SB 185 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 4 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS SOLD FOR OFF-PREMISE CONSUMPTION.
Last action — Signed by Governor
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Senate
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✓Passed House
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced June 11, 2025. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Matt Meyer (Democratic) on May 19, 2026.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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4 sponsors
4 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Bipartisan support
Sponsored across 2 parties (3 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 2 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
In plain language
This bill allows on-premise liquor license holders to sell certain private label spirits for off-premise consumption.
The bill enables licensed establishments to sell one bottle of a limited availability private label spirit, like whiskey, for customers to take home. It also corrects a typographical error in the regulations about wine bottle sizes.
What this means for you
- Small Business: This means small businesses with liquor licenses can expand their sales by offering certain spirits for customers to take home.
Summary
This Act would allow valid on-premise license holders to sell 1 bottle of a private label spirit purchased from a Delaware licensed importer that is either limited availability or limited allocation. The Act also corrects a typographical error and changes 2750 ML bottles of wine to 2 750 bottles of wine.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
49 added · 9 removedPlain-language change summary
The amendment to SB 185 replaces the term "spirit" with "whiskey or whisky" in the context of alcoholic beverages sold for take-out and delivery. This change clarifies that the alcoholic liquor available for off-premises consumption specifically includes one bottle of private label whiskey or whisky. The practical effect of this change is that it explicitly allows for the sale of certain types of whiskey or whisky to-go, aligning with the updated definitions in the Liquor Control Act.
Lockman DELAWARE& STATERep. SENATE 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE AMENDMENT NO.
1K. TO SENATE BILL NO.
185Williams AMENDReps. Senate Bill No.
185Carson, onSnyder-Hall lineDELAWARE 33STATE bySENATE deleting153rd “spirit”GENERAL asASSEMBLY itSENATE appearsBILL thereinNO. and inserting in lieu thereof “whiskey or whisky”.
SYNOPSIS185 ThisAN AmendmentACT replacesTO theAMEND wordTITLE "spirit"4 withOF "whiskeyTHE orDELAWARE whisky”CODE toRELATING clarifyTO thatALCOHOLIC alcoholLIQUORS to-goSOLD underFOR theOFF-PREMISE LiquorCONSUMPTION. Control Act may include 1 bottle of private label whiskey or whisky.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
Section 1.
Amend § 512, Title 4 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions shown by underline as follows:
§ 512.
Licenses.
(a) Any person, who is the owner or lessee, or who is recognized by the Commissioner as being in charge of a hotel, beer garden, motel, taproom, restaurant, motorsports speedway, concert hall, horse racetrack, multi-purpose sports facility, club or multiple activity club, may apply to the Commissioner for a license to purchase spirits, beer, or wine from an importer and to receive, keep and sell such spirits, beer, or wine either by the glass or by the bottle for consumption on any portion of the premises approved by the Commissioner for that purpose.
Such a license entitles a club to sell such spirits, wine, or beer only to members of that club.
A multiple activity club which holds such a license may apply for an additional license to sell such spirits, wine, or beer to any person who is a guest of such club or of a member of such club who is duly registered in accordance with a bylaw or rule of such club, approved by the Commissioner, provided that if the Commissioner determines that any applicant is not a multiple activity club, as defined in § 101 of this title, the application shall be denied.
There shall be no age restrictions on persons permitted on the premises of a licensed multiple activity club.
(1) Notwithstanding any law, regulation, or rule to the contrary, any restaurant, brewpub, tavern, or taproom, or other entity with a valid on-premise license issued pursuant to subchapter II of Chapter 5 of this title may sell alcoholic liquors in transactions for take-out, curbside, drive through, or delivery service.
No person shall provide alcoholic beverage delivery services unless such person or business entity holds a third-party delivery license.
Upon proper application, the Commissioner may grant a third-party delivery license to provide alcoholic liquor delivery services to customers so long as the person or business entity is also registered to do business in this State.
The Commissioner shall not grant a third-party delivery license to a person or entity that also holds an on-premise license.
Delivery service must be made by a licensed third-party vendor, or such third party’s employee or independent contractor, provided that the on-premise licensee has entered into a written agreement SD :
JH :
CBK Page 1 of 2 Released:
06/11/2025 05:16 PM with a licensed third-party delivery vendor that authorizes the third-party vendor, or such third-party vendor’s employee or independent contractor, to deliver alcoholic liquors on behalf of the on-premise licensee.
The licensed third-party vendor may not include an entity whose business is primarily the interstate shipment of goods.
(2) All alcoholic liquors sold for off-premise consumption under this subsection must comply with all of the following requirements:
a.
Be sold in containers that are securely closed, which means a container that is designed to prevent consumption without removal of the lid, cap, or seal, and does not include a container with a lid with sipping holes or openings for straws.
b.
[Repealed.] c.
Be limited per customer to 2750 ML 2 750 ML bottles of wine, 1 bottle of a private label spirit purchased from a Delaware licensed importer that is either limited availability or limited allocation, 6 servings of beer, and mixed cocktails which are made in the restaurant, brewpub, tavern, taproom or other entity with a valid on-premise license.
d.
Be sold and served on the premises only by a person certified as a responsible alcoholic beverage server pursuant to § 1205 of this title.
SYNOPSIS This Act would allow valid on-premise license holders to sell 1 bottle of a private label spirit purchased from a Delaware licensed importer that is either limited availability or limited allocation.
The Act also corrects a typographical error and changes 2750 ML bottles of wine to 2 750 bottles of wine.
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Action History
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Signed by Governor
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Passed By House. Votes: 37 YES 1 NO 3 ABSENT
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Reported Out of Committee (Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce) in House with 10 On Its Merits
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Assigned to Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce Committee in House
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Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
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Amendment SA 1 to SB 185 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
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Amendment SA 1 to SB 185 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
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Reported Out of Committee (Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology) in Senate with 6 On Its Merits
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Introduced and Assigned to Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee in Senate
Sponsors
- Claire Snyder-Hall · Primary
- William J. Carson · Primary
- Brian Pettyjohn · Primary
- S. Elizabeth Lockman · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →4 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 58 not signed on · 1 voted No
Sponsors (4)
- Claire Snyder-Hall Democratic
- William J. Carson Democratic
- Brian Pettyjohn Republican
- S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (58)
58 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 58 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 25 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Republican | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 37 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 90% | 2% | 0% | 7% |
How each member voted (41)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Alonna Berry | Democratic | Yea |
| Claire Snyder-Hall | Democratic | Yea |
| Cyndie Romer | Democratic | Yea |
| DeShanna U Neal | Democratic | Yea |
| Debra Heffernan | Democratic | Yea |
| Edward S. Osienski | Democratic | Yea |
| Eric Morrison | Democratic | Yea |
| Frank Burns | Democratic | Yea |
| Franklin D. Cooke | Democratic | Yea |
| Josue O Ortega | Democratic | Yea |
| Kamela T Smith | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Kendra Johnson | Democratic | Yea |
| Kerri Evelyn Harris | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Kimberly Williams | Democratic | Yea |
| Krista Griffith | Democratic | Yea |
| Larry Lambert | Democratic | Yea |
| Madinah Wilson-Anton | Democratic | Yea |
| Mara Gorman | Democratic | Yea |
| Melanie Ross Levin | Democratic | Yea |
| Melissa Minor-Brown | Democratic | Yea |
| Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha | Democratic | Yea |
| Sean M. Lynn | Democratic | Yea |
| Sherae'a Moore | Democratic | Yea |
| Sophie Phillips | Democratic | Yea |
| Stephanie T. Bolden | Democratic | Yea |
| William Bush | Democratic | Yea |
| William J. Carson | Democratic | Yea |
| Bryan W. Shupe | Republican | Nay |
| Charles S Postles Jr. | Republican | Yea |
| Daniel B. Short | Republican | Yea |
| Jeff Hilovsky | Republican | Yea |
| Jeffrey N. Spiegelman | Republican | Yea |
| Jesse R. Vanderwende | Republican | Yea |
| Kevin S Hensley | Republican | Yea |
| Lyndon D. Yearick | Republican | Yea |
| Michael F. Smith | Republican | Yea |
| Richard G. Collins | Republican | Yea |
| Ronald E. Gray | Republican | Yea |
| Shannon Morris | Republican | Not Voting |
| Timothy D. Dukes | Republican | Yea |
| Valerie Jones Giltner | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (21)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Bryan Townsend | Democratic | Yea |
| Daniel Cruce | Democratic | Yea |
| Darius J. Brown | Democratic | Yea |
| David P. Sokola | Democratic | Yea |
| John "Jack" Walsh | Democratic | Yea |
| Kyra L. Hoffner | Democratic | Yea |
| Laura V. Sturgeon | Democratic | Yea |
| Marie Pinkney | Democratic | Yea |
| Nicole Poore | Democratic | Yea |
| Ray Seigfried | Democratic | Yea |
| Russell Huxtable | Democratic | Yea |
| S. Elizabeth Lockman | Democratic | Yea |
| Spiros Mantzavinos | Democratic | Yea |
| Stephanie L. Hansen | Democratic | Yea |
| Trey Paradee | Democratic | Yea |
| Brian Pettyjohn | Republican | Yea |
| Bryant L. Richardson | Republican | Yea |
| Dave G. Lawson | Republican | Yea |
| David L. Wilson | Republican | Yea |
| Eric Buckson | Republican | Yea |
| Gerald W. Hocker | Republican | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 185 do?
- This Act would allow valid on-premise license holders to sell 1 bottle of a private label spirit purchased from a Delaware licensed importer that is either limited availability or limited allocation. The Act also corrects a typographical error and changes 2750 ML bottles of wine to 2 750 bottles of wine.
- Who sponsors SB 185?
- SB 185 is sponsored by Claire Snyder-Hall (Democratic), William J. Carson (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), and S. Elizabeth Lockman (Democratic).
- What is the current status of SB 185?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced June 11, 2025. Enacted.
- Where can I track SB 185?
- Track SB 185 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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