Delaware House Bill 162 unsurprisingly passed the House last week—but the real fight lies ahead in the Senate. As it moves forward, it’s vital that lawmakers hear directly from those who stand to lose the most: Delaware’s direct sellers.
That’s why I’m calling on every direct selling company with a presence in the state to act now: identify and prepare your Delaware-based sellers. We need their voices—in Dover, in their communities, and in their legislators’ inboxes.
Every company can engage:
- Send the campaign link—WeAreDirectSelling.com/Delaware—to your Delaware-based field members so they can send letters to state senators with just one click. Just as importantly, encourage them to involve their families, neighbors, business contacts, and local organizations. This multiplier effect is everything.
- Internally gather and prepare data on your Delaware-based distributors so that, when a coordinated in-person day of action is announced, your company is ready to support participation and ensure a strong presence at Legislative Hall.
- Nominate a top Delaware distributor to serve as a visible voice in this fight. These individuals can input their information directly on the campaign site and may be called upon for future testimony, outreach, or events.
Any of these actions will help build the visible, vocal coalition we need to succeed.
And the individuals you put forth are not victims. They are women balancing caregiving and careers, military spouses, retirees, and others seeking flexible income. They are entrepreneurs. They are voters. And they are the ones HB 162 would hurt most.
This bill is being framed as consumer protection—but in practice, it imposes new restrictions on the very people it claims to defend:
- A 90% buyback mandate with no threshold may sound helpful, but it will discourage companies from offering affordable starter kits—limiting sellers’ ability to explore the opportunity.
- A 3-month unconditional cancellation window creates instability for those building teams or mentoring others.
- Earnings disclosure mandates, stripped of context, misrepresent the experience of part-time or casual sellers—undermining their confidence and ability to engage authentically.
What’s most frustrating is that the protections this bill seeks to impose already exist—and they work. DSA’s Code of Ethics sets strict standards for transparency and fairness. And the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC) has reviewed over 3,600 product and income claims, resolved more than 450 inquiries, and referred 25 serious cases to regulators—protecting consumers while allowing direct sellers to grow their businesses on their own terms.
The next key milestone is the Senate Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee hearing on June 24. If the bill passes committee, it could move to the full Senate as early as June 30, the final day of the session.
Please contact Brad Reichard at DSA to let us know how your company plans to support the Delaware Direct Selling Coalition.
Let’s stand up for the sellers who’ve built this channel—and make sure their voices shape what comes next.
