Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateDelawareEnacted
SB 325: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO FIRE PREVENTION.
Kyra Hoffner
SB 325 status: Enacted — Signed by Governor (updated Sep 3, 2026).
Source
LegiScan
Confidence
High
Analysis basis
LegiScan full bill text
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
75OUT OF 100
Score:75/100 civic fit
Risk:Moderate Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 60/100
Constitutionality85%
Bipartisan95%
Public opinion90%
Bill summary
This Act defines terms used in Chapter 66, Title 16 of the Delaware Code for clarity. It also provides the State Fire Prevention Commission with the authority to receive and review criminal history records of applicants and members to determine whether the applicant or member is prohibited from serving as a member of a fire company. An applicant or member is not qualified to serve as a member if the individual’s criminal history record includes a crime listed in this Act, including felonies, specified financial or property crimes, sex crimes, specified crimes against a victim who is acting in the lawful performance of the victim’s duty, or crimes involving controlled substances or designer drugs. This Act updates the criminal history record language in Chapter 66, Title 16 to ensure Delaware law meets the requirements of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in requesting federal criminal history records. This Act also makes technical corrections to make existing law conform to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
Mixed / Neutral
55%
Benefits
- Establishes uniform professional qualification standards for volunteers
- Reduces potential organizational liability through standardized vetting
- Promotes consistent record-keeping across disparate fire companies
Risks
- Increases administrative burden on small volunteer fire departments
- Potential costs for fingerprinting and background report processing
- Likely contraction of the volunteer labor pool due to stricter vetting
Society
Positive outlook
75%
Benefits
- Ensures public safety by vetting emergency responders
- Creates a clear and transparent path for appeals of denials
- Provides an 'extraordinary circumstances' waiver for rehabilitation
Risks
- May exclude reformed individuals who could have been effective volunteers
- Potential for disproportionate impact on rural communities with fewer volunteers
- Privacy concerns regarding the storage of sensitive criminal history data
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Positive outlook
80%
Benefits
- Formalizes oversight authority of the State Fire Prevention Commission
- Requires mandatory reporting of arrest records for ongoing monitoring
- Establishes a clear legal framework for disqualifying crimes
Risks
- Concentrates significant vetting power within the Commission
- Confidentiality of waivers reduces public transparency in some cases
- Potential for lack of transparency regarding specific waiver criteria
Public Health & Safety
Positive outlook
90%
Benefits
- Reduces risks of interpersonal violence within fire/EMS settings
- Ensures emergency responders meet strict character standards
- Protects the integrity of emergency services for community members
Risks
- Sudden removal of unqualified volunteers could create temporary staffing gaps
- Delayed response potential if personnel numbers drop significantly
- Focus on criminal record may ignore other critical behavioral indicators
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
LegiScan
Official bill text or data from LegiScan.
Confidence
High
Information is complete and verified.
Analysis basis
LegiScan full bill text
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
Volunteer organizations face significant administrative overhead to meet the 24-month compliance deadline.
Analysis scope
Does not account for local fire company bylaws that may be stricter than state law.
04
Where it stands
Official recordSigned by Governor
- IntroducedComplete
- CommitteeComplete
- Chamber votesComplete
- Final agreementComplete
- GovernorComplete
- EnactedComplete
05
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06
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