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SB161 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.

Elections Privacy
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Last action
2026-06-23
Official status
SS 1 for SB 161 - Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 2 NO 1 ABSENT
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 TITLES 16 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.

What This Bill Does

  • AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.
  • This Act authorizes the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to issue licenses and adopt and enforce comprehensive regulations for behavioral health provider organizations and treatment programs.
  • It requires provider organizations to obtain licenses to operate behavioral health treatment programs, with exemptions for certain practitioners and programs.
  • It creates civil and criminal penalties for the provision of treatment services or the operation of programs without proper licensing or in violation of law or regulation.

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

  1. 2026-06-23 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 161 - Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 2 NO 1 ABSENT

  2. 2026-06-17 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 161 - Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 9 On Its Merits

  3. 2026-06-04 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 161 - Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House

  4. 2026-05-21 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 161 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT

  5. 2026-05-13 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 161 - Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 4 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits

  6. 2026-04-30 Delaware General Assembly

    Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 161

  7. 2025-05-21 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced and Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.
This Act authorizes the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to issue licenses and adopt and enforce comprehensive regulations for behavioral health provider organizations and treatment programs. It requires provider organizations to obtain licenses to operate behavioral health treatment programs, with exemptions for certain practitioners and programs. It creates civil and criminal penalties for the provision of treatment services or the operation of programs without proper licensing or in violation of law or regulation.

This Act also establishes rights for community clients such as freedom from abuse, neglect, and exploitation; privacy; individualized treatment plans; and participation in their care. Residential clients have additional rights, including communication, personal belongings, and voting assistance. In addition to client rights, it establishes duties for provider organizations, which include treating clients respectfully, providing clear information, maintaini