Veterans (National Guard & Reserve)

This Act gives the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs discretion to allow interment of a member of the Delaware National Guard who served for less than 20 years.

This Concurrent Resolution encourages the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) to explore and make recommendations on the feasibility of establishing a veteran’s cemetery in Kent County, Delaware, and to submit a report containing those recommendations no later than January 1, 2027.

This Act provides an exemption from state income tax for the amount of income or compensation received for federally required annual training, drills and field exercises, or inactive duty training by an individual who is a member of the National Guard or a reserve component of the Uniformed Services of the U.S. The bill’s provision applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2026.

This Resolution pays tribute to the men and women of the Delaware National Guard for their service and sacrifices in support of defending our state and nation, and recognizes the outstanding advocacy provided by the National Guard Association of Delaware

This resolution designates December 6, 2025, as "Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Recognition Day" within Delaware. It formally honors veterans who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through a state-level observance. The bill does not create new laws or policies, but rather establishes an annual date for recognition. It affects Delaware's official calendar and state government activities, not specific individuals or programs.

This Act replaces the phrase "United States Armed Forces or of the National Guard" with "uniformed services of the United States," and defines "uniformed services of the United States" as meaning any of the 8 of the United States service branches and the National Guard. Usage of "Armed Forces" or "military" is often misunderstood to mean only the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Space Force, and United States Coast Guard. Using "uniformed services of the United States" more accurately includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corp. This Act makes clear that veterans all 8 services branches are qualified to obtain veteran designation on their driver licenses. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

The Delaware National Guard provides financial assistance to eligible service members for certain postsecondary education tuition and fees. Under the current education benefits program, the Delaware National Guard reimburses service members for tuition and fees the service members have already paid. But young service members often cannot take advantage of this program because they cannot afford to pay upfront for tuition and fees. This also hurts Delaware National Guard recruiting efforts because potential service members may choose to join National Guard programs in other states that do not require service members to pay upfront for tuition and fees. Keeping the Delaware National Guard fully staffed is essential to responding to state emergencies. Lack of staff also leads the Department of Defense to shift positions from the Delaware National Guard to other states that can recruit at higher levels than Delaware. This results in reduced mission capability in Delaware and less federal funding coming to Delaware.  This Act amends the existing code relating to Delaware National Guard education benefits by switching from a system that reimburses service members to a system that pays certain tuition and fees, on behalf of a service member, directly to a Delaware postsecondary institution. This change allows more service members to use education benefits, which will improve Delaware National Guard recruiting and retention, and enhance the professional education qualifications of its members. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual and clarifies that the tuition assistance provided for Delaware private postsecondary institutions is based on the average tuition for state-supported postsecondary institutions. This Act is effective immediately and is implemented on July 1, 2026, to allow updates to rules, regulations, and forms for the Delaware National Guard tuition assistance program.