Delaware · Senate Bill 1 · 152nd General Assembly

Housing/Right to Representation/Create/Tenants/Eviction

SB 1 Sponsored by Bryan Townsend Withdrawn

  1. Introduced Jan 19, 2023
  2. In committee Jan 19, 2023
  3. Withdrawn  
  4. Passed the House  
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law  

What it does

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

This Act creates a right to representation for tenants in evictions and other landlord-tenant actions. The disruptive displacement that accompanies eviction proceedings creates significant costs for state and local government related to shelter funding, education funding, health care provided in hospitals instead of community-based providers, transportation costs for homeless youth, and foster care. Evictions and…

Read the full title (334 words)

This Act creates a right to representation for tenants in evictions and other landlord-tenant actions. The disruptive displacement that accompanies eviction proceedings creates significant costs for state and local government related to shelter funding, education funding, health care provided in hospitals instead of community-based providers, transportation costs for homeless youth, and foster care. Evictions and disruptive displacement also have significant, well-documented, and long-lasting effects on the lives of individuals and families, including poorer physical and mental health, increased risk of homelessness, increased risk of employment loss, loss of personal property, damage to credit standing, and relocation into substandard housing. Further, evictions fall disproportionately on Black and Latinx families, who have also been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Section 1 of this Act establishes a right to representation for evictions and other landlord-tenant actions for covered individuals with household incomes below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. The Attorney General shall contract with legal services providers for the provision of representation in proceedings covered by this Act. The Right to Representation Coordinator will manage the contracts and work with community organizations to do outreach and education regarding the right to representation. Section 1 of this Act requires landlords to provide notice of the right to representation at periodic designated intervals in the tenancy and in eviction proceedings. Section 2 of this Act authorizes the creation of a residential eviction diversion program modeled after the Superior Court’s Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program. Section 3 of this Act is a severability clause. Section 4 of this Act makes Sections 1 and 6 effective 120 days after the Act's enactment. Section 5 of this Act makes Section 2 of this Act contingent on funding. Section 6 requires the Coordinator to provide the General Assembly with a copy of the first annual report required under § 5605 of Title 25, as contained in this Act, to determine if additional funding is needed to address the fiscal impact of the Act on the Justice of the Peace Court.

Every action

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

Show the 8 earlier steps
  1. CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Housing & Land Use Committee in Senate · Senate Housing & Land Use
  2. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Housing & Land Use) in Senate with 6 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits · Senate Housing & Land Use
  3. CommitteeAssigned to Finance Committee in Senate · Senate Finance
  4. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Finance) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits · Senate Finance
  5. SenateAmendment SA 1 to SB 1 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
  6. SenateSubstituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 1
  7. SenateSS 1 for SB 1 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 1 NOT VOTING 1 ABSENT
  8. HouseSS 1 for SB 1 - Assigned to Housing Committee in House
  1. HouseSS 1 for SB 1 - Reported Out of Committee (Housing) in House with 5 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits, 1 Unfavorable
  2. HouseSS 1 for SB 1 - Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House
  3. HouseSS 1 for SB 1 - Reported Out of Committee (Appropriations) in House with 1 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits
  4. SenateSubstituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 1
  5. HouseSS 1 for SB 1 - - Passed In House by Voice Vote
  6. HouseSS 1 for SB 1 - Passed By House. Votes: 25 YES 12 NO 1 NOT VOTING 3 ABSENT
  7. SenateSS 1 for SB 1 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 1 NOT VOTING 1 ABSENT
  8. SS 1 for SB 1 - Signed by Governor

Roll calls

No recorded votes on this bill yet.

Sponsors

The member who introduced it, joined by 24 cosponsors: 23 Democrats, 1 Republican.

All 24 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.