6/15/26 Legislative Update

As the legislative session draws near to a close, the General Assembly is working through a number of bills, some in committee and some that have reached the House floor.

Several hold importance for the working families of Delaware, if not for all the people of this state, some of which are described below.  Topics include voter rights protections, data center development, wetlands protection, and the re-enfranchisement of convicted felons.  Many of these may be viewed as responses to the current national political environment generally and the injustices of the Trump administration specifically, and in that way take on a heightened importance.

HB 180 – Sponsored by Kerri Evelyn Harris, HB 180 is the first leg of a proposed constitutional amendment governing the re-enfranchisement and restoration of voting rights to convicted felons.  It would accomplish several important reforms, foremost among them removal of the General Assembly’s ability to impose forfeiture of suffrage as a criminal punishment.  This bill is out of committee and on the House floor.

HB 430 – Sponsored by Kerri Evelyn Harris, HB 430 would address the practice in some locales of permitting direct voting by corporations and other entities.  This bill is the first leg in developing a constitutional amendment to restrict voting in Delaware to natural persons and prohibit franchise from extending to private and nonprofit companies, organizations, etc.  This bill is out of committee and on the House floor.

HB 444 – Sponsored by Larry Lambert, work on HB 444 continues.  This bill would establish a “Delaware John Lewis Voting Rights Act” to protect the rights of voters in this state.  Specific additions include amendments to definitions for prohibited acts of voter suppression, dilution, intimidation, deception, and obstruction, as well as remedies for these adverse actions.

SB 9 w/ SA 1 – Sponsored by Stephanie Hansen, SB 9 would extend wetlands protections to wetlands no longer regulated at the Federal level and would introduce efficiencies into the wetlands permitting process that clarify the respective roles of the state and Federal governments.  It also creates a Wetlands Regulatory Advisory Committee.

SB 309 w/ SA 1 – Sponsored by Ray Siegfried, SB 309 would prevent the Department of Corrections from making deductions from inmate pay to offset the cost of incarceration in its facilities.

SB 312 – Sponsored by Nicole Poore, SB 312 prohibits state agencies, counties, and municipalities from entering into non-disclosure agreements that prevent public inquiry into and knowledge of the development of large-scale data centers (those using 100 megawatts of electricity or greater).

SS 1 for SB 5 – Sponsored by Bryan Townsend, SS 1 clarifies provisions of a proposed amendment to the state constitution intended to protect fundamental reproductive rights.  This bill is out of committee and on the House floor.

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 6/15:

Bill #	Sponsor	Summary/Description	Committee/Sign-up
HB 444	Lambert	Amendment to Delaware John Lewis Voting Rights Act Introduces several amendments to clarify prohibited voter suppression, dilution, intimidation, deception, and obstruction.	House Appropriations Tue 6/16/26 12:30 PM JFC Hearing Room 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom link
SB 312	Poore	Non-disclosure agreements and data center development Prohibits state agencies, counties, and municipalities from entering into non-disclosure agreements that would prevent public knowledge of large-scale data center development.	House Administration Wed 6/17/26 3:00 PM JFC Hearing Room 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom link
SB 9 w/ SA 1	Hansen	Protection of wetlands no longer regulated by Federal government Establishes a program to further protect wetlands formerly protected at the Federal level and establishes a Wetlands Regulatory Advisory Committee	House Natural Resources and Energy Wed, 6/17/26 4:00 PM House Majority Hearing Room (H217) 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom link
SB 309 w/ SA 1	Siegfried	Protection of inmate pay Protects inmate pay from being deducted by the Department of Corrections to offset the cost of their incarceration	House Corrections Thu 6/18/26 11:00 AM House Majority Caucus Room 411 Legislative Avenue Dover, DE 19901 Zoom link
HB 180	Harris	Re-enfranchisement of convicted felons First leg of a constitutional amendment regarding the re-enfranchisement and restoration of voting rights to convicted felons	House Floor Tuesday, 6/16/26
HB 430	Harris	Act to require only natural persons to vote in any election and prohibit artificial entities from voting. Prevents entities such as companies, nonprofits, and other non-human legal creations from voting in Delaware elections.	House Floor Tuesday, 6/16/26
SS 1 for SB 5	Townsend	Reproductive freedom rights First leg of a constitutional amendment regarding the establishment and protection of reproductive rights	House Floor Tuesday, 6/16/26