How this new bill could make Delaware’s legal holidays more inclusive of cultural events

A bill that was recently introduced in the Delaware Legislature and aims to include a Muslim holiday as a state-recognized legal holiday has gotten a recent update.  

Here’s what to know about the bill’s recent changes. 

What is House Bill 360?  

House Bill 360, introduced on March 27 and primarily sponsored by State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton of the 26th district, aims to add Eid ul-Fitr to the list of state holidays. The legal holiday would be observed for one day during the first full day of Eid ul-Fitr. 

The legal holidays currently recognized by the State of Delaware are: 

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day   

• Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July   

• Return Day, observed after noon for state employees living and/or working in Sussex County  

• The day after Thanksgiving   

Previous coverage: A bill aims to add a new legal holiday to the state of Delaware. Here’s what to know

Although the State of Delaware grants state employees two floating holidays per calendar year, recognizing Eid ul-Fitr as a legal holiday allows those who observe the holiday to save their floating holidays for other personal matters. 

According to a fiscal note from the Office of the Controller General that examines state employee payroll system data, adding one state holiday to Delaware’s calendar would cost $712,532. 

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How has HB 360 changed? 

HB 360 originally included both Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as potential new state holidays, but Wilson-Anton filed an amendment on May 22 to change the bill to include Eid ul-Fitr only.

On June 20, House Substitute 1 for HB 360 was filed by Wilson-Anton in the House of Representatives, making the bill inclusive of other cultural holidays. Under House Substitute 1, one floating holiday would be removed from the two granted to state employees and one legal holiday would be added.

The added legal holiday would rotate on a three-year basis between Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which occurs on different days between October and November each year; Eid ul-Fitr, which occurs on different days annually and is celebrated in accordance with the 10th month of the Islamic calendar when the new moon is seen; and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement for Jews, observed annually on the 10th day of the seventh month of the Hebrew Calendar, which varies each year and usually occurs in September or October. 

This makes it so that only one of the above cultural holidays would be considered a legal state holiday in any given year as opposed to all three being recognized in one calendar year. If the bill is passed, it would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.  

Further voting on the substituted bill has yet to take place.  

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys’tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.