February Legislative Update
The majority of the legislature is out of session for February, but that does not mean that important things are not happening. This month is when the Joint Finance Committee, which considers and writes the budget for the state, will be holding its preliminary budget hearings.
In these hearings, each department that receives state money comes down to Legislative Hall to give a presentation of how much money they are requesting and what they intend to spend it on. Members of the Joint Finance Committee can then ask questions and get clarification, and then the comments are opened up to the public. While we do not have direct control over this process, the Joint Finance Committee Hearings can be a good way to learn more about what the state’s priorities are and give comments on what you think they may be missing.
Make Your Voice Heard
Virtual Public Comment: Members of the public may join the Zoom webinar and provide public comments during these hearings at a designated time following each state agency’s budget presentation. All public comments will be limited to two minutes per speaker.
Mandatory Registration: All public commenters must register through the applicable daily Zoom webinar link. Upon clicking the registration link, registrants will be required to enter their first name, last name, and email address. An optional question allows the registrant to list their organizational affiliation, if any. Once the registration is complete, the registrant will receive an email (to the address they registered with) that includes the joining link, meeting ID, and password.
Written comments can be submitted at any time to the following email address: JFC_Public_Comment@delaware.gov
Joint Finance Committee Sessions
| Day | Time | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, February 3rd | 12:45 - 2:00 | Office of Management and Budget |
| 2:00 - 2:45 | Department of Human Resources | |
| 2:45 - 4:00 | Department of Finance | |
| Wednesday, February 4th | 10:30 - 12:00 | Department of Technology and Information |
| 12:30 - 1:30 | Department of Labor | |
| 1:30 - 4:00 | Department of State | |
| Thursday, February 5th | 10:45 - 12:15 | Delaware Technical Community College |
| 12:45 - 2:15 | Delaware State University | |
| 2:15 - 4:00 | University of Delaware | |
| Tuesday, February 10th | 10:30 - 11:30 | Department of Elections |
| 11:30 - 12:15 | Insurance Commissioner | |
| 12:45 - 2:00 | State Treasurer | |
| 2:00 - 4:00 | Auditor of Accounts | |
| Wednesday, February 11th | 10:30 - 12:15 | Department of Correction |
| 12:45 - 1:45 | Department of Safety & Homeland Security | |
| 1:45 - 2:15 | Delaware Criminal Justice Information System (DELJIS) | |
| 2:15 - 4:00 | Department of Justice | |
| Thursday, February 12th | 10:30 - 10:45 | Governor's Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens (GACEC) |
| 10:45 - 12:15 | Department of Services for Children, Youth, & Their Families (DSCYF) | |
| 12:45 - 4:00 | Delaware State Housing Authority | |
| Tuesday, February 17th | 10:30 - 11:00 | Delaware National Guard |
| 11:00 - 12:00 | Department of Agriculture | |
| 12:30 - 4:00 | Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) | |
| Wednesday, February 18th | 10:30 - 12:00 | Department of Education Presentation w/Redding Consortium and Wilmington Learning Collaborative |
| 12:30 - 1:30 | Department of Education - Discussion and Public Comment | |
| Thursday, February 19th | 10:45 - 12:15 | Judicial |
| 12:45 - 1:15 | Right to Representation | |
| 1:15 - 2:00 | Office of Defense Services | |
| 2:00 - 4:00 | Criminal Justice Council / Statistical Analysis Center (CJC/SAC) | |
| Tuesday, February 24th | 10:30 - 12:00 | Department of Health & Social Services - Overview and Public Health |
| 12:30 - 4:00 | Department of Health & Social Services - Social Services and Medicaid & Medical Assistance | |
| Wednesday, February 25th | 10:00 - 11:15 | Department of Health & Social Services - Substance Abuse and Mental Health |
| 11:15 - 12:30 | Department of Health & Social Services - Aging & Aging Adults w/Physical Disabilities and Health Care Quality | |
| 1:00 - 4:00 | Department of Health & Social Services - Developmental Disabilities Services | |
| Thursday, February 26th | 10:30 - 11:30 | Fire Prevention Commission |
| 12:00 - 4:00 | Department of Transportation |