Weekly Report: 1/29/24
Prepared By: Klara Lenges, Jene Duffy
Delaware’s legislature is out of session until March 5th for budget hearings, so there won’t be any bills up for a vote until then.
The Governor’s recommended budget bills were introduced this month and will be the focus for this month’s Joint Finance Committee hearings. The state’s fiscal year runs from July - June, so these bills’ Fiscal Year will run from July 2024 - June 2025. Here is a helpful diagram of the budgeting process, via Delaware’s Office of Management and Budget.
What’s the difference between the budget bill (HB 225) and the bond bill (HB 325)?
The budget bill stipulates the funding that will go to state agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Education, and covers things like salaries and operating costs that are fairly static and predictable from year to year. The bond bill designates funding for capital projects and funding that goes to non-state agencies, such as a local community center, or one-time expenses by state agencies that are outside the scope of the yearly budget, such as replacing the roof of a public school.
What are budget hearings?
The four weeks of February are dedicated to the Joint Finance Committee (which has the unfortunate initials JFC) going through each section of the budget bill and holding hearings on them, so there is some room for final discussion and public comment. You can view the schedule here and see if there is a particular part of the budget you want to attend the hearing for. The bond bill will not be discussed at this time; bond bill hearings begin in April.
Grassroots Campaign Training
As we enter the new year, campaign season is ramping up and there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved. If you are interested in running for office or helping on a campaign but don't know how, we are holding our first grassroots campaign training of the year this Wednesday, January 31st at 6pm.
At this training you'll learn a bit more about what a grassroots campaign looks like, what you need to learn and do in order to help out, and what some of the different roles and responsibilities are at the local level.