As cities and states across the county have been taking measures in recent years like banning plastic bags and styrofoam to help prevent waste and sustain the environment, Delaware has a new bill to consider that would further that effort. Senate Bill 263, sponsored by Sen. Trey Paradee, D-Dover, would prohibit the sale of beverages packaged in rings or other …
Editor’s note: This report has been updated to reflect that Medicaid is not overseen by Public Health The Delaware Division of Public Health wants a 2025 budget of $167.4 million, but about $3.5 million of that is not in the governor’s recommended budget. That puzzled the chair of the state Joint Finance Committee, which writes the state budget. It’s in …
Jokes were cracked, programs were praised and millions state funding was requested from Delaware State University Thursday’s Joint Finance Committee hearing. That committee is responsible for setting the state budget and allocating funding to different programs and organizations throughout Delaware. DSU, the state’s only Historically Black College and University, is asking for about $47,000,000. It started its hearing on a …
The state Senate voted Friday night to send a $71.9 million grant package to Gov. John Carney to bolster fire companies, ambulance services, senior centers, veterans organizations and other community groups. The Grants-In-Aid bill for fiscal year 2024 includes: $22.7 million for organizations that provide benefits to Delawareans in the areas of health, substance-use disorder treatment, the arts, tourism and …
On Tuesday, the Senate passed with five bills that relate to the environment, with Republicans offering some resistance, and a budget that had less opposition. House Bill 99, sponsored by Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred South, would require that Delaware meet certain emission reduction requirements, getting to zero net emissions by 2050, and create climate change officers within all nine …
A bill banning the use of polystyrene containers, including Styrofoam, passed the House and will head back to the Senate after three amendments were passed with it. Senate Bill 51, sponsored by Sen. Trey Paradee, D-Dover, would ban the use of polystyrene containers in restaurants, fire companies, and nonprofit organizations, along with single use plastic straws, and beverage, cocktail picks …
A 2024 state budget that’s 10% higher than 2023’s led eight Republicans to vote against it Thursday in the House of Representatives, but that didn’t stop it from passing. House Bill 195, sponsored by Rep. William Carson, D-Smyrna, delineated how the $5.6 billion budget will be spent over the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. Carson is the vice …
During the mark-up of the state’s operating budget Tuesday, the Joint Finance Committee approved $4.1 million to pay for regulation of a new marijuana industry in Delaware, including 28 new state jobs. Of the $4.1 million allocated, $2.2 million is expected to be ongoing funding and $1.9 million is expected to be for one-time costs, as provided by the bills …
The Senate on Thursday passed the bill banning the use of single-use foam take containers and plastic items in restaurants, but it will allow customers to request a straw. Senate Bill 51, sponsored by Sen. Trey Paradee, D-Dover, would ban the use of beverage, cocktail picks and sandwich picks made of plastic, but exempts straws attached to an item such …
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that would lower licensing fees for casinos that make capital investments. Senate Bill 64, sponsored by Sen. Trey Paradee, D-Dover, would allow the casinos, which under a 2018 bill were required to pay a $3 million license fee to operate table games, to forgo portions of that fee if they pay for …
