Legislative Priority

Securing Delaware’s Success: A Blueprint for the 153rd General Assembly

BY TYLER MICIK

WELCOME MEMBERS of the 153rd General Assembly and congratulations to everyone who won the election this past November. Your policy choices will have profound impacts on the future of our state and affect the thousands of licensed businesses, half-million Delaware employees, and one million residents in Delaware.

Due to a prolonged inflammatory period following a worldwide pandemic and supply chain challenges that severely reduced bottom lines, many businesses are on a daily mission to increase their company’s value and return to profit before going under. They need Delaware to win every competitive battle and possess a strong business-friendly environment.

To that end, the Delaware State Chamber looks forward to working with policymakers to achieve our 2025 Delaware Competitiveness Agenda. Our agenda reflects feedback from our members and issues which we believe are critical to our state’s success.

Delaware ranked 34th last year in CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business. The categories Delaware scored the highest in with a “B” grade were infrastructure and cost of living. Technology and innovation, business friendliness, and cost of doing business were at the bottom with a “D” grade. The top five states for business in order were Virgina, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and Florida. It’s our hope that by working with policymakers to achieve our Competitiveness Agenda, we’ll improve these rankings and climb our way towards being a top state to live, work, and play. To support this goal, we’ll be introducing new tools and resources to help inform and hold us all accountable.

First, we published a data book that provides a sourced, in-depth analysis of the state’s economic position on key metrics like the ones mentioned above. This data is key to understanding how we compare regionally and nationally. It will help identify our greatest areas of need, so that we can roll up our sleeves and work toward prosperity together.

Additionally, my weekly blog posts and our website will include new features and information. We will further break down what happens in Dover during session, so that Delaware employers and employees truly understand the implications of the regulations and policies being considered. What is the problem being addressed? Who is championing the effort? Will a regulation create or kill jobs? Will a bill save taxpayers money or cost them more? These are the questions that will be clearly answered moving forward.

I can’t highlight everything in our Competitiveness Agenda, but I’d like to take this opportunity to touch on two areas of importance. First, is Delaware’s banking and corporate franchises. The revenue and related jobs that come from these sources make up one-third of Delaware’s net general fund revenues. We urge policymakers to strengthen these laws and fight against unprecedented attempts to modify them—which erodes the predictability, efficiency, and fairness businesses have known for years, jeopardizing their favorable view of Delaware.

Second is economic development. As American manufacturing leaves places like China and more companies begin to reshore, Delaware is uniquely positioned to attract high-quality, well-paying jobs. But we need a low cost of doing business, high competitiveness rankings, a safe yet quick and reliable permitting process, and “options on the self” for development. These things in unison with our other policy priorities are a blueprint for success that will improve our business environment and uplift the lives of Delawareans.

Tyler Micik is the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s director of public policy and government relations.