2025 End of Legislative Session Summary

Thank you for a successful 2025 Legislative Session, our first since the launch of the CREATE Plan AND first since welcoming a new Gubernatorial Administration, including new agency heads, and new faces in the legislature. With the CREATE Plan in hand, Delawareans had a clear policy vision for addressing the needs of the creative economy. DAA is grateful for our advocates, members, and legislators who organized around these calls to action, and is excited to share the following policy wins as we conclude this session:

Policy Wins

1) Secured State Arts Funding Increase:

Thanks directly to our efforts together through Delaware Arts Alliance’s coordinated advocacy, the state legislature has passed an operating budget that includes a half million dollar increase in FY26 to the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) for their programs/grants. This increase in spending authority for the DDOA helps cover increased costs of grant programs and account for inflation and new grantee growth.

• • Alignment to CREATE Plan: Recommendation #13: Expand equitable arts funding.
  • Additional Context:
    

    

     Even prior to threats to federal arts funding, we identified a need for state funding to address the gaps caused by inflation, increased demand, and growth of the sector. As the federal funding landscape transformed, the need for funding only grew more pressing for the arts in Delaware. We are fortunate that the state of Delaware continues to fund the arts, especially at a time when federal funding is under attack. As of today, we are optimistic about DDOA receiving National Endowment for the Arts funds (See DDOA email on this topic).

 

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2) Passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 109:

Delaware Arts Alliance drafted legislative language for Senator Lockman and sought input from the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to begin a process to evaluate and enhance education and workforce pathways supporting the creative economy. Alongside members of the Arts & Culture Caucus, DAA successfully led the passage of SCR109!

• • The CREATE Plan recommends greater connection between Delaware Pathways and the Creative Economy. SCR109 requires a report, due by early 2026, that will be focused on updating labor data to be more inclusive of creative economy jobs, and recommendations for expanding student opportunities. This report will help to recognize the impact of Delaware’s Creative Economy and promote access to viable and valuable educational and career opportunities available for students pursuing the arts. Read More: Delaware Arts Education Progress – SCR109 Passed!
  • Alignment to CREATE Plan: Recommendation #17: Advocate for more pathway courses and associate degrees related to the creative economy.
  • Why is this needed? Arts educators working in the field have shared demand for Delaware to explore additional statewide support and connections between the creative economy and Delaware Pathways. The CREATE Plan also recommends greater connections between Delaware Pathways and the Creative Economy based on focus groups and survey input from hundreds of Delawareans including educators, artists, and employers.

 

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3) Fighting to Protect Federal Arts Funding:

Ongoing advocacy to protect the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which funds Delaware arts efforts.

• • DAA is committed to protecting federal funding to the arts & culture sectors. DAA is advocating for the arts at the federal levels to ensure legislators hear directly from constituents about community impacts and arts programs that are at stake. For example: DAA is…
    • Working with our federal delegation. For example, ensuring all three DE members of Congress have signed on to multiple “Dear Colleague letters” in support)
    • Communicating updates to the community. For example, hosting Lt. Governor Kyle Evans Gay’s Creative Economy Convening on “Federal Funding: Landscape & Advocacy”
    • Organizing common calls to action. For example, Ask Congress to Protect the NEA, Restore the NEH and IMLS
  • Alignment to CREATE Plan: Recommendation #12: Identify additional revenue streams to support Delaware’s creative economy.
  • Why is this needed? Our country’s arts and culture sectors are supported through funding and services from the National Endowment of the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Defunding these institutions will harm both our local economies and the vibrancy of our communities. We advocate to protect the future of the arts in Delaware and across the country.

This work would not be possible without advocates and policymakers, like yourself, who have made sure that the arts were recognized and received investment in Delaware this year.

Help us share the news on social media!

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Continue reading to learn more about Delaware Arts Alliance’s 2025 Legislative Session engagement data:

Policymaker Engagement

29 Legislators (46% of the General Assembly) were engaged in the Arts & Culture Caucus. In addition to engagement and relationship building with:

Advocate Engagement

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Additional Creative Economy Legislation

Delaware Arts Alliance will be monitoring the following pieces of legislation, which have the potential to advance the CREATE Plan recommendations. As this is the first year of the two-year 153^rd General Assembly, any bill introduced but not passed (such as these) will remain in the system when the Legislature resumes in January 2026 with the potential to keep moving through the legislative process.

• House Bill 237 sponsored by Representative Smith, “AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE ENTERTAINMENT JOB ACT”, would provide for a thirty percent, transferable tax credit for an investment in the state in a film, television, esports or videogame production.
• Senate Bill 181 sponsored by Representative Seigfried, “AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 6 OF THE DELAWARE CODE REGARDING THE SECONDARY TICKETING MARKET”, would prohibit certain actions regarding the sale and exchange of tickets for events in this state by primary ticket sellers, ticket issuers, and ticket resellers.

Stay Connected 

Our work is far from over, with federal funding advocacy, coalition building, and prep for 2026’s session underway. Become a DAA advocate today and help support the arts in Delaware!

1. Register to attend the Lt. Governor Creative Economy Convenings, occurring the 2nd Thursday of every other month. Next Meeting: September 11 at 9:30AM via Zoom. 
2. Sign up for the DAA Newsletter and receive the latest news and alerts from DAA.
3. Stay tuned for 2026’s Arts & Culture Caucus Dates, coming soon.