Delaware lawmakers sign off on $6.1 billion operating budget for the fiscal year

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Delaware lawmakers approved on Thursday a $6.13 billion general fund operating budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, an increase of more than 9% from this year’s operating budget.

House and Senate lawmakers also approved a separate “supplemental budget” bill of more than $168.3 million, using one-time appropriations.

The operating budget is about $54 million higher than what Democratic Gov. John Carney recommended in January. The supplemental spending bill is $76 million higher than what Carney proposed.

Sen. Trey Paradee, a Dover Democrat and co-chair of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, described the spending plan as “a responsible, balanced budget that reflects Delaware’s solid economic growth over the last year.”

Approval of the budget continues a pattern of Delaware lawmakers signing off on spending increases that have approached 10% annually, even as officials expect essentially flat revenue growth this year and next year.

House Minority Whip Lyndon Yearick, a Dover Republican, noted that the state budget has increased by $1 billion over the past two years.

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