HB448 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES.

Children Elections Firearms

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 official source states the bill passed both chambers but does not confirm if it has been signed by the Governor or its specific effective date.

HB448: Allowing Campaign Funds for Candidate Safety

This bill allows political committees in Delaware to use campaign money for security costs that protect candidates, but it does not allow buying guns.

What This Bill Does

Adds security expenses as an allowed way to spend campaign funds under Title 15 of the Delaware Code.
Requires security spending to be linked to keeping a candidate safe during their work or because they are running for office.
Lists examples of allowed costs like home alarms, personal guards, cameras, and fences.
Bans using these campaign funds to buy firearms.
Needs political committees to list security costs separately on their official reports.
Orders the Commissioner to write new rules within 3 months so people know how to report these expenses.

Who It Names or Affects

Political committees that spend money for candidates or parties in Delaware elections.
Candidates and elected officials who need safety measures related to their job or campaign status.
The Commissioner of Elections, who must create new rules about reporting these costs.

Terms To Know

Campaign expenditure: Money spent by a political committee for activities that help an election effort.
Security expenses: Costs for things like alarms, guards, or fences to keep a candidate safe from risks caused by their role.
Promulgate rules: To officially create and publish new regulations that explain how the law works.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not say when it will become official law after passing both chambers.
It is unclear exactly what costs count as 'reasonable' until the Commissioner writes the final rules.
The text only covers security for candidates and elected officials, not other campaign staff.

Bill History

2026-07-01 Delaware General Assembly
Passed By Senate. Votes: 14 YES 6 NO 1 ABSENT
2026-06-25 Delaware General Assembly
Reported Out of Committee (Elections & Government Affairs) in Senate with 2 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits
2026-06-11 Delaware General Assembly
Passed By House. Votes: 25 YES 8 NO 6 NOT VOTING 2 ABSENT
2026-06-11 Delaware General Assembly
Assigned to Elections & Government Affairs Committee in Senate
2026-06-10 Delaware General Assembly
Reported Out of Committee (Elections & Government Affairs) in House with 2 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits
2026-06-04 Delaware General Assembly
Introduced and Assigned to Elections & Government Affairs Committee in House

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES.
This Act makes security expenses an authorized campaign expenditure. The security expenses must be: (1) related to ensuring the safety of the candidate; and (2) associated with the candidate’s activities, duties, or status as a candidate or elected official. Security expenses include home or office electronic security systems, personal security, and other security-related equipment or devices for a candidate. Security expenses may not be used to purchase firearms.
This Act requires that the Commissioner promulgate rules to implement this Act within 3 months.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Minor-Brown & Rep. Harris & Sen. Townsend

Reps. Heffernan, Lambert, Snyder-Hall, Kamela Smith; Sens. Hansen, Hoffner, Pinkney, Sokola

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 448

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES.

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

Section 1. Amend § 8020, Title 15 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 8020. Authorized campaign expenditures.

No political committee may make any expenditure except for the following purposes:

(1) Wages of full-time or part-time campaign staff (but no salary or wage for a candidate or a candidate’s spouse).

(2) Travel expenses of the candidate and campaign staff.

(3) Payment of fees or charges for placing the name of the candidate on the ballot, and for collecting the returns of the election.

(4) Costs of telephone and other communications services.

(5) Costs of postage and other delivery services.

(6) Printing and stationery.

(7) Food, refreshments and related supplies.

(8) Purchase and preparation of lists of voters.

(9) Taking polls and making canvasses of voters.

(10) Payment for election watchers.

(11) Rental of office and rental and purchase of equipment.

(12) Advertising and publicity.

(13) In the case of a candidate committee, purchase of tickets to permit the candidate’s attendance at civic or political events; and in the case of a political action committee, contributions within authorized limits, to any other political committee.

(14) Holding, promoting and furnishing meetings, demonstrations, conventions, and paying musicians and others rendering services in connection with those activities.

(15) Employing attorneys, accountants and other professional advisors.

(16) In the case of a candidate committee, contributions, within the limits set forth in § 8010(a) of this title, to another candidate committee, or as otherwise provided in § 8022 of this title.

(17) In the case of a political party or a political action committee, contributions, within authorized limits, to a candidate committee.

(18) In the case of any political action committee, in addition to any other expenditure authorized by this chapter, contributions to a political party within the limits set forth in § 8011 of this title.

(19) Returning any donor’s contribution up to the amount donated.

(20) Reasonable and necessary expenses for the care of the candidate’s child or children incurred in connection with the candidate’s campaign activities.

(21) Any fee associated with obtaining a criminal history background check as required under this title.

(22) a. Security expenses related to ensuring the safety of the candidate that are associated with the candidate’s activities, duties, or status as a candidate or elected official. Security expenses authorized under this paragraph must be separately itemized on political committee reports required under this chapter.

b. For purposes of this paragraph, “security expenses” include the reasonable costs of installing and monitoring a home or office electronic security system, personal security, cameras, fences, or other comparable security-related equipment or devices reasonably necessary to address a security risk arising from the candidate’s status. “Security expenses” do not include payments for a firearm.

Section 2. The Commissioner shall promulgate rules to implement this Act within 3 months of this Act’s enactment.

The rules must require that security expenses are reported in sufficient detail to substantiate that the security expenses are authorized campaign expenditures.

SYNOPSIS

This Act makes security expenses an authorized campaign expenditure. The security expenses must be: (1) related to ensuring the safety of the candidate; and (2) associated with the candidate’s activities, duties, or status as a candidate or elected official. Security expenses include home or office electronic security systems, personal security, and other security-related equipment or devices for a candidate. Security expenses may not be used to purchase firearms.

This Act requires that the Commissioner promulgate rules to implement this Act within 3 months.