Delaware Democrats cut deal for Grant-in Aid, Bond Bill on final day of legislative session
DOVER, Del. – The final day of the legislative session saw Democrats making key concessions to House Republicans to get measures that required a supermajority to pass.
Republicans dug in their heels over a bill to allow corporations in Seaford to vote in municipal elections, threatening to hold up the $71.9 million Grant-in Aid Bill and the Bond Bill.
“The bond bill and grant and aid as well have to have a supermajority vote so they need republicans to support to get through, so the reason we feel so strongly and holding them up for the Seaford bill is not for corporations, it’s for locals to be able to say what they want in their town,’ said Republican House Member Bryan Shupe.
Shupe tells us another concession made in favor of Republicans, a move to have EV regulations be set by the legislature, rather than coming directly from DNREC recommendations.
“Anything that is decided on EV mandates or anything on green energy we want it to come to the legislative branch first not just regulations through DNREC”,” Shupe said adding despite the concessions and voting to pass the Grant-in Aid, and Bond bill he still has worries about their fiscal notes.
“This is why I voted against our budget because of these increases 10 year fixed rate expenses, and the state is looking at a shortfall next year so we think grant and aid spending decreasing would be moving in the right direction,” Shupe said.
As the session threatens to stretch long into the night lawmakers say they’re ready to stay up and work for their constituents.
“We’re just trying to get through this process and hopefully by the time we close out of session we can say we’ve made a huge impact on Delawareans this session,” said Representative Melissa Minor Brown.
In the Senate, Senator Kyle Evans Gay tells us they are pushing for a package of bills aimed at protecting kids in the first state.
“The bills deal with child care abuse and making sure we have accountability so that we can prevent child abuse going and keep people who hurt kids away from kids,” Evans Gay said.
Representative Shupe tells us measures that didn’t make the cut this year, he hopes can be added to the governor-recommended budget, including his own bill to add School Resource Officers for schools throughout the state, at a fiscal, not that could be as high as 60 million dollars.
“That figure is an estimate if we look at every school adopting it at the face value, but we are hoping constables can drive that price down and get that estimate closer to 15-20 million,” Shupe said.
