Legislative Hall offers limited public access

Members of the public will be allowed back in Legislative Hall on a limited basis as of Tuesday, June 8.

Following social distancing rules of three feet, limited seating will be provided to the public on session days, officials said. There will be 25 seats available in the House gallery and 25 seats in the Senate gallery for a total of 50 seats each session day. Seating will be available in the Senate chamber gallery on any Wednesday when the Senate is in session. 

Members of the public will be able to reserve seats on the Delaware General Assembly website. Sign-up forms will be available starting at 5 p.m. the evening before each session day, and the House and Senate will use separate online sign-up forms. 

Members of the public will be required to provide their full name and email address to reserve a seat. Confirmation of a seat reservation will be emailed using the address provided. Sign-up opportunities will close once all available seats have been reserved or at 10 a.m. the following morning, whichever comes first, officials said.

Members of the public will not be able to sign up more than once each day, and individuals will be limited to one seat per person per day. In order to accommodate as many Delawareans as possible, members of the public are encouraged to sign up to observe only one chamber each day, officials said. 

No seating will be available to anyone who arrives at Legislative Hall without a reservation. Doors to Legislative Hall will open 30 minutes before each chamber convenes session on a given day. Attendees will be directed up the main staircase (or to the nearest elevator) and to their respective gallery. They will be asked to leave the building once session is completed. Attendees must wear masks at all times while in Legislative Hall, similar to the rule for all state government buildings. 

Capitol Police will be provided with the names of individuals who have reserved a seat in each chamber.  

Access to the remainder of the building will continue to be restricted, including the wings of the building, the cafeteria (which remains closed) and the library. The House and Senate floors also will be closed to the public. 

Legislative sessions will continue to be broadcast on the legislative website. Committee meetings will continue to be conducted virtually. The public will not be permitted access to the House chamber June 9 and June 15-16.