Photo/senatorbrucecennis.com State Sen. Bruce Ennis will retire at the end of his term in November after spending forty years in the General Assembly. Ennis, a Democrat from Smyrna, said he would be stepping down in order to spend more time with his family. “Serving in the Delaware General Assembly has been a great privilege and honor that I will cherish,” …
State grants for non-profits now require formal application
The General Assembly’s budget-writing committee has launched a formal application process for non-profit community groups seeking capital grants through the Community Reinvestment Fund. The lack of a formal application process last year ignited debate amongst legislators, some of whom said the process lacked transparency, resulting in gentlemen’s agreements and pork-barrel spending. The Community Reinvestment Fund is a capital grant program …
Wells among concerns at first clean water committee hearing
A new committee focused on improving water quality in Delaware offered a glimpse into some of the projects it hopes to tackle during the first of three public meetings Tuesday. The Delaware Clean Water Trust Oversight Committee has a broad list of objectives, including improving flood resilience, repairing failing sewer pipes, improving drinking water quality, removing pollution from Delaware’s waterways …
Senate redistricting maps show few impactful changes
Most Senate districts will change some boundaries , but only slightly. Democratic leaders in the State Senate have published draft maps of Delaware’s 21 Senate districts and announced a date for the legislature to consider a final redistricting bill. The Senate will convene in a special session on Nov. 1 to finalize the maps that will define Delaware’s …
Darius Brown follows other legislators into job partly funded by state
State Sen. Darius Brown seems to be the latest in a line of Delaware legislators who take jobs with organizations that receive state funds voted on by the General Assembly. Brown, D-Wilmington, has been hired as executive director of a group focused on reducing recidivism in Wilmington. He is expected to go to trial in three months on charges relating …
State to change way nonprofits seek community redevelopment cash
Among those receiving money from the state’s Community Redevelopment Fund this year are the Delaware Agricultural Museum, Brandywine Valley SPCA, Nanticoke Indian Museum and FAME Inc.’s STEM training lab. The Delaware Office of the Controller General is developing a standardized application for non-profits to request state grants from the 2023 Bond Bill’s Community Redevelopment Fund. It will change the customary …
List of Bond Bill’s community projects still unpublished
When the General Assembly passed a record-setting $1.3 billion bond bill last week, the spending package did not include a list of the $70 million in projects chosen by legislators for their districts. The Community Redevelopment Fund includes one-time allocations which legislators earmark for nonprofits, schools, and community agencies in their districts. Ordinarily, each organization receiving funding would have its …
House, Senate send largest bond bill ever to Carney for signature
The Delaware Senate says the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of Tuesday’s session. Delaware residents will soon see the effects of a $1.35 billion spending package authorized by both houses of the General Assembly on Tuesday. Gov. John Carney is expected to sign the spending package as well as a $63 million Grants-in-Aid bill on Wednesday at 1 p.m. …
More safe havens likely for surrendering babies
(Photo by Jill Sauve on Unsplash) A bill to allow families to safely surrender babies at Delaware’s police stations received only positive comments at a Senate Health & Social Services hearing Wednesday. SB 161 expands the safe haven concept from hospitals, and the idea came from nurses at ChristianaCare, according to Sen. Marie Pinkney, the bill’s primary sponsor. “Abandonment of a baby is …