KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Delaware

HB190 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO GRANTS-IN-AID.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO GRANTS-IN-AID.

Children Education Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Minor-Brown
Last action
2026-07-01
Official status
Passed 7/1/26
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is January 1 following enactment; since the bill passed in July 2026, it will likely take effect on January 1, 2027.

New Rules and Review Group for Delaware Grants

This bill creates a new subcommittee to review grant applications and sets clear rules that organizations must follow to receive state funding.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee with three members from the Senate and three from the House of Representatives, where the chair alternates between chambers each year.
  • Requires the subcommittee to review applications from groups that have never received this type of money before and recommend funding levels to the Joint Finance Committee.
  • Allows the subcommittee to check if current recipients are using funds correctly and meeting program goals.
  • Sets rules stating grants cannot be used for child daycare, buying buildings or equipment, paying elected officials' salaries, political campaigns, lobbying, or helping people who do not live in Delaware.
  • Requires organizations applying for a grant to show they can fund at least half of their own operations from other sources.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Non-profit groups and government agencies in Delaware that want state grants
  • Current recipients of grant-in-aid funding who may be reviewed by the new subcommittee

Terms To Know

Grant-in-Aid
Money given by the state government to an organization for a specific purpose.
Joint Finance Committee
A group of lawmakers from both chambers that reviews money matters and receives recommendations on grants.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not say how much total money is available for these new or existing grants.
  • Specific rules for the review process must be developed by February 1 after the law takes effect, so details are not yet final.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA 1

1 • Minor-Brown

Passed 6/17/25

Plain English: This amendment changes how organizations qualify for government grants and allows those funds to be used for child daycare.

  • Organizations can now get grants if their programs are either unique compared to other state agencies or meet needs that no one else is filling.
  • The rule requiring both conditions to be met at the same time has been changed so only one condition is needed.
  • The exact text of line 27 was not provided, but the synopsis states it removes a ban on using grants for child daycare.
  • Specific details about which agencies or programs are affected are not included in this amendment summary.
SA 1

1 • Paradee

Stricken 6/17/26

Plain English: This amendment changes who can get state grants by requiring stricter rules on financial reports, board policies, proof of community support, and how the money is spent.

  • Organizations must now have a Board that creates specific rules for handling conflicts of interest and protecting whistleblowers.
  • Applicants must prove they can fund at least half of their costs without state help and show testimonials from people who used their services.
  • Groups must submit recent financial audits or other detailed money records, with special options for smaller groups receiving less than $250,000.
  • The law adds rules to stop payments if an organization spends the grant on wrong things, stops running its programs, or fails to report how it spent the money.
  • The full text of the original bill is not provided, so some context about what was changed before this amendment may be missing.
  • The synopsis at the end of the document cuts off mid-sentence and does not explain all details of the oversight mechanisms.
SA 2

2 • Paradee

Passed 7/1/26

Plain English: This amendment changes who can get state money by requiring organizations to have specific rules for their leaders, submit proof they are helping people without wasting funds, and face stricter checks before receiving payments.

  • Organizations must create written rules about conflicts of interest and protecting employees or volunteers who report problems (whistleblowers).
  • To get a grant, groups must prove their services fill needs not met by other state programs, such as providing child care before school, after school, or during breaks.
  • Applicants must submit new documents including recent financial audits, letters from people helped by the group that have never been used before, and proof they are not being sued for misusing money.
  • The government can stop paying a grant if an organization spends money on wrong things, stops running its programs, or fails to send required spending reports.
  • The official text provided ends abruptly in the summary section and does not fully explain what happens regarding the 'Grant-in-Aid' creation mentioned at the very end.
  • Some specific legal terms like 'Chapter 17 of Title 19' are referenced but their exact details are not included in this document.

Bill History

  1. 2026-07-01 Delaware General Assembly

    Lifted From Table in Senate

  2. 2026-07-01 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment SA 2 to HB 190 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT

  3. 2026-07-01 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT

  4. 2026-07-01 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By House. Votes: 41 YES

  5. 2026-06-24 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment SA 2 to HB 190 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  6. 2026-06-17 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment SA 1 to HB 190 - Stricken in Senate

  7. 2026-06-10 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment SA 1 to HB 190 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  8. 2025-07-01 Delaware General Assembly

    Laid On Table in Senate

  9. 2025-06-30 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Executive) in Senate with 6 On Its Merits

  10. 2025-06-30 Delaware General Assembly

    Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

  11. 2025-06-30 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Finance) in Senate with 2 On Its Merits, 2 Unfavorable

  12. 2025-06-17 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment HA 1 to HB 190 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

  13. 2025-06-17 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By House. Votes: 37 YES 4 ABSENT

  14. 2025-06-17 Delaware General Assembly

    Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate

  15. 2025-06-10 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Appropriations) in House with 1 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits

  16. 2025-05-22 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment HA 1 to HB 190 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  17. 2025-05-22 Delaware General Assembly

    Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House

  18. 2025-05-21 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 3 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits

  19. 2025-05-15 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced and Assigned to Administration Committee in House

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO GRANTS-IN-AID.
This Act creates a new Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee (“Subcommittee”) of the Joint Finance Committee and codifies requirements and procedures for organizations seeking a grant-in-aid from the General Assembly. The Subcommittee will be composed of 3 members of the Senate and 3 members of the House, with the Chair alternating between the chambers each year. The Subcommittee will annually review and analyze the applications of grant-in-aid applicants who have not previously received funding through grant-in-aid and make recommendations to the Joint Finance Committee regarding which applications to approve and at what funding level. The Subcommittee may also review any current grant-in-aid recipient for program efficacy and compliance with the conditions of prior grants and general grant-in-aid eligibility requirements.
This Act takes effect January 1 following its enactment into law.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Minor-Brown & Sen. Sokola & Sen. Buckson & Rep. Harris & Rep. Osienski & Rep. Spiegelman & Rep. K. Williams & Sen. Townsend & Sen. Pettyjohn & Sen. Hocker & Rep. Dukes & Sen. Lockman & Rep. Michael Smith

Reps. Gray, K. Johnson, Morrison, Yearick, Bolden, Gorman, Chukwuocha, Shupe, Romer; Sens. Cruce, Hoffner, Wilson

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 190

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO GRANTS-IN-AID.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend Chapter 63, Title 29 of the Delaware Code by transferring § 6341 to a new subchapter IIIC and then making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

Subchapter III-C. Grants-in-Aid

§ 6341.

§ 6351.

Grants-in-aid.

(a)

No appropriation for a grant-in-aid shall be made otherwise than pursuant to an act by the General Assembly, passed with the concurrence of 3/4 of all the members elected to each House.

(b) To be eligible for a grant-in-aid, an organization must meet all of the following:

(1) Be one of the following:

a. An incorporated non-profit with IRS recognizable exempt status or operate under the umbrella of a parent organization that is an incorporated non-profit with IRS recognizable exempt status.

b. A state, county, or local government organization.

(2) Be in operation for at least 2 years prior to applying for a grant-in-aid.

(3) If the organization falls under paragraph (b)(1)a. of this section, it must have an active, community-represented, volunteer Board of Directors that sets policies, goals, and objectives, and maintains minutes of regularly scheduled meetings and any special meetings.

(4) Offer programs that are unduplicated by other state-supported agencies and satisfy unmet needs in the community.

(5) Have accounting and budget procedures.

(6) Have an audit or a review or compilation of financial statements completed within the past 3 years by a certified public accountant or a public accountant. If the organization cannot comply with this requirement, it must provide a statement of the circumstances surrounding the reason it cannot comply and must submit any available supporting financial documentation such as profit and loss statements, relevant budget materials, IRS Form 990s, and bank statements.

(7) Have demonstrated ability to fund at least half of its operations through sources of revenue other than a grant-in-aid.

(c) Grant-in-aid funding may not be used for any of the following:

(1) Providing child daycare.

(2) The purchase of capital equipment.

(3) The relocation, rehabilitation, renovation, or purchase of buildings.

(4) The payment of any part of an elected official’s salary or benefits.

(5) A political campaign or for partisan political purposes.

(6) The hiring of lobbyists or other lobbying services.

(7) Activities, programs, or services that benefit individuals who do not reside in Delaware.

(d) The Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee may recommend and apply additional criteria for grant-in-aid applications.

§ 6352. Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee.

(a) The General Assembly shall operate a joint subcommittee (Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee) for the purposes of strengthening and improving the grant-in-aid application and grant review process. The Office of the Controller General shall provide staff support to the Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee.

(b) The Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee is composed of 3 members of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore and 3 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House.

(1) Not more than 2 appointees from each chamber may belong to the same political party.

(2) The subcommittee chair and vice chair shall alternate each year between a Representative appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and a Senator appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. During odd-numbered years, a Senator serves as chair and a Representative serves as vice chair; during even-numbered years, a Representative serves as chair and a Senator serves as vice chair.

(3) Members of the Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee may not also be members of the Joint Finance Committee.

(b) The Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee shall

annually review and analyze the applications of grant-in-aid applicants who have not previously received funding through grant-in-aid and make recommendations to the Joint Finance Committee regarding which applications to approve and at what funding level.

(c) The Grant-In-Aid Subcommittee may annually review any current grant-in-aid recipient for program efficacy and compliance with the conditions of prior grants and general grant-in-aid eligibility requirements.

(d) The Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee may require additional information or documentation from grant-in-aid applicants as it deems necessary or hold public hearings and invite a representative of any grant-in-aid applicant or recipient to appear and answer questions from the subcommittee.

(e) The Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee shall provide a final report and recommendations to the Joint Finance Committee each year by the third Monday of May.

(f) The Chair, the Vice Chair, and Members of the Grant-In-Aid Subcommittee shall be compensated at the rate of the Joint Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee for their service on the Subcommittee.

Section 2. This Act shall take effect on

January 1 following its enactment into law.

Section 3. By February 1, following enactment of this Act, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee shall, in collaboration with the Controller General, develop rules and procedures to guide the Subcommittee’s review and development of recommendations.

SYNOPSIS

This Act creates a new Grant-in-Aid Subcommittee (“Subcommittee”) of the Joint Finance Committee and codifies requirements and procedures for organizations seeking a grant-in-aid from the General Assembly. The Subcommittee will be composed of 3 members of the Senate and 3 members of the House, with the Chair alternating between the chambers each year. The Subcommittee will annually review and analyze the applications of grant-in-aid applicants who have not previously received funding through grant-in-aid and make recommendations to the Joint Finance Committee regarding which applications to approve and at what funding level. The Subcommittee may also review any current grant-in-aid recipient for program efficacy and compliance with the conditions of prior grants and general grant-in-aid eligibility requirements.

This Act takes effect January 1 following its enactment into law.