As chair of the Senate Environment & Energy Committee, Sen. Stephanie Hasen enacted legislation to protect Delaware’s native flora and fauna by limiting the sale of invasive plants, starting in 2022.
Based on recommendations from the Statewide Ecological Extinction Task Force, Senate Bill 22 directed the Delaware Secretary of Agriculture to develop a list of invasive plant species that out-compete native vegetation, disrupt food chains and habitats, degrade soil or otherwise damage ecosystems throughout the First State.
Passed with unanimous support in the Senate and the House, Senate Bill 22 resulted in 37 plant species being blocked from store shelves. Since then, Sen. Hansen has sponsored additional legislation that would require all state agencies to almost exclusively use native plants in their landscaping, starting in 2026.
