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Advocate-privilege bill draws support from domestic-violence coalition
Summary
House Substitute 1 for HB213 would create a confidentiality privilege for communications between survivors and victim advocates, with sponsors saying the change aligns Delaware with federal grant rules and practice in roughly 39 states; Sue Ryan of the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence testified in support.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard House Substitute 1 for HB213, which would establish a privilege protecting confidential communications between survivors of domestic violence and trained victim advocates, with limited exceptions such as mandated reporting.
Senator Ford said the privilege would foster open communication between survivors and advocates, enabling advocates to provide better support and helping some providers qualify for federal grant funding tied to confidentiality protections.
Sue Ryan, executive director of the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, testified virtually in support of the bill. Ryan told the committee the coalition supports the substitute because it protects survivor-advocate confidentiality while retaining limited exceptions, and because the measure aligns Delaware with practices in 39 other states.
Senator Ford noted that communications with law-enforcement-based advocates are excluded from the privilege and said federal grant requirements such as those tied to the Violence Against Women Act informed the proposal.
The transcript records no committee vote on the substitute during this session. Public comment was otherwise absent for this item.
Next steps: the committee moved on and did not record a vote or formal referral on the bill in the provided transcript.
