1/26/26 Legislative Update

We are back at it for our legislative reports! This will be our only one this month before the legislature goes on break again for February, but there are a few important things that are being proposed around elections and labor rights this week.

The House Labor Committee has two important bills that are both sponsored by WFP legislators. The first is HS 1 for HB 84 from Rep. Eric Morrison, which bans “captive audience” meetings from employers. These meetings are historically used to keep employees from unionizing, but can also be used to force a whole other array of political and religious views, all of which would be prohibited by this bill. SB 26 from Rep. Frank Burns would allow an employee who is subject to a labor dispute, other than a lockout, to collect unemployment benefits after a 2-week waiting period.

A couple bills also propose some changes to the legislative process. HB 188 from Republican Rep. Mike Smith would move Delaware to open primaries, allowing voters who are currently unaffiliated to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries in September. While this would open up these choices for those who don’t feel represented by either of the two parties, it can be a double-edged sword — some of those voters are disenfranchised working people would likely support Working Families candidates, but some are more corporate-minded conservatives and moderates who would likely oppose Working Families candidates. 

HB 216 from Rep. Kim Williams would expand reporting requirements for third-party advertisers that are able to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in Delaware elections. Beyond prohibiting a sub-zero balance in financial reports to require all donations to be disclosed in the Delaware finance reports — that one might be about us, though you can see our donors here — it also would require non-person donors to include their controlling owners. This would unmask some of the functionally anonymous PACs that have dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into our elections over the past few cycles.

Make Your Voice Heard

See below for some of the most notable bills in committee this week and how to give public comment. For length and clarity, we are only putting bills that need the most public input below. Bills in green are bills we generally support, bills in red are bills we generally oppose, and bills in yellow are neutral or unknown. 

You can also check here for the full list of committee meetings and click “view” next to each meeting for the full agenda and additional information.

Bills coming up the week of 1/26/25:

Bill #	Sponsor	Summary/Description	Committee and Sign-Up
HS 1 for HB 84	Morrison/Walsh	Captive Audience. Prohibits employers from requiring meetings or communications the purpose of which is to convey the employer’s political or religious views, including views regarding unionization.	House Labor Committee Tues 1/27 at 1pm
SB 26	Brown/Burns	Allow an employee who is subject to a labor dispute, other than a lockout, to collect unemployment benefits after a 2-week waiting period, if the employee meets all the eligibility requirements for unemployment benefits, including being able and available for work and completing weekly job requirements.	House Labor Committee Tues 1/27 at 1pm
SB 213 w/ SA 1	Townsend	The Hospital Budget Review Act. As response to an agreement between the hospitals and Governor Matt Meyer, this legislation cuts back on the legal powers of the Hospital Review Board created in the 2024 legislative session.	House Administration Committee Wed 1/28 at 10:30am
HB 188	M. Smith/Buckson	Creates open primaries for unaffiliated voters only. This Act allows Delaware voters who are not affiliated with a political party to vote in a political party's primary election. Currently there are approximately 170,000 registered Delaware voters who are not affiliated with a political party. Members of a political party are not allowed to crossover and vote in another political party's primary election	House Elections Committee Wed 1/28 at 12:30pm
HB 216	K. Williams/Walsh	Requires more transparency regarding the source of funding for expenditures in Delaware election campaigns. Targets third-party advertisers for more disclosure requirements to have a clearer sense of who is spending money in Delaware elections.	House Elections Committee Wed 1/28 at 12:30pm
HB 233	Burns/Hansen	Higher energy rates for large energy users like data centers. This Act requires regulated utilities to establish a separate rate for large energy-use facilities that mitigates the risk of costs associated with expanding infrastructure and maintaining reliability in the face of growing demand from being shifted to residential, small business, and other electric customers.	House Natural Resources Committee Wed 1/28 at 4pm
SB 194	Poore/Morrison	More protections for warehouse distribution workers. This Act requires employers to provide each employee with a written description of any quota the employee may be subject to during their scope of employment. This Act prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to meet a quota that would prevent the employee from being able to have meal and rest periods as required by Department of Labor standards.	Senate Labor Committee Wed 1/28 at 12pm