5/4/26 Legislative Update
The legislature is back this week, and with less than two months until legislative session ends on June 30, this is when we will see things move much more quickly and hopefully get some good policies passed that will help working families. There are a few notable bills up for consideration this week, and certainly more to come as we get closer to June.
Working Families champion Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton has reintroduced a bill to ban law enforcement from using reverse-keyword searches to target broad groups of people without evidence that those people have committed a crime. A previous version of this bill failed to pass last session, and the increase of law enforcement overreach and concerns about privacy make it even more crucial to pass this bill now.
Reverse-keyword court orders enable the government to obtain technology search data without identifying any specific person as to which there is probable cause to believe they have committed or will imminently commit a crime. Most people use online searches as part of their daily lives, so reverse-keyword searches allow the government to sweep in personal information about hundreds or thousands of people who are not suspected of having committed any crime. This is an invasion of privacy and has a potentially chilling effect on civil liberties.
HS 1 for HB 145 will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday at 10:30 am. This bill is supported by the American Civil LIberties Union, and you can send a message to your legislators through their website.
A bill to increase campaign finance transparency will also be heard this week. HS1 for HB 216 is sponsored by Rep. Kim Williams and makes several changes to make political donations to Delaware candidates more transparent. Among other things, this bill would:
Require that all campaign finance reports disclose specific information about advertisements, including the name of the vendor or platform used, the medium used, a description of the advertisement, and the target audience.
Require out-of-state committees that contribute more than $2,000 to a Delaware election (exempting contributions to candidates and political parties) to register with the State Election Commissioner
Require the advertisement to display, if applicable, the name of a majority owner of the third-party advertiser, the responsible party, affiliated controlling entities, and the 5 persons who made the 5 largest aggregate transfers to the entity in the last 12 months.
Require third-party advertisers to display a link to a website that lists all contributions to the third-party advertisement in excess of $100.
This bill will be heard in the House Elections Committee on Wednesday at 1pm.
Additionally, there are two bills from Senator Spiros Mantzavinos which aim to make Delaware the least transparent place to do crypto business in the world. These are mostly adaptations of federal legislation which the industry is currently trying to get passed in Congress, but has been unable to gain support for. SS1 for SB 16 w/ SA1 adds crypto into our state banking definitions and allows banks to use them, while SS2 for SB 19 creates a licensing framework for payment stablecoin issuers and digital asset service providers operating with or on behalf of Delaware residents. While these bills are pitched as modernization and regulation of the banking system, they actually represent a return to a pre-New Deal framework where the finance system is dangerously unmoored and ridden with scams. It would largely benefit a very small minority that hold major reserves of cryptocurrency and stablecoins, most notoriously many members of the Trump family. However, as with many issues in Delaware, most legislators do not understand it and therefore are likely to vote for the legislation regardless.
In the Senate, SB 302 and SB 303 (both sponsored by Senator Laura Sturgeon, will be heard in the Senate Education Committee Tuesday at 12:30pm. These bills establish the Public Education Funding Commission as a permanent body and authorize the Department of Education to begin implementing a hybrid funding model for Fiscal Year 2028. There has been discussion for decades about paths to make Delaware’s school funding more equitable, and this is a significant change in the model, so we will have to wait and see how this plan is implemented.
The Senate Executive Committee will also consider the Governor’s nominations for Inspector General (Robert P. Storch) and Chief Information Officer of the Department of Technology (Robert Osmond) on Wednesday at 2pm.
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 5/4:
| Bill # | Sponsor | Summary/Description | Committee and Sign-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| HS1 for HB 145 | Wilson-Anton | Reverse Keyword Search Ban. Prohibits law enforcement and courts from requesting, issuing, or enforcing reverse-keyword court orders and reverse-keyword requests | House Judiciary Wed, 5/6/26 10:30 AM House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link |
| HS1 for HB 216 | Williams | Campaign Finance Disclosures. Expands Delaware’s campaign finance disclosure requirements to provide more transparency regarding the source of funding for contributions to and expenditures made from political committees in the State. | House Elections Wed, 5/6/26 1PM House Majority Caucus Room 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link |
| HB 375 | Morrison | Gender Designations on Official Documents. Updates and streamlines requirements to make it easier for people to change and protect sensitive info regarding gender change documentation. | House Health Wed, 5/6/26 11:30 AM House Chamber 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link |
| SS1/SB 16 w/ SA1 | Mantzavinos | “Delaware Banking Modernization Act of 2026.” Addresses digital assets, expands the State Bank Commissioner’s authority, modernizes corporate governance and organizational requirements for state chartered banks and trust companies, facilitates interstate trust company operations and conversions, and expands the authority of out-of-state financial institutions to act as fiduciaries in Delaware. | House Economic Development Tue, 5/5/26 Noon House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link |
| SS2/SB 19 | Mantzavinos | “Delaware Payment Stablecoin Act” It creates a licensing framework for payment stablecoin issuers and digital asset service providers operating with or on behalf of Delaware residents. | House Economic Development Tue, 5/5/26 Noon House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link |
| SB 302 & SB 303 | Sturgeon | Public Education Funding Commission. SB 303 makes the Public Education Funding Commission permanent. SB 302 authorizes the Department of Education to begin making the changes to systems that are necessary to implement hybrid funding model for Fiscal Year 2028. | Senate Education Tue, 5/5/26 12:30 PM House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom Link |