School funding overhaul, gun-dealer licensing and energy drink bill await Delaware lawmakers’ return

After a week of bond bill hearings, Delaware lawmakers are turning to a crowded agenda for the remaining half of the 2026 legislative session. In addition to property assessment issues and the push to pass the state’s three major budget bills before the start of fiscal year 2027, legislators will take up measures on public school funding, firearms dealer licensing and energy drink sales to minors.

Two bills introduced April 30 focus on the state’s Public Education Funding Commission. One measure recognizes the commission’s recommended school funding formula as “good public policy” and directs the Delaware Department of Education to begin the systemic changes needed to carry out the model for fiscal year 2028.

A second bill would make the commission “a permanent body” to oversee implementation and adjustments. Both bills are scheduled for discussion in the Senate Education Committee at 12:30 p.m. on May 5, the first day back from recess. The commission was created to recommend a new formula for funding Delaware’s public schools, a structure that has changed little in about 80 years.

It previously voted to pursue a hybrid model that modifies the current unit-count system while adding a weighted approach based on student needs, with a final legislative proposal planned for spring 2026. At the commission’s April 27 meeting, chair Sen. Laura Sturgeon and Rep.

Kim Williams said they expected to file at least two bills in early May. Lawmakers will also consider a Senate bill backed by President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola that would require firearms dealers to obtain a state license to sell or transfer firearms. Dealers would apply through a Delaware State Police form and submit a licensing fee, proof of identity and a federal firearms license.

An April 30 news release cited “a growing body of evidence” that dealers’ sales strategies contribute to gun trafficking.

“The numbers don’t lie: Delaware can be doing more to prevent guns from ending up in the wrong hands,” Sokola said, adding that “strong, comprehensive licensing procedures will guarantee that gun dealers are doing everything they can to ensure safe, responsible gun ownership while following the law.” The bill has been assigned to the Senate Executive Committee.

In the House, a bill backed by Rep. DeShanna Neal would prohibit the sale of energy drinks and caffeinated dietary supplements to people under 18. The proposal targets products with 100 or more milligrams of caffeine per 8 fluid ounces that are advertised as boosting energy, according to the bill text.

With a June 30 deadline to complete key budget work, debate over these proposals is expected to shape the final weeks of the session, starting with the May 5 committee hearing on school funding.