DELAWARE - As the Delaware General Assembly prepares for its last day of the legislative session on June 30, legislators are looking to pass several bills in the waning hours of the session. Legislators have an action-packed agenda for the final day of the session that includes bills concerning voting rights, the sale of energy drinks at schools, gun dealer oversight and more. Some of the bills that are set to be discussed and voted upon are below, but visit the General Assembly’s website for the full agenda.
House Bill 444
House Bill 444, or the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, has passed the House and is in a Senate committee for consideration. The bill would establish new voting rights protections, and looks to prevent voter suppression, vote dilution, voter intimidation and barriers to election access. The legislation would allow election policies to be challenged when resulting in unlawful voter suppression, language-access provisions and the ban of election policies that dilute votes.
House Bill 180
House Bill 180, which was passed by the House and is ready to be voted on in the Senate, would amend the state constitution by restoring voting rights to people convicted of felonies once they have completed their sentences. It would prohibit the legislature from permanently revoking voting rights as a punishment for a crime. Because the bill is a constitutional amendment, it must be approved by two consecutive General Assemblies.
House Bill 430
House Bill 430, passed by the House in mid-June, aims to require that only people be allowed to vote in elections, banning corporations from casting ballots. The bill comes amid the town of Fenwick Island being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union for allowing corporations to vote in municipal elections. The bill is out of committee and ready to be voted on in the Senate.
Senate Bill 306
Senate Bill 306 aims to amend the City of Rehoboth Beach’s charter and would bring several changes. The bill would remove mileage reimbursement for nonresident city commissioners, update the process for changing the salaries of the commissioners, require the city to reassess property at least every five years and remove some powers of the commissioners that were outdated. It was originally passed by the Senate, but the House amended the bill by removing required candidate qualifications for the city’s commissioners. Now the amended version has been sent to the Senate after being approved by the House.
Senate Bill 325
Senate Bill 325, which was passed by the Senate and now awaits consideration in the House, would require criminal background checks for applicants seeking to join fire or EMS organizations, as well as current members who interact with the public. It would also expand the State Fire Prevention Commission’s authority to review criminal history records and determine whether an applicant or member is prohibited to serve based on criminal offenses. An amendment to the bill makes only those convicted of a violent felony automatically disqualified. The amendment also exempts some members like inactive honorary members or those who do not participate in emergency response from mandatory background checks.
House Bill 445
House Bill 445 aims to require data centers to cover their own utility costs by forcing large energy users to generate or secure their own renewable energy supply. These facilities must produce enough in-state renewable power to cover their operations within their first 10 years of operations. After being passed by the House and then amended by the Senate, it awaits consideration in committee.
Senate Substitution 1 for Senate Bill 300
SS1 SB300, passed by the House and sent to the Senate, aims to create oversight over gun dealers. The bill would create a state licensing system for gun dealers and new inspection, reporting, training and security requirements. These requirements include new security measures like alarms, background checks for gun dealers and biyearly inspections by the state police. The final version of the bill also includes several amendments, including one that would allow licensed firearm dealers to continue participating in gun shows. It also allows dealers to use surveillance footage to defend themselves in legal proceedings.
House Substitute 1 for House Bill 415
HS1 HB415 would require veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse and neglect to the Office of Animal Welfare. It would also require veterinarians to complete mandatory regular training to help identify cruelty. It was passed in the House and is ready to be voted on in the Senate.
Senate Bill 349
Senate Bill 349, which was passed by the Senate and sent to committee in the House, would rename the Millsboro Bypass as the “Senator Richard S. Cordrey Bypass.” Cordrey is a former state senator who served as the president pro tem for 20 years and died in 2022. The bypass, a $140 million project, was opened in 2025.
House Bill 459
House Bill 459 prohibits the sale of energy drinks at public schools during school hours or after-school activities. Energy drinks are defined in the bill as drinks containing caffeine that are marketed towards providing energy and include ingredients such as vitamins or herbal additives. It has been approved by the House and is out of committee, ready for a vote in the Senate.
House Bill 398
House Bill 398, which has been passed by the House and sent to the Senate, allows the state’s horse racetracks to sell alcohol until 2 a.m., removing the ability of municipalities to set earlier times for the last call of selling alcohol at racetracks.
House Bill 433
House Bill 433, which has been passed by the House and sent to the Senate, allows counties and municipalities in the state to extend the alcohol service hours for bars, restaurants and clubs to 2 a.m., extending it from 1 a.m.
House Bill 373
House Bill 373 aims to regulate and tax non-alcoholic drinks that are infused with THC, an ingredient found in cannabis. It sets rules for selling these infused drinks, prohibits the sale of them to minors and sets a tax of $0.50 per container. It is ready for a vote in the Senate after being passed by the House.
