Bill Commons

DE HB 195

enacted

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 4 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO BARTENDING.

Delaware · 2025-2026 Regular Session (153rd General Assembly) · lower

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Quick answers

Did DE HB 195 pass?

Yes. DE HB 195 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-06-10): Signed by Governor

What is DE HB 195 about?

This Act changes the age at which a person can bartend from 21 years old to 18 years old, and requires that a bartender who is 18, 19, or 20 years old be directly supervised by a person who is 21 years of age or older and who is working behind the bar with the 18-, 19-, or 20-year-old. This Act also increases the frequency of statutorily mandated alcoholic beverage server training from every 4 years to every 2 years. To ensure that 18–20-year-olds are protected from sexually oriented content by virtue of being permitted to bartend, this Act prohibits anyone under the age of 21 from entering into or working in any capacity in a tavern or taproom that offers sexually oriented entertainment. This includes taverns and taprooms that are licensed as adult entertainment establishments under Chapter 16 of Title 24, taverns and taprooms that offer sexually explicit performances as defined in § 787 of Title 11, and tavern and taprooms that are advertised as “strip clubs,” “adult entertainment clubs,” “gentlemen’s clubs,” or that offer performances or services of a sexually oriented nature. Currently, Delaware is in the minority of states when it comes to requiring bartenders to be 21 years old. By reducing the legal bartending age to 18, this Act will help Delaware’s food service industry remain competitive with the many other states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, in which 18–20-year-olds can bartend.

Who sponsors DE HB 195?

Spiros Mantzavinos, Josue O Ortega, Michael F. Smith and 2 others are the primary sponsors of DE HB 195, joined by 3 cosponsors.

Description

This Act changes the age at which a person can bartend from 21 years old to 18 years old, and requires that a bartender who is 18, 19, or 20 years old be directly supervised by a person who is 21 years of age or older and who is working behind the bar with the 18-, 19-, or 20-year-old. This Act also increases the frequency of statutorily mandated alcoholic beverage server training from every 4 years to every 2 years. To ensure that 18–20-year-olds are protected from sexually oriented content by virtue of being permitted to bartend, this Act prohibits anyone under the age of 21 from entering into or working in any capacity in a tavern or taproom that offers sexually oriented entertainment. This includes taverns and taprooms that are licensed as adult entertainment establishments under Chapter 16 of Title 24, taverns and taprooms that offer sexually explicit performances as defined in § 787 of Title 11, and tavern and taprooms that are advertised as “strip clubs,” “adult entertainment clubs,” “gentlemen’s clubs,” or that offer performances or services of a sexually oriented nature. Currently, Delaware is in the minority of states when it comes to requiring bartenders to be 21 years old. By reducing the legal bartending age to 18, this Act will help Delaware’s food service industry remain competitive with the many other states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, in which 18–20-year-olds can bartend.

Introduced
2025-06-05
Latest action
2026-06-10 — Signed by Governor
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Sponsors

  • Spiros Mantzavinosprimary
  • Josue O Ortegaprimary
  • Michael F. Smithprimary
  • John "Jack" Walshprimary
  • Kimberly Williamsprimary
  • Michael F. Smithcosponsor
  • S. Elizabeth Lockmancosponsor
  • Spiros Mantzavinoscosponsor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-06-10

    Signed by Governor

    executive-signature

  2. 2026-05-12

    Passed By House. Votes: 32 YES 6 NO 1 NOT VOTING 2 ABSENT

    passage

  3. 2026-05-06

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 14 YES 5 NO 2 NOT VOTING

    passage

  4. 2026-05-06

    Amendment SA 1 to HB 195 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

    amendment-passage

  5. 2026-04-22

    Reported Out of Committee (Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology) in Senate with 2 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  6. 2026-04-21

    Amendment SA 1 to HB 195 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

    amendment-introduction

  7. 2026-03-12

    Assigned to Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee in Senate

    introduction,referral-committee

  8. 2026-03-12

    Passed By House. Votes: 31 YES 5 NO 5 ABSENT

    passage

  9. 2026-01-20

    Reported Out of Committee (Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce) in House with 6 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  10. 2025-06-05

    Introduced and Assigned to Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce Committee in House

    introduction,referral-committee

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • SM

    2026-03-12 · pass · 31-5

    Member-level votes (41)
    • Alonna Berry: yes
    • Stephanie T. Bolden: other
    • Frank Burns: yes
    • William Bush: yes
    • William J. Carson: yes
    • Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha: yes
    • Richard G. Collins: no
    • Franklin D. Cooke: yes
    • Daniel B. Short: yes
    • Timothy D. Dukes: no
    • Mara Gorman: yes
    • Ronald E. Gray: yes
    • Krista Griffith: other
    • Kerri Evelyn Harris: yes
    • Debra Heffernan: yes
    • Kevin S Hensley: other
    • Jeff Hilovsky: no
    • Valerie Jones Giltner: yes
    • Kendra Johnson: yes
    • Kimberly Williams: yes
    • Kamela T Smith: yes
    • Larry Lambert: yes
    • Sean M. Lynn: yes
    • Michael F. Smith: yes
    • Melissa Minor-Brown: yes
    • Shannon Morris: other
    • Eric Morrison: yes
    • DeShanna U Neal: yes
    • Josue O Ortega: other
    • Edward S. Osienski: yes
    • Sophie Phillips: yes
    • Charles S Postles Jr.: no
    • Cyndie Romer: yes
    • Melanie Ross Levin: yes
    • Sherae'a Moore: yes
    • Bryan W. Shupe: no
    • Claire Snyder-Hall: yes
    • Jeffrey N. Spiegelman: yes
    • Jesse R. Vanderwende: yes
    • Madinah Wilson-Anton: yes
    • Lyndon D. Yearick: yes

  • SM

    2026-05-06 · pass · 14-5

    Member-level votes (21)
    • Darius J. Brown: yes
    • Eric Buckson: no
    • Daniel Cruce: yes
    • Stephanie L. Hansen: yes
    • Gerald W. Hocker: other
    • Kyra L. Hoffner: yes
    • Russell Huxtable: yes
    • Dave G. Lawson: no
    • S. Elizabeth Lockman: yes
    • Spiros Mantzavinos: yes
    • Trey Paradee: other
    • Brian Pettyjohn: no
    • Marie Pinkney: yes
    • Nicole Poore: yes
    • Bryant L. Richardson: no
    • Ray Seigfried: yes
    • David P. Sokola: yes
    • Laura V. Sturgeon: yes
    • Bryan Townsend: yes
    • John "Jack" Walsh: yes
    • David L. Wilson: no

  • SM

    2026-05-12 · pass · 32-6

    Member-level votes (41)
    • Alonna Berry: yes
    • Stephanie T. Bolden: other
    • Frank Burns: yes
    • William Bush: yes
    • William J. Carson: yes
    • Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha: yes
    • Richard G. Collins: no
    • Franklin D. Cooke: yes
    • Daniel B. Short: yes
    • Timothy D. Dukes: no
    • Mara Gorman: yes
    • Ronald E. Gray: yes
    • Krista Griffith: yes
    • Kerri Evelyn Harris: yes
    • Debra Heffernan: yes
    • Kevin S Hensley: yes
    • Jeff Hilovsky: no
    • Valerie Jones Giltner: yes
    • Kendra Johnson: yes
    • Kimberly Williams: yes
    • Kamela T Smith: yes
    • Larry Lambert: yes
    • Sean M. Lynn: yes
    • Michael F. Smith: yes
    • Melissa Minor-Brown: yes
    • Shannon Morris: no
    • Eric Morrison: yes
    • DeShanna U Neal: yes
    • Josue O Ortega: other
    • Edward S. Osienski: yes
    • Sophie Phillips: yes
    • Charles S Postles Jr.: no
    • Cyndie Romer: yes
    • Melanie Ross Levin: yes
    • Sherae'a Moore: yes
    • Bryan W. Shupe: no
    • Claire Snyder-Hall: yes
    • Jeffrey N. Spiegelman: yes
    • Jesse R. Vanderwende: yes
    • Madinah Wilson-Anton: yes
    • Lyndon D. Yearick: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=142412

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-10-24T01:43:59.597666Z

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