Legislative Priority

General Assembly Resumes: Key Bills, Executive Orders, and Budget Concerns

BY TYLER MICIK

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY returns to session this month following a five-week break for Joint Finance Committee (JFC) hearings. Prior to the break, several business-related bills and resolutions were introduced and saw movement, such as SB 46, HB 13, and SCR 12.

Of note, SCR 12 establishes a Retail Crime Prevention Task Force, on which the State Chamber has a seat. The group will examine and recommend courses of legislative, regulatory, operational, and judicial action that consider or address retail crime broadly. The co-chairs of the task force are directed to compile a report containing a summary of its work regarding the issues assigned to it, including any findings and recommendations, no later than Feb. 1, 2026. The State Chamber looks forward to serving on the task force and is grateful for the opportunity to help provide meaningful solutions to combat organized retail crime—which is a top priority of the Delaware Retail Council, an affiliate of the State Chamber and the National Retail Federation.

Governor Meyer also issued a couple of key executive orders that the State Chamber supports, including Executive Order (EO) #1 and Executive Order #4. EO #1 establishes a statewide working group tasked with developing proposed processes and policies to expand youth apprenticeships and workforce development across the state. EO #4 establishes a working group to develop a plan to create a “one-stop shop” for projects in all three counties to streamline permits and licenses.

While the actions above are good news for businesses, challenges lie ahead. At the time of this writing, the Joint Finance Committee finished its first week of budget hearings, during which concerns were raised about the state’s budget, which some claim is growing unsustainably. Governor Meyer is expected to release his recommended budget in March. Until then, the JFC is working off former Governor Carney’s FY 26 recommended budget, which he released in early January before resigning. His recommended budget totaled $6.5 billion—a 6.9% growth over this year’s FY 25 budget. The costliest items were public education and healthcare (including Medicaid), which account for over half the budget.

This, combined with the uncertainty around what’s happening nationally regarding tariffs, federal funding freezes, and statements of intent from a few notable CEOs to reincorporate their companies outside Delaware, is raising feelings of uncertainty among businesses, policymakers, and consumers alike. I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: We’re in a time of uncertain and uncharted economic territory. In good economic times, policy decisions can afford to be “roughly right,” but in times like the present, policy decisions must be more accurate than ever before. This includes decisions like the ones mentioned above, as well as the state’s budget.

Over the next few months, the State Chamber looks forward to working with policymakers to support our members. It’s our goal to support policies that solve businesses’ needs and provide them with the predictability they are looking for so that Delaware can thrive and remain a competitive place to do business. To stay up to date on what’s happening in Dover or join one of our policy committees, contact me at tmicik@dscc.com.

Tyler Micik is the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s director of public policy and government relations.