Low burden, high upside

Issue 12.24

June 26, 2026

THIS WEEK IN DOVER

Gift card scams are on the rise, and Delaware lawmakers are taking notice with Senate Bill 280.

Introduced by Sen. Bryan Townsend, the bill would amend Title 11 of the Delaware Code to create a specific crime for gift card theft.

Overall, Senate Bill 280 has a low compliance burden, and a high upside. Unlike many regulatory bills, this one doesn't impose new paperwork, reporting, or operating requirements on businesses it strengthens the legal tools available when your business or your customers are victimized. Read more >

IN THE NEWS

WHAT SHOULD DELAWARE DO WITH HALF-EMPTY SCHOOLS?

By Julia Merola, Spotlight Delaware

More than a dozen Delaware public schools, mostly in New Castle County, are operating at less than 60% capacity, according to data from the Delaware Department of Education. Five of those are more than half empty. The phenomenon of half-empty school buildings has prompted Delaware’s House Speaker Mimi Minor Brown (D-New Castle) to question whether they — or other underutilized government facilities — could be repurposed into different types of community facilities.

Last week, Minor-Brown introduced a resolution that asks budget officials to develop a framework, along with school districts, that would define an “underutilized” property. They would then outline a process for repurposing it for other community services, such as child care or senior housing. Read more >

LEARN MORE: School capacity data and other key Delaware metrics can be found in the Delaware Competitiveness Bluebook >

PREPAREDNESS IS GOOD BUSINESS

New competitors, staffing shortages, power outages, or a cyber incident: all challenges your organization faces. What you may not realize is that when you respond to these issues, you are already applying the core principles of emergency management.At the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), our vision is built on three simple but impactful words: Prepare, Support, Recover. These principles guide our work 365 days a year as we strive to reduce risk across the state. Read more >

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT: END COMMUNITY VIOLENCE NOW

It’s indisputable that the cycle of community gun violence isn’t something that can be broken overnight. It takes consistent dedication from a growing team of innovative leaders in health care, government agencies, philanthropic organizations, local businesses, and especially the communities themselves to advance real impact. As the first community-based gun violence prevention program in the country, End Community Violence Now is Delaware’s strategic groundbreaker, working to build a unified community gun violence reduction system that fosters safer communities. Read more >

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

FREIRE SCHOOLS

When it comes to a charter school, you typically wouldn’t expect their logo to be a fierce fire-breathing dragon, no uniform

regulations in place, or that teachers are addressed by their first name. But for Freire Charter School Wilmington, these unique features mean the world to the students.

As a school with an unwavering commitment to ensuring every young person has access to high-quality education, Freire Wilmington prides itself on including input from students to shape their everyday learning experiences. Read more >

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

On Wednesday night, the Delaware Young Professionals Network hosted a YP Night at Makers Alley, drawing a large crowd for some summer networking (left). DSCC attended a ribbon cutting for member Weis Markets' new Millsboro location Thursday morning (right).

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Technology seems to change in the blink of an eye, and we applaud those policymakers who are willing to join us as we step back, watch, and learn before acting. A good example of how to workshop emerging technology policy topics is the effort being led by our Secretary of State and members of the judiciary. They are working on policies related to agentic AI and we applaud their thoughtful, deliberative effort.

We are also engaged in what I’ll call a “chat bot bill,” or HB 306, that seeks to inform and regulate their use by businesses. Both efforts started me thinking about ways in which these technologies are similar and different. Read more >

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