This Act changes the name of the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee to "the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee." When the Committee was first codified in 1980, it was named the "the Joint Sunset Committee." In 2016, the Committee voted to change its name to "the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee." The Committee had "sunsetted" only 2 reviewed entities up to that point. Because "sunsetting" was only one of the Committee's many functions and used the function rarely, its name had grown confusing to the public. Adding "Legislative Oversight" more fully represented the Committee's purpose. Over the last 7 years, the Committee has reviewed 40 entities and "sunsetted" only 6 of them. In January 2026, the Committee voted to update its name to more accurately reflect its evolved purpose. Like most similar committees in other states, Delaware's committee has significantly downsized its focus on the "sunsetting" process in favor of conducting oversight and performance evaluation. This Act does not eliminate or lessen the Committee's authority to "sunset" an entity when a review demonstrates that doing so is the best outcome, and this Act does not amend the Committee's overall authority, focus, or purpose. This Act also makes a technical correction to the title of Chapter 102, Title 29.
This Act doubles the childcare and dependent care expense tax credit for resident households with federal adjusted gross income of less than $60,000 and makes that credit refundable, and differs from HS 1 by clarifying the credit is for residents only (as is the case currently), and corrects the means test of federal adjusted gross income threshold for taxpayers filing "joint" and "married filing separate combined" at $60,000. For all others, the tax credit remains unchanged.
Among other changes, this Act is a substitute for Senate Bill No. 220 and does all the following related to the Charter of the Village of Arden: (1) Adds a preamble to the Charter. (2) Amends the boundaries of the Village to include the Sherwood Forest Addition and the Mill Race Addition and, in Section 2 of this Act, makes clear the General Assembly’s inherent power to set the boundaries of a municipality. (3) Adds definitions of certain terms. (4) Provides that regular meetings of the Town Assembly are to be held at the Gild Hall or other suitable public physical or virtual venue in the village. (5) Clarifies and amends the procedures for Special Town Meetings. (6) Clarifies and revises the procedures for enacting, amending, and repealing ordinances. (7) Provides that a referendum may be called by a majority vote at a Town Assembly Meeting. (8) Adds a non-voting, alternate member to the Board of Assessors; removes a provision for the election of the Board of Assessors, which is transferred to an ordinance. (9) Requires the Board of Assessors to assess the community standard of living, in addition to the full rental value of leased lands. (10) Removes provisions for the election of the Budget Committee and the budget referendum voting process, which are transferred to an ordinance. (11) Updates language relating to responsibilities of the Budget Committee. (12) Provides that if a budget referendum fails, then the town will use the previous year's budget until a new budget can be approved. (13) Removes provisions relating to the election of the Registration Committee, which are transferred to an ordinance. (14) Revises the fines and penalties that may be imposed by a Justice of the Peace for violations of the Charter or village ordinances and revises the appeals process for convictions thereof. (15) Simplifies the Charter's provisions for town law enforcement officials. (16) Requires that town contracts must be witnessed by a second Village official, in addition to signed by the Chair of the Town Assembly. (17) Deletes the section of the Charter relating to fire, zoning, and housing codes, as those subjects are already handled by New Castle County. (18) Replaces gender-specific language with gender-neutral language. (19) Makes other, minor changes to the language of the Charter.
This Act changes the name of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to the Division of People and Culture. Renaming the division from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to People and Culture signifies a broader, more comprehensive approach to cultivating an inclusive and engaging workplace. The new designation underscores the focus on the overall employee experience, organizational culture, and people-centered initiatives. This change positions the division as a key contributor to both cultural development and organizational success.
This Act requires public schools serving grades 7 to 12 that issue pupil identification cards to print on either side of the card the following information, which previously was optional for the public schools: (1) Teen Dating Violence Hotline:1-866-331-9474 or Text “loveis” to 22522. (2) Stop Bullying Now Hotline: 1-800-273-8255(TALK). Sections 1 and 2 of this Act remove application dates from the previous enactments of laws related to information printed on pupil identification cards for public schools serving grades 7 to 12 and on student identification cards for public institutions of higher learning. These application dates could be interpreted to mean that the previous enactments of these laws were to be effective only during the stated school years. By removing these application dates and establishing the effective date in Section 5 of this Act, these laws will be effective on July 1, 2026. This Act also makes technical corrections in Sections 3 and 4 of this Act to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
House Bill 151 prohibits the operation of private detention facilities in the State of Delaware. This means that all detention facilities in the state must be publicly owned and operated, directly affecting any private entities currently operating or planning to operate such facilities.
This Act expands Delaware’s campaign finance disclosure requirements to provide more transparency regarding the source of funding for contributions to and expenditures made from political committees in the State. To that end this Act does the following: 1. Requires out-of-state committees that contribute more than $2,000 to a Delaware election (exempting contributions to candidates and political parties) to register with the State Election Commissioner (Commissioner). 2. Requires political committees to list any affiliated controlling entities on its statement of registration. 3. Increases the disclosure requirements to be placed on third-party advertisements by requiring the advertisement to display, if applicable, the name of a majority owner of the third-party advertiser, the responsible party, affiliated controlling entities, and the 5 persons who made the 5 largest aggregate transfers to the entity in the last 12 months. 4. Requires third-party advertisers to display a link to a website that lists all contributions to the third-party advertisement in excess of $100. Any contribution that is greater than $100 that is not from an individual must also include information on the contribution’s underlying funding source. 4. Prohibits all reports filed with the Commissioner from containing a negative balance so that the source of all funds are disclosed, including any loans. Substitute 1 to HB 216 makes the following changes: 1. Prohibits a foreign national or foreign-controlled entity from making a contribution, expenditure, independent expenditure, or electioneering communication in connection with any state or local election in the State. 2. Requires that all campaign finance reports disclose specific information about advertisements, including the name of the vendor or platform used, the medium used, a description of the advertisement, and the target audience. 3. Replaces the current link to the Election Commissioner’s website on third-party advertisements with a website to be “determined” by the Election Commissioner. 4. Requires that third-party party advertisements display the state of residence, incorporation, or registration of all persons disclosed on the advertisement itself and on the linked website containing additional disclosures. 5. Updates definitions to include modern modes of communication. 6. Changes the implementation date to July 1, 2028. 7. Makes technical changes to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act expands the definition of a “course of conduct” in the stalking statute and also provides that if the court finds as a matter of law that acts subject to this statute are in fact constitutionally protected activities, then all evidence associated with those activities must be excluded. This Act raises stalking under § 1312(c) from a class F to a class D felony. And also raises stalking under § 1312 (b) from a class G to a class E felony. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This bill formally designates May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month within the state. It is a symbolic measure that does not create new laws, allocate funding, or change existing regulations. The resolution serves to highlight the importance of mental health awareness during that specific month.
HCR 134 is a resolution that officially designates the last Monday of May as Memorial Day. This measure directly affects state government records and public observances by establishing a formal date for honoring military personnel who died in service. The bill was passed by both the House and Senate without requiring a formal vote count. Once enacted, it serves as a commemorative recognition rather than changing laws or regulations.
This resolution designates May 19-24, 2026, as “National Myopia Awareness Week” in Delaware to raise awareness about myopia, the leading cause of visual impairment, and the Delaware School Nurse Association’s Myopia Prevention Campaign.
This concurrent resolution designates May 2026 as "Lupus Awareness Month" in the State of Delaware and encourages expanded efforts to keep Delaware residents properly informed about Lupus symptom recognition and treatment.
