Rep. Cyndie Romer

Maddy summaryHCR 85 is a non-binding resolution renaming the Legislative Fellows Program to "The Jerome R. Lewis Legislative Fellows Program" to honor Dr. Jerome R. Lewis's service. It does not create new policies or affect any laws, as it is purely a recognition measure. The resolution was passed unanimously by both chambers on January 20, 2026, with no recorded opposition. This change formally recognizes Dr. Lewis's contributions to the program and the legislative process.

This Act defines, for purposes of this section, “county authority” as the Chief Financial Officer of the Office of Finance, the Director of the Department of Finance of Kent County, and the Finance Director of Sussex County. This Act expressly authorizes the county authority to compel the production of testimony and documentary evidence whenever a county relies upon, or defends its reliance upon, the income approach or cost comparison approaches to assess the fair market value of real property. This Act permits the enforcement of subpoenas by order of the Superior Court and permits use of the court’s contempt powers. This Act equates a corporate or business entity’s non-compliance with an order enforcing a subpoena under this section to abuse or misuse of corporate powers sufficient to permit the Attorney General to commence proceedings to revoke a corporate charter pursuant to Title 8 of the Delaware Code.

This Act prohibits discrimination in public schools, including school districts and charter schools, based on race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protective hairstyle, body size, pregnancy or childbirth or related conditions, disability, genetic information, socioeconomic status, familial status, immigration status, or housing status. Under this Act, the Department of Education is required to update its regulations to align the protected classes therein with those in the general non-discrimination provision created by this Act. In addition to creating this non-discrimination provision [§ 136 of Title 14], this Act also does the following: 1. Aligns the protected classes in § 506, pertaining to restrictions on charter schools, with the newly created non-discrimination provision in § 136 of Title 14. 2. Amends the definition of bullying in § 4161 of Title 14 to include written, electronic, verbal, or physical acts that target a student, a school district or charter school volunteer, or a school district or charter school employee based on the target’s membership in any protected class under the newly created non-discrimination provision in § 136 of Title 14, or based on the target’s age. 3. Aligns the protected classes included in paragraph (b)(2)f. of § 4164 of Title 14 with the additional protected classes included in the newly created non-discrimination provision in § 136 of Title 14. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Like House Bill No. 183, House Substitute No. 1 for House Bill No. 183 (Substitute) provides for special primary elections when there are special elections for vacancies in either house of the General Assembly. This Substitute differs from HB 183 because there is only 1 writ of election and this writ includes the dates for both the special primary election and the special general election. Under this Substitute, the procedure for special elections to fill a vacancy in the General Assembly is as follows: • The writ of election (writ) must be issued within 5 days of the creation of the vacancy and must provide the date of the special primary election, the date of the special general election, and the deadlines for candidates to file and withdraw. • The date of the special primary election must be between 35 and 40 days after the date of the writ and the date of the special general election must be between 35 and 40 days after the date of the special primary election. • If the special primary election is not necessary, the State Election Commissioner will provide notice in the same manner as when there is no contest for a regular primary election under § 3105 of Title 15. • Candidates have 5 days to file and must schedule the appointment necessary for a criminal history background check no more than 24 hours after the filing deadline. Like HB 183, this Substitute shortens the time between some steps in the current process. Under this Substitute, the special general election will only be between 35 and 40 days later than when the special election is held under current law. These time periods accommodate 10 days of early voting before the day of each special election and are feasible with current technology and practices. Early voting and absentee voting requirements and procedures remain the same as for regular elections. In addition, this Substitute modifies the procedure for special elections during a year with a general election. These modifications are consistent with current law and are necessary to avoid holding a special election that is too close to either the regular primary or general election to be feasible for the Department of Elections or to avoid holding multiple elections for the same office within a few months. Under this Substitute, in a year with a general election, special elections are modified as follows: • If the vacancy is for an office that is on the general election ballot and the date for the special primary election would otherwise be on or after May 15, special elections are not held and the vacancy is filled by that year’s primary and general elections. May 14 is the last day that there would be time to hold a special general election before the end of the regular legislative session. • If the vacancy occurs in a year with a general election but the vacancy is for an office that is not on the general election ballot, the dates for special elections are modified as follows: 1. If the date of the special primary election would be on or after May 15 and on or before the date of the primary election, the date of the special primary election is the same as the primary election and the date of the special general election is the same as the general election. 2. If the date of the special primary election would be after the date of the primary election, the date of the special primary election is 35 to 40 days after the general election and the special general election is held 35 to 40 days later. This Substitute also differs from HB 183 as follows: • During a year with a general election, May 14 is the last day a special primary election is held before the regular primary if the office being filled is not on the general election ballot. This date is changed from June 30 to be the same as when the office being filled is on the general election ballot. • Changes the deadline for a candidate's criminal history background check appointment from 48 to 24 hours after the filing deadline. • Fills a gap in current law by addressing the nomination of a candidate if no candidates of a party have filed for a legislative district that includes area in 2 counties and 1 of those counties does not have a county committee. • Revises the notice requirements to align with those requirements for regular primary and general elections. • Adds references to the general election laws applicable to special elections under § 7106 of Title 15. • Makes additional technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Maddy summarySCR 125 is a ceremonial resolution designating January 9, 2026, as "Law Enforcement Appreciation Day" in Delaware. It formally recognizes and honors law enforcement officers across the state through a designated day of acknowledgment. This resolution does not create new laws or alter policies; it solely serves to express state-level appreciation. The measure passed unanimously in both legislative chambers on January 13, 2026.

This Act decouples select provisions of Delaware’s tax code from provisions of Public Law 119-21, also known as the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA). Absent legislative action, most provisions of federal tax law are automatically incorporated into Delaware’s tax law. This Act does not eliminate depreciation of property or expensing, but instead modifies the timing of deductions that were impacted by the OBBBA. For corporations taxed as separate entities, commonly called “C corporations,” this Act does the following: (1) Continues expensing provisions for domestic research and experimental expenditures made after December 31, 2021, but on or before December 31, 2025, under the provisions in place before the OBBBA. (2) Decouples from the OBBBA provision for full expensing of certain business property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025. (3) Decouples from the special depreciation allowance for qualified production property. For individuals with business income such as an S corporation or a partnership, the following changes are made to Delaware’s personal income tax code, beginning January 1, 2026: (1) Decoupling from the OBBBA allowance for full expensing for certain business property acquired and placed in service after December 31, 2025. (2) Decoupling from the special depreciation allowance for qualified production property acquired and placed in service after December 31, 2025.

Pay range transparency empowers job applicants with crucial information to negotiate salaries and make informed career decisions. It also encourages businesses to proactively review compensation practices, address unjustified pay disparities, and strengthen their ability to attract and retain top talent. This Act requires that employers include salary or wage range information and a general description of benefits in all postings for job opportunities, and ensures that applicants have access to that information prior to any offer or discussion of compensation. Employers are required to maintain records relating to job descriptions and wage rates for employees for at least 3 years. The Department of Labor may bring an administrative action to enforce the pay transparency provision. This Act does not apply to employers with 25 or fewer employees. The Act takes effect 2 years after its enactment. House Substitute No. 2 to House Bill No. 105 differs from House Substitute No. 1 to House Bill No. 105 as follows: It provides that where a job opportunity is covered by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the compensation or compensation range disclosed in a notification should be one that has been agreed upon for disclosure in the CBA itself. It provides that the pay transparency provision becomes applicable to postings for opportunities covered by a CBA only when the CBA is amended, modified, or renewed after the effective date of the Act, to give the parties opportunity to consider the disclosed range in the course of negotiating a CBA. It provides that an employer is not liable for job postings that are digitally replicated and published without the employer’s consent. It specifies that the pay transparency provisions in this section apply to Delaware-based jobs or non-international remote positions offered by an employer based in Delaware. It makes the record preservation requirement consistent with § 907 of Title 19.

This Act creates a new chapter in Title 21 pertaining to the towing of vehicles without the consent of the owner or operator. It makes violations of the chapter an unlawful practice enforceable by the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice. The Act creates the following requirements for the towing and storage of vehicles without the consent of the owner or operator: Photographic evidence must be taken to document the unauthorized parking of a vehicle before it may be towed, and written authorization to tow a specific vehicle is required before the vehicle may be towed from a private parking area. Tow companies and storage facilities must publicly display their rates. Towing and storage rates must be reasonable, with reasonableness calculated in relation to the fees imposed by the companies for consensual towing and storage or based on average rates in the county. A maximum total towing rate of $250 and daily storage rate of $50 is imposed. Tow companies must decouple or drop vehicles that have not been removed from parking areas if the owner returns before removal. The drop fee may not be more than 50% of the tow fee. Storage facilities must be open or accessible to the public from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week, and tow companies must make reasonable accommodations to redeem vehicles after-hours. Individuals must be allowed to retrieve at no cost during business hours personal belongings from vehicles held in storage. Storage facilities may charge a fee of up to $50 for after-hours access to or retrieval of a vehicle. Tow companies and storage facilities must accept credit cards, or have an ATM available with a reasonable access or service fee. Where a tow is completed in violation of the chapter, the owner or operator is entitled to both reimbursement of the tow and storage fees as well as damages incurred to retrieve an illegally towed vehicle. Tow companies may not patrol for illegally parked cars, unless they have a contract to do so and comply with the requirements applicable to any other unauthorized towing of a vehicle. Tow companies may not pay or give other benefits to obtain information about cars parked without authorization.

HS 2 to HB 48 seeks to streamline accessible parking laws and improve enforcement of accessible parking laws in Delaware. Although federal and state laws currently require specific design and construction requirements for accessible spaces, these laws are often ignored and rarely enforced. To that end, this Act requires that a permit be issued by the local county or municipal authority to ensure that accessible parking spaces are compliant with the design and construction requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and any existing local laws. This Act permits a county or municipal government to assess a civil penalty of up to $500 on an individual or entity that does not construct and maintain ADA compliant parking spaces. This Act also increases the fine for unlawfully occupying an accessible parking space. Rather than imprisonment, the penalty for unlawfully occupying an accessible parking space may include community service. All accessible parking space signs must display the current maximum fine. HS 2 to HB 48 differs from HB 48 in that it does the following: (1) Requires state facilities to obtain approval through the Architectural Accessibility Board in lieu of a permit. (2) Removes state-specific accessible parking provisions of the bill and adopts the federal accessible parking provisions that are already in effect under the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design issued by the Department of Justice on September 15, 2010, and its accompanying guidance. (3) If an existing accessible parking space is not ADA compliant within 5 years of the effective date of this Act, authorizes a civil penalty to be assessed against the individual or entity that is responsible for maintaining the accessible parking space. (4) Requires that all accessible parking space signs display the current maximum fine for unlawfully occupying an accessible parking space.

The Delaware State Inspire Scholarship Program (Inspire scholarship) pays undergraduate tuition for 8 semesters at Delaware State University (DSU). Some students complete their undergraduate degrees in less than 8 semesters because they take heavier than average course loads each semester or because they earned college credits during high school. This Act aims to reward students for their hard work and provide additional access and opportunity for them to continue their higher education by allowing students to use the Inspire scholarship program towards additional levels of higher education if the student obtains their undergraduate degree before using all 8 semesters of eligibility. Specifically, this Act extends eligibility for Inspire scholarships as follows: 1. Under current law, most students may use Inspire grant money for up to 8 continuous semesters towards a bachelor's degree at DSU. This Act allows students who complete a bachelor's degree in less than 8 continuous semesters to use the remaining Inspire grant money towards a graduate degree program at DSU. 2. The Inspire scholarship program provides additional time for individuals who lived in foster care to complete an undergraduate degree. This Act makes corresponding changes to the eligibility for these individuals so that they also can use remaining Inspire grant money towards a graduate degree at DSU if they complete their undergraduate degree before exhausting the time available to do so. In addition, this Act modifies 2 requirements for eligibility for the Inspire scholarship program for students using the scholarship for a graduate degree program so that students may be enrolled on a part-time basis and are not required to maintain continuous enrollment. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.