DOVER, Del. (AP) - The General Assembly’s budget-writing committee restored funding for certain state employee pay raises Monday after officials bumped up Delaware’s official revenue forecast.
The Joint Finance Committee voted to approve about $22 million for “step increases” for certain workers, and pay involving collective bargaining agreements with unions representing certain groups of state workers.
The panel had voted earlier this month to approve Democratic Gov. John Carney’s decision to save $55 million by halting those planned payments as well as across-the-board raise for state employees. The across-the-board raise remains off the table.
The panel that sets Delaware’s official revenue forecast voted last week to increase revenue estimates for the current fiscal year by about $79 million compared with May projections and for fiscal 2021 by slightly more than $11 million.
Meanwhile Monday, the finance committee also approved a $55 million grants package for nonprofit groups, community organizations and volunteer fire companies.
A separate budget committee voted last week to approve a capital budget of $708 million for construction, maintenance and transportation projects. That’s far less than the record $893 million that Carney had proposed before he shut down much of Delaware’s economy because of the coronavirus.
The state Senate was scheduled to consider the spending bills on Tuesday.
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