring contemporaneously or subsequent to the non-consensual sexual conduct or penetration, that the perpetrator of the sexual conduct will harm the petitioner in the future. An ex parte temporary order may be issued if a petitioner proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the respondent poses an immediate and present danger of causing physical injury to the petitioner. The protective order is a civil remedy available whether or not the respondent has been charged with a crime and whether or not the petitioner reported the respondent’s conduct to law enforcement officials. The Act provides for an emergency ex parte hearing as well as a non-emergency hearing in Superior Court. Possible remedies in addition to an order restraining the respondent from any kind of contact with the petitioner include restraining the respondent form going to, or remaining in, the places a petitioner might frequent including home, school, or work. Violation of a sexual violence protective order is punishable as criminal contempt, either as a class A misdemeanor, or Class F felony if contempt of the order results in physical injury, or involved threatened use, or use of, a deadly weapon or firearm. Petitions under the Act must be verified. If any party falsely swears in a petition or hearing under the Act, the person may be liable for a misdemeanor or felony. A sexual violence protection order is available only for petitioners who would not qualify for a protection from abuse order because there is no family or dating relationship between the victim and perpetrator. The Act also makes technical corrections to existing law to make it conform to the Legislative Drafting Manual. The Act takes effect 6 months after its enactment.
Primary Sponsor: Representative Krista Griffith
Signed by the Governor: October 10, 2022
House Bill 440 with House Amendment 1
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST THE PERSON.
This bill changes the definition of and class of felony for the crime of Strangulation from a class C felony to a Class D felony unless additional factors are present, then the crime elevates to a class B felony, punishable from 2-25 years in jail. This bill also adds the crime of suffocation.
Primary Sponsor: Representative Krista Griffith
Signed by the Governor: August 4, 2022
