HB 468 DE Became Law
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO EMERGENCY SERVICES.
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Summary
This Act modernizes Delaware’s emergency communications infrastructure by transitioning the State’s legacy Enhanced 911 (E911) system to a Next Generation 911 (NG911) system and updating the funding structure needed to support a statewide emergency communications network. Delaware’s current E911 system is funded through a monthly surcharge of $0.60 per telephone line, which has remained unchanged since 2001. This Act also authorizes periodic adjustments or scheduled increases in the surcharge to account for inflation, technological upgrades, and the growing operational costs associated with maintaining a modern emergency communications system. The transition to NG911 will allow Delaware’s public safety answering points (PSAPs) to support modern communications technologies, including text-to-911, multimedia communications, improved geolocation capabilities, and enhanced data sharing with first responders. These capabilities require significant upgrades to network infrastructure, cybersecurity protections, geographic information systems (GIS), and redundancy to ensure reliability during emergencies. Revenue generated by the updated surcharge structure will be deposited into the 911 System Fund and used for costs associated with planning, deploying, operating, and maintaining the statewide NG911 system. Eligible expenditures include network infrastructure, call handling equipment, software systems, cybersecurity protections, GIS data management, training of emergency communications personnel, and other costs necessary to operate a modern statewide emergency communications system. By establishing a sustainable funding mechanism and enabling the transition to NG911, this Act ensures that Delaware’s emergency communications system can meet current and future public safety needs, improve response times, and provide residents with access to modern emergency communication capabilities. Finally, this Act makes technical changes to existing statutory language to conform with the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Sponsors (8)
- William Bush Democratic · primary
- Daniel B. Short Republican · primary
- Nicole Poore Democratic · primary
- Stell Parker Selby · primary
- Franklin D. Cooke Democratic · primary
- Josue O Ortega Democratic · primary
- David L. Wilson Republican · primary
- Claire Snyder-Hall Democratic · primary
Action history (10)
- Jun 9, 2026 Introduced and Assigned to Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee in House · lower
- Jun 16, 2026 Reported Out of Committee (Public Safety & Homeland Security) in House with 5 On Its Merits · lower
- Jun 16, 2026 Reported Out of Committee (Public Safety & Homeland Security) in House with 5 On Its Merits · lower
- Jun 17, 2026 Amendment HA 1 to HB 468 - Introduced and Placed With Bill · lower
- Jun 18, 2026 Amendment HA 1 to HB 468 - Passed In House by Voice Vote · lower
- Jun 18, 2026 Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 3 ABSENT · lower
- Jun 18, 2026 Assigned to Corrections & Public Safety Committee in Senate · upper
- Jun 24, 2026 Reported Out of Committee (Corrections & Public Safety) in Senate with 5 Favorable · upper
- Jun 30, 2026 Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES · upper
- Jun 30, 2026 Signed by Governor · executive
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