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Sen. Townsend presents bill to clarify fireworks sales, advertising and penalties
Summary
Sen. Townsend presented House Bill 63 to the Corrections and Public Safety Committee to require retailer registration with the State Fire Marshal, mandate point‑of‑sale safety information, and tighten advertising and penalties to reduce illegal fireworks use cited as harming veterans, pets and neighborhoods.
Sen. Townsend presented House Bill 63 to the Senate Corrections and Public Safety Committee, saying the measure aims to improve how fireworks retailers interact with the State Fire Marshal’s Office and to clarify advertising so consumers understand what is legal in Delaware.
The bill would require retailers to register with the State Fire Marshal, provide safety information at the point of sale and tighten advertising rules so that promotional material clearly reflects Delaware’s existing limits on fireworks use. "HB63 directly addresses these issues by strengthening clarity, improving enforcement, and ensuring that every Delawarean understands what is legal and what is not," said Steven McGuire of the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs during virtual testimony.
Supporters told the committee that the proposal is intended to reduce illegal use rather than expand permitted use. Commissioner Richard Rambo of the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs called for the committee’s support, saying veterans with post‑traumatic stress disorder can be triggered by unauthorized neighborhood fireworks and that HB63 would help mitigate those harms. "I’m urging all of you to support House Bill 63," Rambo said.
Kim Gomes, representing American Promotional Events and the fireworks industry, said the industry generally supports the bill but asked the committee to resolve inconsistencies introduced by House Amendment 1 in the bill’s advertising language. "We would just like to see some consistency in those advertising pieces," Gomes told the committee, asking whether public‑facing language should uniformly refer back to the code or avoid citations that confuse consumers.
Committee members discussed the bill’s goals and community impacts, including concerns about pets, children and residents with disabilities. No formal committee vote on HB63 was recorded during this meeting; following public testimony the committee moved on to other bills.
