5/11/26 Legislative Update

Welcome back to the second of three weeks of legislative session this May. There are not as many big pieces of legislation being considered in committee this week, but there are a few things worth talking a bit more about.

Sponsored by WFP Champion Rep. Larry Lambert, HB 374 adds a much-needed reporting mechanism to public works projects. As we work to add more local hiring requirements to state projects, it is important to first have a better understanding of who is working on these projects. This legislation would require the Office of Management and Budget to prepare an annual report of who is actually working on the large public works projects in the state right now.

HB 387, which is actually sponsored by a Republican representative, would raise the eligibility cap for the state’s Purchase of Care program, which would mean that more working-class families would be eligible for subsidized child care. As the cost of living increases drastically across a variety of different areas, giving a helping hand to young parents who haven’t been eligible for this help before is a helpful stop-gap measure as the state hopefully works towards preparing a larger solution to the child care crisis.

One big piece of housing legislation to watch out for is SB 23, which would reform the way that county and municipal “comprehensive plans” work. It would beef them up and also require that they include plans to build more affordable housing, much of which is currently held up by slow-rolling at the planning level. This is not going to solve all of our affordability issues in the short-term, but it will hopefully be a helpful step in building more affordable housing long-term in a more sustainable way.

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 5/11:

Bill #	Sponsor	Summary/Description	Committee and Sign-Up
HB 374	Lambert	Public Works Reporting. Requires OMB prepare an annual report regarding hiring for state large public works projects with an aggregate cost of $3 million or more. The information in these reports will help identify if Delaware workers, particularly individuals who live near a state public works project, are being hired to work on these projects and for how many hours.	House Labor Tue, 5/12/26 1:00 PM JFC Hearing Room 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link
HB 387	Hilovsky	Increasing PoC Eligibility. Temporarily addresses Delaware's childcare crisis by gradually increasing Purchase of Care eligibility from 200% to 275% FPL over 5 years starting July 1, 2026, reducing benefit cliffs and supporting moderate-income families. It includes a sunset clause expiring June 30, 2031	House Health Wed, 5/13/26 11:30 AM House Chamber 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link
SB 276	Hansen	Limiting large loads on electric cooperatives. Electric cooperatives are not required to provide electric supply service to large load electric users with a projected monthly demand of more than 50MW. Electric cooperatives remain obligated to provide supply service to all customers in its service territory using less than 50MW.	House Natural Resources Wed, 5/13/26 4:00 PM House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link
SB 309	Siegfried	Protecting inmate pay from being deducted. Prevents the Department of Corrections from deducting pay from inmate accounts for a proportionate share of the costs of incarceration of inmates in the facility in which the inmate is housed.	Senate Corrections Wed, 5/13/26 10:00 AM Senate Hearing Room 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link
SB 308	Hansen	“Load Forecast Accountability Act.” Recent reports by PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM), have highlighted that electricity demand across the PJM footprint, including Delaware, is projected to grow due to data centers, electrification of vehicles and buildings, and other large load additions. This bill allows the Delaware Public Service Commission to provide oversight of load forecasting inputs, and requires an annual public report.	Senate Environment Wed, 5/13/26 11:00 AM Senate Chamber 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link
SB 23	Huxtable	Adding affordable housing to comprehensive plans. Aims to increase this State’s supply of housing for Delawareans by amending the requirements for comprehensive plans for New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties, giving them the force of law and requiring affordable housing plans for municipalities with populations of 2000 or greater.	Senate Housing Wed, 5/13/26 12:00 AM Senate Chamber 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link