Lawmakers eye health and social services spending requests

 Delaware lawmakers are continuing to hear spending requests from state agencies following Gov. John Carney’s proposal last month to increase the government’s operating budget by almost 4% next fiscal year.

The legislature’s budget-writing committee will hear Wednesday from the Division of Public Health, the Division of Social Services and the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance. All three of those agencies fall under the umbrella of the Department of Health and Social Services.

Carney has proposed boosting the department’s spending by more than $13 million to almost $1.25 billion.

DHSS is second in size only to the state Department of Education, whose proposed budget totals more than $1.6 billion. That’s an increase of about $85 million over this year’s budget.

(Pic Credit: Pixabay)