2026 Legislative Session Recap: 153rd General Assembly

By Evan R. Park

The 153rd General Assembly concluded as the sun rose this morning, marking the end of the first General Assembly under Governor Matt Meyer. After what some would consider a tumultuous first year in office, Governor Meyer, for the first time, was able to develop and introduce his own Governor's Recommended Budget, outlining his legislative priorities. While much of the attention centered on education and healthcare spending, there was plenty that mattered to Delaware's business community.

The second leg of the 153rd General Assembly convened on January 13, 2026, with lawmakers prioritizing several high-impact issues, including hospital budget oversight, reforms to New Castle County's nonresidential property assessments, education funding changes aligned with the Redding Consortium's recommendations,  review of the Governor’s Recommended Budget, and veto overrides of Senate Bills 63 and 75. 

The Governor's Recommended Budget totaled $6.94 billion in General Fund spending. It's a fiscally cautious plan, with appropriations set at 98% of projected revenue while the State's rainy-day reserve, the Budget Stabilization Fund, stays steady at $469.3 million. Translation: this is largely a "stay the course" budget rather than a dramatic policy shift. 

In total, 591 bills and resolutions were introduced during the 2026 legislative session. The State Chamber closely monitored 77 key bills, taking formal positions on 30 (15 in support and 15 in opposition), gathering member feedback, testifying at committee hearings, and proposing amendments to ensure the unified voice of Delaware's business community was heard.

​A few of the pieces of legislation the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce supported and was most actively engaged on included Sen. Spiros Mantzavinos' banking modernization package (Senate Bills 16, 18 and 19), Sen. Russ Huxtable's Senate Bill 23 to increase the supply of affordable housing, Sen. Bryan Townsend's Senate Bill 280 addressing gift card theft at retail stores, and Sen. Darius Brown's Senate Bill 315 updating the Delaware Technical Innovation Program.

Through thoughtful collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders and policymakers, the Delaware State Chamber successfully opposed several proposals, including Sen. Dave Walsh's Senate Bill 272, which would have expanded Project Labor Agreement (PLA) requirements for school district public works contracts; Rep. Cyndie Romer's House Bill 306 related to chatbots; Rep. Kim Williams' House Bill 315 related to interchange fees; and House Bill 417, which would have provided gross receipts tax relief only to certain restaurants. Despite our coordinated efforts, several bills the Delaware State Chamber opposed ultimately passed both chambers, most notably House Bill 380 related to data privacy, as well as several energy and environmental measures that we believe do not position Delaware as welcoming to economic development, with Senate Bill 326 serving as a prime example.

​The General Assembly also passed a $6.9 billion operating budget for FY27 (Senate Bill 335), along with a $146.2 million one-time supplemental budget (Senate Bill 336), and and almost $1.3 billion Bond and Capital improvements budget (House Bill 500). Governor Meyer has now since signed the budget. 

Below is a complete list of all the pieces of legislation that the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce engaged in during the 2026 legislative session.  While some of the bills mentioned early got the majority of our focus there were several others that we monitored that represent out legislative priorities.  
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OVERVIEW OF KEY BILLS: 

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SB 16, SB 18 & SB 19: Banking Modernization
Modernizes Delaware's banking laws by updating legal frameworks for digital assets, financial technology, and emerging financial services to help position Delaware as a leader in the evolving financial sector.

Status: Ready for Governor Action
State Chamber Position: Support

​SS 2 for SB 23: Housing Supply and Housing Affordability
Increases Delaware's housing supply by encouraging local zoning reforms and providing tools to expand housing development while allowing local governments flexibility in implementation.

Status: Ready for Governor Action
State Chamber Position: Support

​SB 272: PLAs for School District Construction Projects
Requires school district public works projects costing $1 million or more to include a project labor agreement with the Delaware Building and Construction Trades Council, unless only one bid is received for a particular craft.
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Status: Defeated
State Chamber Position: Opposed

SB 280: Gift Card Fraud
Creates new criminal offenses related to gift card theft, tampering, and fraud to address the growing prevalence of gift card scams.

Status: Ready for Governor Action
State Chamber Position: Support

HB 306: AI Disclosure
Requires businesses to disclose when consumers are interacting with a computer rather than a human during commercial transactions and creates a private right of action for violations.

Status: Defeated
State Chamber Position: Opposed

SB 315: Delaware Technical Innovation Program
Authorizes the Division of Small Business to provide matching or supplemental grant funding to Delaware small businesses that receive federal SBIR or STTR awards to support research, development, commercialization, and economic growth in the state.

Status: Ready for Governor Action
State Chamber Position: Support

HB 315: Interchange Fees
Prohibits the collection of interchange fees on the gratuity portion of credit and debit card transactions.
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Status: Defeated
State Chamber Position: Opposed

​HB 380: Personal Data Privacy
Updates Delaware's Personal Data Privacy Act by expanding applicability, modifying exemptions, adding contracting and due diligence requirements for data sharing, and aligning Delaware law with other states' privacy laws.

Status: Ready for Governor Action
State Chamber Position: Opposed

​HB 417: Restaurant Gross Receipts Tax
Increases the Gross Receipts Tax deduction for eligible restaurants, raising the monthly deduction from $100,000 to $250,000 and the quarterly deduction from $300,000 to $750,000, while leaving the tax unchanged for other businesses.​

Status: Defeated
State Chamber Position: Opposed

Bills Signed by Governor and Resolutions

• HCR 144 – Repurposing Underutilized Public Facilities | State Chamber Position: Support
• HB 195 – Lowering Bartending Age | State Chamber Position: Support
• HB 400 – Updating LLC Fees | State Chamber Position: Neutral 

Bills Headed to Governor for Signature

• ​​HB 233 – Large Energy Use Facilities | State Chamber Position: Opposed
• HA 1 to SB 315 – Delaware Technical Innovation Program | State Chamber Position: Support
• SB 326 – Public Service Commission Code | State Chamber Position: Opposed
• HB 402 – Clean Air Act Title V Operating Permit Program | State Chamber Position: Support
• HB 407 – Hazardous Substances Cleanup Act | State Chamber Position: Support
• HB 413 – Green Lights | State Chamber Position: Support

• HB 445 – Large Energy Use Facilities | State Chamber Position: Oppose
• HB 447 – Child Care Affordability | State Chamber Position: Support
• HS 1 for HB 450 – ROAD-DE Act (Land Use & Permitting Reform) | State Chamber Position: Support
• HB 456 – Subaqueous Lands Permitting Process | State Chamber Position: Support

Bills That Didn’t Make It Through This Year

• HB 211 – Innovating Delaware Act (Business Accelerator Tax Credit) | State Chamber Position: Support
• SB 241 – Project Labor Agreements for Public Works Projects | State Chamber Position: Oppose
• HB 286 – Realty Transfer Tax Reduction | State Chamber Position: Support
• SB 338 – Telecom Infrastructure | State Chamber Position: Oppose
• HB 394 – Purchase and Sale of Energy Drinks | State Chamber Position: Oppose
• HB 396 – Caffeine Disclosure Requirements | State Chamber Position: Oppose
• HB 416 – Realty Transfer Tax Reduction | State Chamber Position: Support
• HB 432 – Delaware Healthcare Apprenticeship Degree Program | State Chamber Position: Support
• HB 440 – Constitutional Amendment Process | State Chamber Position: Oppose
• HB 453 – Surveillance-Based Pricing Discrimination | State Chamber Position: Oppose
• HB 454 – Individuals Experiencing Homelessness | State Chamber Position: Oppose

WHAT'S NEXT?

With the 153rd General Assembly now adjourned, attention turns to the 2026 election season. Eight members of the General Assembly are retiring at the end of their terms: Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola and Sen. Dave Lawson, and Reps. Debra Heffernan, Ron Gray, Rich Collins, Kevin Hensley, Charles Postles, and Jeff Hilovsky. We congratulate each of them on their public service and wish them all the best in retirement.

Because this marks the end of the two-year legislative session, any bill that did not pass both chambers will need to be reintroduced when the 154th General Assembly gavels into session on January 12, 2027. Throughout the legislative offseason, the Delaware State Chamber will continue working with members and policymakers to identify priorities and advance policies that strengthen Delaware's business climate ahead of next year's session. Please email me at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.