HB168 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO NONCOMPLIANCE WITH SENTENCING.

Crime

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Griffith
Last action: 2026-04-22
Official status: Out of Committee 4/22/26
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official status shows the bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, but no effective date is provided yet.

HB168: New Rules for Breaking No-Contact Orders in Sentencing

This bill makes it a new crime to knowingly break a court order that says you cannot contact certain people while serving your sentence.

What This Bill Does

Makes breaking a no-contact rule from a felony sentencing order a Class G felony.
Makes breaking a no-contact rule from a misdemeanor-only sentencing order a Class A misdemeanor.
States that each time a person breaks the rule, it counts as a separate new charge.
Clarifies that courts can still use their existing power to punish people for violating probation.

Who It Names or Affects

People who have been sentenced in court and must follow no-contact orders.
Courts that handle sentencing and monitor compliance with those sentences.

Terms To Know

No contact provision: A rule in a court order that says one person cannot talk to, see, or reach out to another specific person as part of their sentence.
Class G felony: A type of serious crime under Delaware law with its own set of possible punishments.
Class A misdemeanor: A less serious crime than a felony, but still punishable by fines or jail time.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not say when it will officially become law because the effective date is listed as empty.
The text does not list specific punishments like how many years in prison for these new crimes, only their class names.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA 1

1 • Griffith

Passed 6/26/25

Plain English: This amendment changes the law so that only the Delaware Superior Court can handle cases involving noncompliance with sentencing rules.

Only the Superior Court will have the power to hear and decide on violations of this specific section.

SA 1

1 • Poore

PWB 4/8/26

Plain English: This amendment cancels a previous change made by the House of Representatives to remove it entirely from the bill.

It deletes House Amendment No. 1 completely so that its changes do not become part of the law.

The text does not explain what specific rules were in House Amendment No. 1, only that it is being removed.
Because the content of the deleted amendment is missing from this document, we cannot describe exactly which sentencing noncompliance rules are affected.

Bill History

2026-04-22 Delaware General Assembly
Reported Out of Committee (Executive) in Senate with 6 On Its Merits
2026-04-09 Delaware General Assembly
Amendment SA 1 to HB 168 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
2025-06-26 Delaware General Assembly
Amendment HA 1 to HB 168 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
2025-06-26 Delaware General Assembly
Amendment HA 1 to HB 168 - Passed In House by Voice Vote
2025-06-26 Delaware General Assembly
Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 1 NO 1 ABSENT 1 VACANT
2025-06-26 Delaware General Assembly
Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate
2025-06-11 Delaware General Assembly
Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 1 Favorable, 8 On Its Merits
2025-05-15 Delaware General Assembly
Introduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO NONCOMPLIANCE WITH SENTENCING.
This Act makes it a class G felony if a person breaches a no contact provision of the person's sentencing order, where the sentence was for 1 or more felonies. This Act also makes it a class A misdemeanor if a person breaches a no contact provision of the person's sentencing order, where the sentence was for 1 or more misdemeanors and no felonies.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Griffith & Sen. Poore

Reps. Gorman, Hilovsky, K. Williams; Sens. Buckson, Cruce, Hansen

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 168

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO NONCOMPLIANCE WITH SENTENCING.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend Subchapter VII, Chapter 5, Title 11 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 1312B. Noncompliance with sentencing order conditions of no contact.

(a) If a defendant knowingly breaches any condition of a no contact provision of the defendant’s sentencing order, that breach is a new crime and each breach is a separate charge. On conviction for a breach, the defendant is punished as follows:

(1) If the defendant breached a no contact provision of a sentencing order that was for at least 1 felony charge, the defendant is guilty of a class G felony.

(2) If the defendant breached a no contact provision of a sentencing order that was for at least 1 misdemeanor charge, the defendant is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

(b) Nothing in this section may interfere with or prevent any court from exercising that court’s power to punish for violations of probation

.

SYNOPSIS

This Act makes it a class G felony if a person breaches a no contact provision of the person's sentencing order, where the sentence was for 1 or more felonies. This Act also makes it a class A misdemeanor if a person breaches a no contact provision of the person's sentencing order, where the sentence was for 1 or more misdemeanors and no felonies.