HB 415 DE
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 16 AND 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO VETERINARIANS AND MANDATORY REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
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Summary
Delaware House Bill 415 requires all veterinarians to report suspected animal cruelty to the Office of Animal Welfare or the appropriate enforcement authority. Veterinarians must complete mandatory reporting training every six years and certify their training completion when applying for or renewing their license. Reports made by veterinarians are kept confidential, and enforcement agencies must protect the identity of reporting veterinarians. The Board of Veterinary Medicine may impose disciplinary sanctions against veterinarians who fail to comply with these reporting requirements.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill (from the OpenStates abstract — no full text available yet) — neutral, and may be imperfect.
Official abstract
This Act requires that all veterinarians report any suspected cruelty to animals to the Office of Animal Welfare or the appropriate reporting authority. Veterinarians must complete mandatory reporting training every 6 years and attest that they have completed mandatory training in any application for licensure or licensure renewal. The Board of Veterinary Medicine may impose disciplinary sanctions for violations of this Act. All reports provided by a veterinarian under this Act are confidential and may only be disclosed under specific circumstances. Under this Act, the Office of Animal Welfare and any other enforcement agency responsible for investigating animal abuse must adopt confidential procedures to protect the identity of the veterinarian making a report.
Sponsors (9)
- Krista Griffith Democratic · primary
- David L. Wilson Republican · primary
- Brian Pettyjohn Republican · primary
- Nicole Poore Democratic · primary
- Melanie Ross Levin Democratic · primary
- John "Jack" Walsh Democratic · primary
- Josue O Ortega Democratic · primary
- Claire Snyder-Hall Democratic · primary
- Kerri Evelyn Harris Democratic · primary
Action history (8)
- Jun 11, 2026 Adopted in lieu of the original bill HB 415, and Assigned to Sunset Committee (Policy Analysis & Government Accountability) Committee in House · lower
- Jun 16, 2026 Reported Out of Committee (Sunset Committee (Policy Analysis & Government Accountability)) in House with 2 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits · lower
- Jun 16, 2026 Reported Out of Committee (Sunset Committee (Policy Analysis & Government Accountability)) in House with 2 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits · lower
- Jun 18, 2026 Passed By House. Votes: 41 YES · lower
- Jun 18, 2026 Assigned to Legislative Oversight & Sunset Committee in Senate · upper
- Jun 24, 2026 Reported Out of Committee (Legislative Oversight & Sunset) in Senate with 3 Favorable · upper
- Jul 1, 2026 Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT · upper
- Jul 23, 2026 Signed by Governor · executive
Full text
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