Delaware · House Bill 4 · 152nd General Assembly

Nolan's Law/School-Connected Traumatic Event/Support

HB 4 Sponsored by Valerie Longhurst Became law

  1. Introduced Apr 25, 2023
  2. In committee Apr 25, 2023
  3. Passed the House May 16, 2023
  4. Passed the Senate Jun 29, 2023
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law Aug 16, 2023

What it does

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

This Act is Nolan’s Law. The purpose of this legislation is to provide more behavioral health supports to school districts and charter schools in the aftermath of a school-connected traumatic event, which is defined as the death of any student, educator, administrator, or other building employee of a public school. The Department of Education is charged with developing guidance, best practices, and written resources…

Read the full title (208 words)

This Act is Nolan’s Law. The purpose of this legislation is to provide more behavioral health supports to school districts and charter schools in the aftermath of a school-connected traumatic event, which is defined as the death of any student, educator, administrator, or other building employee of a public school. The Department of Education is charged with developing guidance, best practices, and written resources for schools dealing with a school-connected traumatic event. The Department must consult with behavioral health specialists and school-based mental health professional organizations such as NAMI, Delaware, Delaware Association of School Psychologists, Delaware School Counselors Association, and the School Social Workers Association of Delaware. The Department must finalize these items by January 1, 2024. This legislation also requires the Department to cover the costs of grief counseling offered to students for up to thirty days after a school-connected traumatic event. In an effort to create a more standardized approach for the occurrence of a school-connected traumatic event, this bill charges each school district and charter school to establish a detailed crisis response policy that must meet a minimum number of required policies and procedures. Policies must be adopted by the school district or charter and distributed to the Department of Education by September 1, 2024.

Every action

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

  1. CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Education Committee in House · House Education
  2. HouseAmendment HA 1 to HB 4 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
  3. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 9 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits · House Education
  4. HouseAmendment HA 2 to HB 4 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
  5. HouseAmendment HA 1 to HB 4 - Stricken in House
  6. HouseAmendment HA 2 to HB 4 - Passed In House by Voice Vote
  7. HousePassed By House. Votes: 36 YES 5 ABSENT36–0 vote
  8. CommitteeAssigned to Education Committee in Senate · Senate Education
  9. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Education) in Senate with 3 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits · Senate Education
  10. SenatePassed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES21–0 vote
  11. 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: 36 YES 5 ABSENT · Full House

Passed 36–0
May 16, 2023 · journal entry
Yes 36 No 0 Not voting 5
Democrats: 22 yes, 0 no Republicans: 14 yes, 0 no
How each member voted

Yes · 36

Absent · 5

Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES · Full Senate

Passed 21–0
Jun 29, 2023 · journal entry
Yes 21 No 0
Democrats: 15 yes, 0 no Republicans: 6 yes, 0 no
How each member voted

Yes · 21

Sponsors

The member who introduced it, joined by 14 cosponsors: 13 Democrats, 1 Republican.

All 14 cosponsors

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.