DELAWARE- New legislation introduced Wednesday in the Delaware General Assembly seeks to offer direct financial and emotional support to families who have lost a loved one to suicide.
House Bill 174, sponsored by Rep. Eric Morrison and co-sponsored by Sen. Russ Huxtable, would establish a new state fund to help families cover funeral costs, mental health counseling, temporary housing, and lost wages. The bill is modeled on the existing Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program, which helps families affected by violent crimes.
“When a loved one dies by suicide, many families carry not only the weight of their grief, but also the burden of unexpected financial costs,” Rep. Morrison said. “This fund won’t take away their pain, but it can provide a little help during an unimaginably difficult time.”
Currently, families of suicide victims are ineligible for support from VCAP because suicide is not classified as a crime under federal law. HB 174 would establish a parallel fund, using VCAP’s infrastructure to manage applications.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 49,000 people died by suicide in the United States in 2022 — about one death every 11 minutes. Delaware recorded 130 suicide deaths that year, with a rate of 11.4 percent.
The proposed funding plan for the program is a $0.12 monthly surcharge on telecommunications bills, totaling $1.44 annually per line — the same model used to support the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline enacted in 2023. The bill carries no fiscal note.
The legislation is named the “Elizabeth Barnes Act” in honor of a Delaware mother who died by suicide.