Committee approves capital bond bill totaling $708 million, down 18% from this year
From Delaware State News
DOVER — Lawmakers completed drafting the capital bond bill Thursday, setting it up to be voted on by the full General Assembly next week. The committee approved a $708 million spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
That total represents a decline of about $155 million (18%) from the current fiscal year and $185 million (21%) from the governor’s January proposal, a precipitous decrease that can be clearly backed to the COVID-19 outbreak.
With coronavirus triggering a big economic hit and preventing the legislature from meeting at all for months, lawmakers were pressed to approve spending plans for the operating and capital budgets by their deadline at the end of this month.
The Joint Committee on Capital Improvement, one of two money committees that handles the annual spending bills, did the latter Thursday by passing a modified bill that closes the gap with cuts to various areas. The cuts themselves were identified beforehand by budget officials in consultation with the committee co-chairs and some others.
The bond bill, which still must be passed by both chambers by July 1, includes $364 million for transportation-related items and $344 million for other needs, such as state facilities.
The $893 million sum proposed by the governor would have been the largest bond bill in state history, surpassing the $863 million total allocated in the current fiscal year.