The House Judiciary Committee voted 6-0 in favor of HB 134, a tiered animal cruelty bill that escalates penalties to a class F felony after two misdemeanor violations, but the bill fell short of the seven signatures needed for immediate committee release, leaving the sponsor to seek additional signatures before bringing it to session.
Representative Gorman raised a concern from an Office of Defense Services email about a Supreme Court case regarding 'the sequential existence of prior offenses' being a current question in Delaware. Representative Speakerman countered that the bill is modeled on DUI and PFA statutes in the Delaware code — statutes that the same email indicated the courts are not looking to change — and stated that if the courts need to revise HB 134, 'they'll come back and tell us.'
+ 2 more controversies
“Before we all collectively look bad in the papers, for somebody who does get caught doing this for a third time and gets a slap on the wrist again and we all look like we're asleep at the wheel, I thought that this should be the policy of the state.”
+ 4 more quotes
Subscribe to see all key actions, controversies, quotes, and what's next.
Sign in to subscribeJust be better citizens. Good morning. Good morning, Judiciary Committee. Welcome to the January 21, 2026 meeting. Members, please be aware there are microphones that are at your desk, so pick up conversations easily. The mics are connected to the live stream, so the public may watch the proceedings. So make sure that they're on when you want to speak and they're off when you do not want to speak. The House Judiciary Committee is called to order. In accordance with House rules, members of the public are able to participate either in person or virtually through web Zoom webinar. The public can participate virtually by registering through the meeting link posted on the General Assembly's website. Instructions for providing public comment are available on the website under this committee's meeting notice and will also be shared during the public comment portion of the hearing. Written comments may be submitted to House Committee commentellaware.gov and any comments received within 24 hours after the hearing will be included in the public record. All public comments must pertain to the subject matter of the bill. Members of the public physically present. Just a couple people. If you would like to speak, you…
Subscribe to unlock the full transcript, summary, and search across all Delaware committee hearings.
Sign in to subscribe