Delaware · House Bill 139 · 152nd General Assembly

Town of Townsend/Charter Change

  1. Introduced May 5, 2023
  2. In committee May 5, 2023
  3. Passed the House Jun 15, 2023
  4. Passed the Senate Jun 30, 2023
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law Aug 31, 2023

What it does

The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.

This Act amends the Charter of the Town of Townsend in the following ways: 1. It requires the Town Council to determine rules for Town Meetings after being sworn in at the Town Council reorganization meeting in June of each year. 2. It removes the requirement that a copy of ordinances, codes, rules and regulations be printed for each official of the Town. 3. It allows the Mayor to vote on Town matters, whereas…

Read the full title (238 words)

This Act amends the Charter of the Town of Townsend in the following ways: 1. It requires the Town Council to determine rules for Town Meetings after being sworn in at the Town Council reorganization meeting in June of each year. 2. It removes the requirement that a copy of ordinances, codes, rules and regulations be printed for each official of the Town. 3. It allows the Mayor to vote on Town matters, whereas before, the Mayor could only vote in the event of a tie. 4. It clarifies the procedures for disqualification and removal from office for the Mayor and Council members, as well as election procedures and term of office. 5. For a councilperson to be elected mayor, they must have sat as a councilperson for at least twelve consecutive months, although if no such members of the council qualify, the Mayor will be elected from the sitting members. 6. All candidates must successfully pass a background check as provided by the Town. 7. If within 90 days of the swearing in, a newly sworn in Councilperson is disqualified, the candidate with the next highest number of votes shall be appointed to fill the remainder of the term. 8. The Town Manager will now have the ability to authorize and approve reimbursements. 9. It revises the section of the Charter regarding the Police Force. This Act also makes technical changes to the Charter as deemed appropriate.

Every action

10 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.

  1. CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Administration Committee in House · House Administration
  2. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 5 On Its Merits · House Administration
  3. HouseAmendment HA 1 to HB 139 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
  4. HouseAmendment HA 1 to HB 139 - Passed In House by Voice Vote
  5. HousePassed By House. Votes: 35 YES 6 ABSENT
  6. CommitteeAssigned to Elections & Government Affairs Committee in Senate · Senate Elections & Government Affairs
  7. CommitteeRe-Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate · Senate Executive
  8. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Executive) in Senate with 6 On Its Merits · Senate Executive
  9. SenatePassed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT
  10. GovernorSigned by Governor

Roll calls

2 recorded votes: 2 on the floor, 0 in committee. Each shows how every member voted.

Passed By House. Votes: 35 YES 6 ABSENT (2/3 required) · Full House

Passed 35–0
Jun 15, 2023 · journal entry
Yes 35 No 0 Not voting 6
Democrats: 21 yes, 0 no Republicans: 14 yes, 0 no
How each member voted

Yes · 35

Absent · 6

Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT (2/3 required) · Full Senate

Passed 20–0
Jun 30, 2023 · journal entry
Yes 20 No 0 Not voting 1
Democrats: 14 yes, 0 no Republicans: 6 yes, 0 no
How each member voted

Yes · 20

Absent · 1

Sponsors

The member who introduced it.

From Delaware's official records (legis.delaware.gov), checked Nov 1, 2026. Text links go to the official versions; LegiList does not copy bill text.