FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Media Contact:
Jonah Anderson
jonah.anderson@delaware.gov
DOVER, Del. — Governor Matt Meyer today signed Executive Order 27 to modernize Delaware’s occupational licensing system, remove unnecessary barriers to employment and make it easier for qualified professionals, including military families, professionals with experience earned outside the state and workers entering licensed professions through alternative or competency-based pathways, to enter Delaware’s workforce while maintaining strong public health and safety standards.
The executive order directs the Department of State to identify at least five occupational and professional licensing boards for an in-depth review of requirements that may unnecessarily limit workforce mobility or make it more difficult for qualified workers to practice in Delaware. It also urges executive branch licensing boards to refrain from creating new barriers to entering or remaining in a profession unless there is evidence that the requirement is necessary to protect public health or safety or comply with state or federal law.
“Government red tape shouldn’t stand between qualified workers and good-paying jobs,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “When a licensing requirement protects public health and safety, we should protect it. But when unnecessary rules keep skilled people out of the workforce, families wait longer for services, businesses have fewer workers and everyone pays more — that’s when government needs to get out of the way.”
The order directs the Department of State to select the initial licensing boards for review within 30 days. The Department will prioritize boards based on the number of professionals they regulate, workforce shortages, and how much the occupation affects the cost of living, housing, and access to essential services.
After consulting with those boards, the Department will identify ways to streamline licensing, improve workforce mobility, and remove barriers that are not needed to
protect public health or safety. It will submit its recommendations to the Governor within 150 days.
The review will focus on cutting Delaware-specific requirements that go beyond what other states require without a clear health or safety reason, recognizing substantially equivalent education and experience earned in other states, and creating competency-based pathways that let qualified professionals demonstrate their skills instead of meeting rigid hour-based requirements.
The executive order does not alter licensing requirements established in state law or diminish the statutory authority of Delaware’s professional licensing boards. Instead, it directs the state to identify opportunities within existing authority to make licensing more efficient while maintaining appropriate professional standards and protections for the public.
Executive Order 27 takes effect immediately.
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