Bill Commons

DE HB 34

enacted

AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF NEWARK AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF NEWARK TO LEVY A TAX ON COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WITHIN THE CITY OF NEWARK.

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

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Quick answers

Did DE HB 34 pass?

Yes. DE HB 34 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2025-06-24): Signed by Governor

What is DE HB 34 about?

This Act amends the Newark Charter by authorizing the City of Newark to levy and collect a per student, per semester tax on Colleges and Universities that host in person classes which are located within the boundaries of the City of Newark. This tax applies to all colleges and universities including any organizations that are considered subdivisions or agencies of the State of Delaware or are otherwise tax exempt, including but not limited to the University of Delaware. The amount of the tax will be adjusted annually in an amount not to exceed the change in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, not seasonally adjusted). It also limits the available payment methods to restrict the use of credit cards for the payment of the aforementioned tax. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a municipal charter.

Who sponsors DE HB 34?

Eric Morrison, Bryant L. Richardson, David P. Sokola and 3 others are the primary sponsors of DE HB 34, joined by 2 cosponsors.

Description

This Act amends the Newark Charter by authorizing the City of Newark to levy and collect a per student, per semester tax on Colleges and Universities that host in person classes which are located within the boundaries of the City of Newark. This tax applies to all colleges and universities including any organizations that are considered subdivisions or agencies of the State of Delaware or are otherwise tax exempt, including but not limited to the University of Delaware. The amount of the tax will be adjusted annually in an amount not to exceed the change in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, not seasonally adjusted). It also limits the available payment methods to restrict the use of credit cards for the payment of the aforementioned tax. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a municipal charter.

Introduced
2025-01-09
Latest action
2025-06-24 — Signed by Governor
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Sponsors

  • Eric Morrisonprimary
  • Bryant L. Richardsonprimary
  • David P. Sokolaprimary
  • Edward S. Osienskiprimary
  • Mara Gormanprimary
  • Cyndie Romerprimary
  • Frank Burnscosponsor
  • Eric Morrisoncosponsor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2025-06-24

    Signed by Governor

    executive-signature

  2. 2025-05-22

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT

    passage

  3. 2025-05-14

    Reported Out of Committee (Elections & Government Affairs) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  4. 2025-04-15

    Assigned to Elections & Government Affairs Committee in Senate

    introduction,referral-committee

  5. 2025-04-15

    Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 1 NOT VOTING 1 ABSENT

    passage

  6. 2025-04-15

    Amendment HA 1 to HB 34 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

    amendment-passage

  7. 2025-03-12

    Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 1 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits, 1 Unfavorable

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,committee-passage-unfavorable

  8. 2025-01-09

    Introduced and Assigned to Administration Committee in House

    introduction,referral-committee

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • 2/3

    2025-04-15 · pass · 39-0

    Member-level votes (41)
    • Stephanie T. Bolden: yes
    • Frank Burns: yes
    • William Bush: yes
    • William J. Carson: yes
    • Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha: yes
    • Richard G. Collins: yes
    • Franklin D. Cooke: yes
    • Daniel B. Short: yes
    • Timothy D. Dukes: yes
    • Mara Gorman: yes
    • Ronald E. Gray: yes
    • Krista Griffith: yes
    • Kerri Evelyn Harris: yes
    • Debra Heffernan: yes
    • Kevin S Hensley: yes
    • Jeff Hilovsky: yes
    • Valerie Jones Giltner: yes
    • Kendra Johnson: yes
    • Kimberly Williams: yes
    • Kamela T Smith: yes
    • Larry Lambert: yes
    • Sean M. Lynn: yes
    • Michael F. Smith: other
    • Melissa Minor-Brown: yes
    • Shannon Morris: yes
    • Eric Morrison: yes
    • DeShanna U Neal: yes
    • Josue O Ortega: yes
    • Edward S. Osienski: yes
    • Stell Parker Selby: other
    • Sophie Phillips: yes
    • Charles S Postles Jr.: yes
    • Cyndie Romer: yes
    • Melanie Ross Levin: yes
    • Sherae'a Moore: yes
    • Bryan W. Shupe: yes
    • Claire Snyder-Hall: yes
    • Jeffrey N. Spiegelman: yes
    • Jesse R. Vanderwende: yes
    • Madinah Wilson-Anton: yes
    • Lyndon D. Yearick: yes

  • 2/3

    2025-05-22 · pass · 19-0

    Member-level votes (21)
    • Darius J. Brown: other
    • Eric Buckson: yes
    • Daniel Cruce: yes
    • Stephanie L. Hansen: yes
    • Gerald W. Hocker: yes
    • Kyra L. Hoffner: yes
    • Russell Huxtable: yes
    • Dave G. Lawson: yes
    • S. Elizabeth Lockman: yes
    • Spiros Mantzavinos: yes
    • Trey Paradee: yes
    • Brian Pettyjohn: yes
    • Marie Pinkney: other
    • Nicole Poore: yes
    • Bryant L. Richardson: yes
    • Ray Seigfried: yes
    • David P. Sokola: yes
    • Laura V. Sturgeon: yes
    • Bryan Townsend: yes
    • John "Jack" Walsh: yes
    • David L. Wilson: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=141759

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-10-24T17:44:14.323084Z

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