HB 359 Delaware House · 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026)

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 AND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DISPOSITION OF HUMAN REMAINS.

Summary
This Act permits the State to bury or cremate an unclaimed body or remains of an indigent individual without requiring written consent of the next of kin or other legally responsible party. This statutory change will reduce costs, conserve cemetery space, and reduce environmental impacts by limiting formaldehyde exposure in the soil.
Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2026
Committee Review
Jun 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
Jun 2026
Governor
Introduced Apr 15, 2026 Last action Jun 25, 2026
Floor votes · Senate Jun 25, 2026 · House May 5, 2026

How they voted

210
Passed
Total votes 21
Jun 25, 2026
D Democratic15
15 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican6
6 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
4
Committee
2
Jun 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
upper
Jun 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 7 Favorable
upper
May 5, 2026
Introduced
Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate
upper
May 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed By House. Votes: 37 YES 4 ABSENT
lower
Apr 22, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 1 Favorable, 9 On Its Merits
lower
Apr 15, 2026
Introduced
Introduced and Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House
lower
9 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors