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Gov. Carney's State of the State offers plans for education, environment and eco. development

Delaware Public Media

Gov. John Carney used his State of the State address to highlight his accomplishments as he enters the final year of his first term, and set the table for his 2020 priorities.

 

 

"At the end of three years as your Governor, I’m pleased to report that the state of our state is strong, and getting stronger," said Carney. "But we’re not stopping there."

Carney is proposes $50 million in capital investments that includes creating a Site Readiness Fund to boost economic development.

 

“So we can quickly convert existing properties to meet the needs of prospective employers,"said Carney. "And we’ll expand the EDGE grant program, to encourage even more small businesses to grow and innovate. Our goal is simple: We want companies to start here, to grow here, and to stay here.”

That money is on top of two proposals announced earlier this week, $50 million each for the Clean Water Trust account that provides grant funding for low-income and underserved communities, and for construction and renovation of Wilmington schools, including a new state of the art school in the city.

Carney also weighed in on gun legislation, encouraging the General Assembly to consider some stronger gun laws.

He praised lawmakers for passing gun legislation linked to mental health issues, then pushed them to do the same with two gun bills already introduced.

 

“I encourage every member in this chamber to support legislation that would ban so-called ghost guns, and high capacity magazines. These bills are just common sense.”

But the governor made no mention of other measures banning assault weapons or creating a gun permit system that stalled last year.

Carney also promoted school readiness and literacy for children.

 

“With the leadership of State Librarian Annie Norman, we’re launching a pilot of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library," Carney said. "Participating children will receive one book each month from birth to five years old – free of charge. The program will be centered in 13 public libraries covering thousands of children in five targeted school districts.”

Carney also is proposing to waive tuition fees at Delaware Tech, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware for students who age out of foster care.

And saying some areas of the state face doctor shortages, he’s backing creation of a loan repayment program that seeks to attract young doctors to areas where they’re needed the most.

To improve the environment, Carney says wants the state to plant one million trees over the next decade.

After touting Delaware OneStop for small businesses that was implemented last year, he’s calling for one for Delaware citizens.

Carney says state residents would be able to buy park passes, register to vote, renew licenses, or check for snow closures. Carney adds that would be a game changer for the state.

 

How Carney plans to pay for these initiatives is likely to become a bit clearer next week when he unveils his budget plan.

Governor Carney 2020 State of the State Address by Delaware Public Media on Scribd

Joe brings over 20 years of experience in news and radio to Delaware Public Media and the All Things Considered host position. He joined DPM in November 2019 as a reporter and fill-in ATC host after six years as a reporter and anchor at commercial radio stations in New Castle and Sussex Counties.