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 …
Delaware still expects $963.5 surplus for 2024 budget
Delaware heads toward the final moves in creating its 2024 budget, which starts July 1, with a projected $963.5 surplus. It will be the third straight year in a row of extraordinary revenues that hit right at $1 billion, and a turbulent economy it’s expected to be the last for a while to reach that stratospheric height. Revenue estimates rose …
State fends off 567 billion cyberattacks; adding broadband
NOTE: This story corrects a statement to say that it costs $100,000 per mile to lay broadband cable and install equipment. A previous version incorrectly said it cost that much per house. Delaware state computers had to contend with 567 billion — “billion with a B” — cyberattacks in the last quarter of 2022, the director of the Department …
JFC asks for return on investment on educational spending
Several members of the Joint Finance Committee asked the Department of Education officials on Wednesday when and if they would ever see a return on the state’s investment in public education. Student achievement metrics like standardized test scores have fallen off a cliff over the past decade and the state still faces a teacher shortage. Education Secretary Mark Holodick and …
College budget hearings bring up safety, salary concerns
Funding requests from three state colleges in General Assembly financial hearings Thursday drew questions about campus safety, fair pay and transparency. Collectively, Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware State University and University of Delaware asked the state Joint Finance Committee for $32,534,000 for Fiscal Year 2024, which starts July 1. The committee, made of members of both the state House and …
Delaware’s 2023 budget signed, starts July 1
On the wings of another staggering surplus, Gov. John Carney on Tuesday signed the $5.1 billion 2023 operating budget for Delaware. It takes effect Friday, July 1. The operating budget, Senate Bill 250, is the largest in Delaware’s history, reflecting a rise in spending of 6.9% in spending over the previous year. It also will increase Delaware’s Rainy Day …
Committee votes to raise senior property tax credit
The committee responsible for drafting the state’s budget has voted to restore the senior property tax credit to its pre-2017 level. The credit was cut from $500 to $400 per year in 2017 in an effort to close a budget shortfall that year. Currently, the program allows homeowners ages 65 and over to claim a tax credit against regular school …
Lawmakers OK state worker pay raises, $500 bonus
The General Assembly’s budget-writing committee on Tuesday approved raises for state workers. Under the governor’s proposed budget, employees on the lower end of the pay scale would get the most significant boost in pay. The Joint Finance Committee approved the increases during its first day of “markup,” a period during which the committee takes the governor’s recommended budget and votes …
Labor Dept. says fraud behind many unemployment delays
After Milford resident Candice Hamilton was let go from her health care job in November 2021 she immediately filed for unemployment. After receiving her benefits for three weeks, the payments stopped. In late December, Hamilton was told by a Department of Labor caseworker that her claim is in a queue awaiting assignment to a claims deputy and that there was …