3/16/26 Legislative Update
We are back for another week in legislative hall, and while there are fewer big bills than there were last week, the few that are being heard are potentially very big deals. Read below to hear more.
Before we talk about this week, here are a few updates on labor and elections related bills that passed from committee last week:
HS 1 for HB 84 (Rep. Eric Morrison) passed the Labor Committee. This bill would ban “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.
Next Step: Vote by the full House
SB 26(Rep. Frank Burns) also passed the Labor Committee. It 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.
Next Step: Vote by the full House
HB 188 (Rep. Mike Smith) is a bill that would allow voters who are currently unaffiliated to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries. This bill passed committee also, although good points were made that Republicans have held up same-day registration and no-excuse absentee voting, which have been proven solutions to increase voter access, along with ranked-choice voting.
Next Step: Vote by the full House
SB 241 from Senator Walsh would require Project Labor Agreements for public works projects with a cost of $5 million or more unless the project receives federal funding, the project is for highway construction, or there was only 1 bid for the craft under the contract. A project labor agreement is a type of collective bargaining agreement in the construction industry that is generally negotiated before construction begins. Project labor agreements are intended to provide a legally binding and enforceable contract primarily related to labor conditions and labor-management relations. This bill also passed out of the Senate Labor Committee.
Next Step: Senate Finance Committee Hearing.
Perhaps the biggest bill that will be heard in committee this week is Senate Bill 1, which you may have already heard from the barrage of negative ads that the Delaware Healthcare Association began running in the past two weeks. This is a very complicated piece of legislation, but the headline is that it will limit how hospitals will be reimbursed from state-regulated health insurance plans. It is part of a long fight that goes back to the failed attempt to bring Medicare Advantage to Delaware, and went through the passage of House Bill 350 and its subsequent gutting after a Supreme Court challenge. We’ll have more information about this soon, as we want to give the most accurate and fair summary we can.
Beyond that, there are a few smaller pieces of legislation being considered this week, expanding insurance coverage and child care credits, but also potentially subsidizing dirty energy over clean energy.
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 the Week of 3/16
| Bill # | Sponsor | Summary/Description | Committee and Sign-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB 1 | Townsend | Primary Care Insurance Updates. Among other things, the Act does the following: Provide that the Health Care Commission, in coordination with the Primary Care Reform Collaborative, will monitor compliance of primary care providers with value-based care delivery models. Extends current cost containment calculations to rate filing year 2027. In rate filing year 2028 and thereafter, it specifies that cost per service for health benefit plans may not exceed 250% of Medicare reimbursement for comparable services, or a rate further delineated by regulation for similar services, unless operating under a federal or state global budget model approved by the Department. | Senate Health Wednesday, 3/18/26 10:00 AM Senate Chamber 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Register for the Meeting |
| HS 1 for HB 200 | Chukwuocha | HIV prevention insurance coverage. Requires health insurance coverage for pre-exposure prophylaxis (“PrEP”) medication and post-exposure prophylaxis (“PEP”) medication effective for insurance policies starting in 2028. |
House Economic Development Tuesday, 3/17/26 12:00 PM House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Register for the Virtual Meeting |
| HS 1 for HB 274 | Ross Levin | Child Care Expense Tax Credit. Increases the state child and dependent care expense tax credit from the current 50% match to a full 100% match with the federal child and dependent care expense tax credit. The substitute is different from House Bill No. 274 in that it makes this increase applicable to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027. | House Revenue Wednesday, 3/18/26 1:00 PM House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Register for the Virtual Meeting |
| HB 186 | Hensley | Creates a new tax credit to incentivize the construction and operation of Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine power plants. This bill could end up costing the state up to $15m in corporate tax credits per facility (up to $45m/year). Mitigation of environmental impacts of these notional new facilities is not discussed. | House Revenue Wednesday, 3/18/26 1:00 PM House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Register for the Virtual Meeting |