HB276 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THEFT.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Cooke
Last action: 2026-05-06
Official status: Out of Committee 5/6/26
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THEFT.

What This Bill Does

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THEFT.
This Act permits the value of items stolen at separate times to be grouped and prosecuted as one charge, if the thefts were part of a pattern.
It also allows the occurrence of an act in one jurisdiction to be used as evidence of a pattern being charged in another jurisdiction.
This Act also makes technical corrections to existing law to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-05-06 Delaware General Assembly
Reported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 8 On Its Merits
2026-04-22 Delaware General Assembly
Not Worked in Committee
2026-01-21 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 THEFT.
This Act permits the value of items stolen at separate times to be grouped and prosecuted as one charge, if the thefts were part of a pattern. It also allows the occurrence of an act in one jurisdiction to be used as evidence of a pattern being charged in another jurisdiction.
This Act also makes technical corrections to existing law to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Cooke & Sen. Poore & Sen. Hocker

Reps. Collins, Osienski, Ross Levin, Yearick; Sens. Richardson, Seigfried

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 276

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THEFT.

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

Section 1. Amend § 841, Title 11 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 841. Theft; class B felony; class D felony; class F felony; class G felony; class A misdemeanor; restitution.

(c) (1) Except where a victim is 62 years of age or older, or an “adult who is impaired” as defined in § 3902 of Title 31, or a “person with a disability” as defined in § 3901(a)(2) of Title 12, theft is a class A misdemeanor unless the value of the property received, retained or disposed of is $1,500 or more, in which case it is a class G felony.

(2) Where a victim is 62 years of age or older, or an “adult who is impaired” as defined in § 3902 of Title 31, or a “person with a disability” as defined in § 3901(a)(2) of Title 12, theft is a class G felony unless the value of the property received, retained or disposed of is $1,500 or more, in which case it is a class F felony.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraphs (c)(1) and (2) of this section:

a. Where the value of the property received, retained or disposed of is more than $50,000 but less than $100,000, theft is a class D

felony;

felony.

b. Where the value of the property received, retained or disposed of is $100,000 or more, theft is a class B felony.

(4) For purposes of this section, a series of related thefts committed in a continuing course of conduct by a person or group of persons may be aggregated into 1

count or charge, with the sum of the aggregate value of the property being the value considered in determining the degree of theft. A continuing course of conduct is

a pattern of actions composed of more than 1 act over a period of time, regardless of duration. Acts indicating a course of conduct that occur in more than 1 jurisdiction of this State may be used by any other jurisdiction in which an act occurred as evidence of a continuing pattern of conduct or a course of conduct.

SYNOPSIS

This Act permits the value of items stolen at separate times to be grouped and prosecuted as one charge, if the thefts were part of a pattern. It also allows the occurrence of an act in one jurisdiction to be used as evidence of a pattern being charged in another jurisdiction.

This Act also makes technical corrections to existing law to conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.