Delaware legislation · 153rd General Assembly
Delaware SB22: Fair Standards in Mental Health Care Act
Status: Signed into law, September 8, 2026
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE.
What the bill says
An act to amend title 18 of the delaware code relating to insurance coverage.
From the introduced text, April 22, 2026:
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE. Section 1. Amend Chapter 33, Title 18 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows and by redesignating accordingly: § 3343. Insurance coverage for serious mental illness mental health disorders and substance use disorders [For application of this section, see 81 Del. Laws, c. 29, § 3; and 82 Del. Laws, c. 199, § 3]. (a) Definitions. -- For purposes of this section: (1) "ASAM criteria" means the latest version of comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay, and transfer or discharge of patients individuals with addiction a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder established by the American Society of Addiction Medicine ("ASAM") for use in determining medically necessary treatment. . (3) "Drug and alcohol dependencies" means substance abuse disorder or the chronic, habitual, regular, or recurrent use of alcohol, inhalants, or controlled substances as identified in Chapter 47 of Title 16. (6) "Medication-assisted treatment" means the use of FDA-approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole patient approach to the treatment of drug and alcohol dependencies. (7) "Serious mental illness" means any of the following biologically based mental illnesses: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive …
Sponsors
- Bryan Townsend (D, 11) · primary sponsor
- Marie Pinkney (D, 13)
- Melissa Minor-Brown (D, 17)
- Eric Buckson (R, 16)
- Daniel Cruce (D, 1)
- Stephanie Hansen (D, 10)
- Russ Huxtable (D, 6)
- Brian Pettyjohn (R, 19)
- Nicole Poore (D, 12)
- Raymond Seigfried (D, 5)
- David Sokola (D, 8)
- Laura Sturgeon (D, 4)
Latest actions
- : Signed by Governor
- : Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT
- : Passed By House. Votes: 33 YES 2 NO 6 ABSENT
- : Amendment HA 1 to SB 22 - Passed In House by Voice Vote
- : Amendment HA 1 to SB 22 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
- : Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 4 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits
- : Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House
- : Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
- : Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 5 Favorable
- : Introduced and Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate
Votes
- Passed (2/3) (June 10, 2026): 20 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Passed (SM) (June 9, 2026): 33 yea, 2 nay, passed
- Passed (SM) (May 13, 2026): 21 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is SB22?
- SB22 is a bill in the Delaware Legislature (153rd General Assembly): Fair Standards in Mental Health Care Act.
- What does SB22 do?
- In its own words: An act to amend title 18 of the delaware code relating to insurance coverage.
- What is the status of SB22?
- Signed into law as of September 8, 2026. Latest action: Signed by Governor (September 8, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB22?
- Bryan Townsend (D, 11), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB22?
- On the Delaware Legislature website: https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=143161
Source: official Delaware record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.