House passes bill to create Delaware Commission on Indigenous Affairs

The Delaware House of Representatives on June 9 passed House Bill 365, establishing a Delaware Commission on Indigenous Affairs to provide direct advice to state leaders on education, health care, housing, environmental protection, cultural preservation and the protection of sacred burial sites and historic artifacts.

Leader Leah Harris urged colleagues to support the measure, saying, “This legislation is about more than creating a commission. It is about ending a silence that has lasted for too long.” Harris said the commission will give the state a formal structure to include Indigenous perspectives in policymaking and emphasized that members will serve as volunteers, noting a small fiscal note for administrative support.

Representative Halofsky added floor remarks recognizing the contributions of Lenape and Nanticoke people in Delaware, saying the measure is “an awesome, well-deserved recognition” for communities that have often been ignored.

The chief clerk called the roll and the chamber recorded the result as 36 yes and 5 absent; the clerk announced, “Having received its constitutional majority, House Bill 365 is hereby passed the House.”

The bill’s text, as read on the floor, amends Title 29 of the Delaware Code to establish the Commission and lists areas where it may advise state leaders, including education, health care, housing, environmental protection and cultural preservation. The bill sponsor, noted in the clerk’s reading, included Representative Harris and a Senate sponsor.

No questions were recorded on the floor before the roll call. The transcript notes the commission’s role is advisory and that commissioners will serve without compensation; the fiscal impact was described on the floor as small and tied to administrative support.

The House’s action on June 9 completes the chamber’s consideration; the clerk’s communications earlier in the session indicated ongoing interchamber exchanges on related measures.