A little-noticed section of Delaware's fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill addresses criminal background check costs for volunteer-staffed organizations—and it matters to how you think about complian
Most Delaware child care owners don't realize that buried in SB337—the state's appropriations bill for fiscal year 2027—is a provision that reshapes how criminal background check fees work for volunteer-staffed organizations. Even if your facility doesn't directly employ volunteers, understanding this change clarifies the state's approach to compliance costs and nonprofit operations.
Section 23 of SB337 (found on page 29) appropriates $240,000 to the State Fire Prevention Commission specifically to cover IdentoGO criminal background check processing fees for fire company volunteers. This is a direct state payment for a mandatory compliance cost that would otherwise come out of the organizations' own budgets.
In plain terms: volunteer fire companies in Delaware are required to conduct criminal background checks on their members. The IdentoGO system processes these checks, and there's a fee. Starting in fiscal year 2027, the state is paying that fee instead of requiring the volunteer organizations to pay it themselves.
Child care facilities operate under similar compliance pressures. You're required to conduct background checks on staff and, in many cases, on volunteers or household members. Those checks cost money. While this particular appropriation targets fire volunteers, it signals how Delaware views the relationship between mandatory compliance requirements and who bears the cost.
For child care operators, the practical takeaway is this: when regulations require a compliance step, the question of who pays—the organization or the state—is a policy choice. This appropriation shows the state choosing to absorb the cost for one category of volunteer-dependent organizations. It's worth monitoring whether similar logic might eventually apply to child care settings, particularly for nonprofits or family child care homes that rely on volunteers or household members.
This appropriation covers the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. That means the funding is available now through that date. If you operate a volunteer-staffed program or work with volunteer fire companies on safety training or joint initiatives, this is the window in which the fee structure changes.
If your child care facility currently pays for background checks out of pocket, review your budget and compliance procedures. If you work with volunteers—whether for special events, training, or support—confirm your current background check requirements and costs. This provision doesn't directly change child care rules, but it reflects state priorities around compliance cost-sharing that may inform future policy.
For nonprofit child care operators especially, this is a reminder to track appropriations bills and appropriations-related amendments. Compliance costs can be significant, and understanding how the state allocates resources to cover them can inform your own budgeting and advocacy.
Source: Delaware SB337, An Act Making Appropriations For Certain Grants-in-aid For The Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027, Section 23, Page 29.