Adoption Proceedings/Free Legal Counsel/Relatives
- Introduced Jan 10, 2025
- In committee Jan 10, 2025
- Withdrawn
- Passed the House
- To the governor
- Became law
What it does
The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.
This Act creates a right to free legal counsel for a relative seeking to adopt a child in the relative’s family after parental rights over the child have been terminated and the child is in the custody of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. Relatives of a child for whom adoption is being sought who are eligible for free legal counsel in adoption proceedings include siblings…
Read the full title (111 words)
This Act creates a right to free legal counsel for a relative seeking to adopt a child in the relative’s family after parental rights over the child have been terminated and the child is in the custody of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. Relatives of a child for whom adoption is being sought who are eligible for free legal counsel in adoption proceedings include siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, first cousins, first cousins once removed, great-grandparents, grandaunts or granduncles, half-siblings, stepparents, stepsiblings, stepaunts or stepuncles, or stepgrandparents. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Every action
2 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.
- CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in Senate · Senate Judiciary
- SenateStricken in Senate
Roll calls
No recorded votes on this bill yet.
Sponsors
The member who introduced it, joined by 11 cosponsors: 7 Republicans, 4 Democrats.
- DL David L. WilsonR Primary sponsor · District 18
- VJ Valerie Jones GiltnerR Joint sponsor · District 37
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.