Tuesday, June 30 was the last day of the legislative session and fiscal year, and Delaware a signed budget - albeit a very different one than proposed in January.
Delaware’s operating budget is $4.52 billion, which is still 1.6 percent larger this year’s budget. But it pales in comparison to the $4.64 billion plan Gov. Carney proposed earlier this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic was the reason for the revised budget.
Carney also signed the Bond Bill. That capital spending plan comes in at $708 million, an 18 percent decrease from the current year’s budget. The governor proposed a record $893 million budget five months ago.
Despite the changes Carney says the main priorities were still met.
"We were able to meet our commitments and fund the priorities in education, in the health of Delawareans, in capital construction, which is critically important as we try to get Delaware's economy moving again," said Carney. "These public construction projects are going to be incredibly important to construction companies in our state in putting people back to work."
And considering the circumstances, Carney says the state is in solid shape.
"In a year when we thought it could have been, as I said, disastrous, we were able to get through it without position cuts, without tax increases, and while maintaining our commitments to the priorities of the people of our state and so much of that is due to the leadership of the two committee chairs."
Those chairs are the co-chairs of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, State Sen. Harris McDowell (D-Wilmington North) and State Rep Quinn Johnson (D-Middletown), both of whom are not running for re-election this year.
As for Grant-in-Aid, it will be down slightly - $54.5 million dollars compared to $55 million this year. Carney proposed in January to leave it the same level as the current year.
