Bill
HB 357
The bill would modify how Delaware establishes and enforces support obligations for recipients of public assistance, updating duties, procedures, and enforcement tools in Titles 10
HB 357 (Session 153, Delaware) — Summary
Overview
- Full title: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DUTY TO SUPPORT POOR PERSONS.
- Purpose: The bill proposes changes to the duties and processes related to support obligations for poor persons, aligning or updating Delaware’s statutes governing public assistance and support enforcement. The specific intent and exact textual changes are not provided in the summary, but the title indicates amendments to Titles 10 (likely Food Stamps/NDSS, welfare, or welfare-related provisions) and 13 (Courts and Judicial Procedure, including support enforcement and related remedies).
- Introduced: 2026-04-09
- Committee: Health & Human Development (House)
- Primary sponsors:
- Dave Wilson
- Mara Gorman
- Nicole Poore
- Claire Snyder-Hall
- Spiros Mantzavinos
- Ray Seigfried
- Melanie Ross Levin
- Status: Introduced and assigned to committee (as of the 2026-04-09 action history)
What the bill aims to address
- The bill targets the duty to support poor persons, which typically relates to obligations for support (alimony, child support, or public assistance recovery) and the mechanisms by which support is computed, enforced, or recovered when individuals receive public assistance.
- By amending Titles 10 and 13, it may modify:
- Eligibility or calculation rules for public assistance related to support arrangements.
- Procedures for establishing, enforcing, or collecting support obligations.
- Penalties, remedies, or enforcement tools available to agencies and courts.
- Roles of agencies such as the Division of Social Services, child support enforcement, or the judiciary in handling support cases involving poor persons.
Key provisions and changes (inference based on title; exact text not provided)
- Potential updates to support liability or duties of dependents or noncustodial parents in support cases.
- Possible clarification of responsibilities for agencies administering public assistance in relation to support collections.
- Revisions to court procedures for establishing or modifying support orders, including timelines, notice, and enforcement.
- Adjustments to definitions used in support-related statutes (e.g., “poor person,” “public assistance,” or “duty to support”).
- Updates to penalties or remedies for noncompliance or fraud in the context of public assistance and support.
Who would be affected
- Recipients and recipients’ households receiving public assistance who are subject to support obligations.
- Parents or guardians obligated to pay child or spousal support within the state’s framework.
- State agencies involved in public assistance programs, child support enforcement, and related administrative processes.
- Courts and the judiciary handling support orders and enforcement actions.
Procedural and timeline considerations
- Status indicates initial introduction and committee assignment; no floor action or final passage details are available yet.
- If advanced, the bill would progress through committee hearings (likely the Health & Human Development Committee), potential amendments, and votes in the House, and then proceed to the Senate as applicable.
- Any enacted changes would take effect on a specified effective date, which would be stated in the bill text (e.g., a fixed date or upon passage).
Notes for readers
- The summary above reflects the bill’s stated purpose and the typical scope of amendments implied by the title. For precise provisions, definitions, and effective dates, the full bill text and committee staff analyses should be consulted when available.
- Given its assignment to Health & Human Development, expect provisions to intersect social services, welfare policy, and child support enforcement.
If you’d like, I can monitor updates and provide a section-by-section breakdown once the bill text is released or provide comparisons to current Delaware law in Titles 10 and 13 related to the duty to support poor persons.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
