Delaware
Hall-Long Highlights Historic Investments, Action for Delawareans – State of Delaware News
News | Date Posted: Sunday, June 30, 2024
DOVER, Del. — As the 152nd General Assembly comes to a close, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long on Sunday highlighted historic investments in early education, protections for reproductive justice, and actions that support a safe, healthy, and thriving Delaware.
“As second in command for the past seven years, I’ve had the privilege of serving with Governor Carney and working with the Delaware General Assembly to deliver solutions for Delawareans. We’ve persevered in some of the most challenging times. Delaware reversed a $400 million budget deficit and passed the largest infrastructure investments in state history, created more than 30,000 new jobs since 2017, navigated a global pandemic, and expanded protections for our residents even as progress at every level of government was attacked,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long.
“While I know there is much more to do to ensure all residents thrive, I want to take a moment to reflect on our state’s accomplishments and thank my legislative colleagues for never backing down from a fight to do what’s right for Delaware. Since 2017, as President of the Senate I’ve been pleased to support a variety of General Assembly initiatives that have supported the quality of life all residents deserve.”
Key General Assembly Initiatives Include:
-
Addressing gun violence as a public health crisis by strengthening background checks, raising the age to purchase most firearms, and mandating safe storage of guns. Just this year, permit-to-purchase legislation became law to keep our communities safe.
-
Preserving our natural resources and preparing the First State for green technology and clean energy, including wind power.
-
Raising the minimum wage and implementing comprehensive paid family leave statewide.
-
Increasing economic opportunities and second chances through the adult expungement and clean slate laws so all residents can thrive.
On June 30, Governor Carney signed four robust budget bills for Fiscal Year 2025. The $6.1 billion operating budget includes $132 million for state employee and state retiree health costs, $17 million for continued mental health support in Delaware public schools, $10 million for Purchase of Care childcare financial assistance, and $10 million for Opportunity Funding for multilingual learners and low-income students. Opportunity Funding has reached $63 million since 2017, providing dedicated funding for our must vulnerable students in public schools.
Additionally, the $168 million supplemental budget bill consists of one-time expenditures and contingency funds like $56 million to the Other Post Employment Benefits Fund to cover the cost of future retiree healthcare needs.
“It is an honor to chair the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee, where we have heard loud and clear from our state retirees and workers about their concerns regarding their health benefits and the processes to administer those benefits,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long.
“Our group laid out a clear roadmap to protect and preserve the best healthcare not only for our retirees but for current and future generations of state workers. I’m pleased to say that Delaware has made investments that keep our promises to state retirees – including no Medicare Advantage – and ensure long-term fiscal sustainability for our state.”
The $1.1 billion capital budget covers projects to enhance roadways, school construction, state parks, beach and dredging needs, and more. Governor Carney also signed a $98.4 million grants-in-aid bill.
Historic Investments in Education
“Education is the foundation for our families and children. I’m proud that this administration has invested in our students and professionals — raising starting teacher salaries to $60,000 during the next four years. Since 2017, we have we have more than doubled investments in both Purchase of Care and Early Childhood Assistance Program to ensure all Delaware families have opportunities for a high-quality education,” continued Lt. Governor Hall-Long, who chaired the Delaware Early Learning Advisory Committee and created the Basic Needs Closet program so students in high-needs schools will have the basic necessities to effectively participate in class.
“The workforce of tomorrow is in our classrooms today. With continued investment in early education, our children will have high-quality learning in the classroom and throughout life. The first 1,825 days of a child’s life is when 90% of the brain is developed, so we have a window of time to make a difference.”
Protecting Reproductive Justice
“Delaware has led on reproductive justice measures well before the Dobbs decision. When attacks on reproductive care came down across the country, Delaware was one of the few states that could stand strong. Here in the First State, reproductive health services and freedoms continue to be prioritized and protected so that regardless of income, race, or experience no one faces barriers to care. Healthcare is a right – and abortion is healthcare,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long, a career nurse who has held jobs as a childbirth educator and perinatal grief counselor.
Strengthening Behavioral Health and Wellness
Leaning on her experience as a public health nurse, Lt. Governor Hall-Long championed several efforts to address the behavioral health crisis that has gripped the state. Working together, the General Assembly and the lieutenant governor have:
-
Established the Behavioral Health Consortium, an advisory body of advocates, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders that addresses prevention, treatment and recovery for mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders, which she chairs.
-
Led the Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee and convened public and private leaders.
-
Created the first overdose system of care in the country.
-
Stood up an opioid impact fee structure and ensured insurance parity for mental health services.
“Too many Delawareans have an empty seat at their kitchen table. Whether it’s due to COVID, suicide, illness or overdose, we must continue to attack the root causes of these issues and fight for strong policies that will make meaningful improvements in the health and wellness of our residents,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long. “We’ve faced the first decline in overdose deaths in 10 years, but it is far from a celebration. With statistics showing a 147% increase in opioid use disorder for Black residents, we must continue to throw the kitchen sink at this issue and fight for equitable access to treatment, care, and healing free from stigma.”
Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.
Here you can subscribe to future news updates.
News | Date Posted: Sunday, June 30, 2024
DOVER, Del. — As the 152nd General Assembly comes to a close, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long on Sunday highlighted historic investments in early education, protections for reproductive justice, and actions that support a safe, healthy, and thriving Delaware.
“As second in command for the past seven years, I’ve had the privilege of serving with Governor Carney and working with the Delaware General Assembly to deliver solutions for Delawareans. We’ve persevered in some of the most challenging times. Delaware reversed a $400 million budget deficit and passed the largest infrastructure investments in state history, created more than 30,000 new jobs since 2017, navigated a global pandemic, and expanded protections for our residents even as progress at every level of government was attacked,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long.
“While I know there is much more to do to ensure all residents thrive, I want to take a moment to reflect on our state’s accomplishments and thank my legislative colleagues for never backing down from a fight to do what’s right for Delaware. Since 2017, as President of the Senate I’ve been pleased to support a variety of General Assembly initiatives that have supported the quality of life all residents deserve.”
Key General Assembly Initiatives Include:
-
Addressing gun violence as a public health crisis by strengthening background checks, raising the age to purchase most firearms, and mandating safe storage of guns. Just this year, permit-to-purchase legislation became law to keep our communities safe.
-
Preserving our natural resources and preparing the First State for green technology and clean energy, including wind power.
-
Raising the minimum wage and implementing comprehensive paid family leave statewide.
-
Increasing economic opportunities and second chances through the adult expungement and clean slate laws so all residents can thrive.
On June 30, Governor Carney signed four robust budget bills for Fiscal Year 2025. The $6.1 billion operating budget includes $132 million for state employee and state retiree health costs, $17 million for continued mental health support in Delaware public schools, $10 million for Purchase of Care childcare financial assistance, and $10 million for Opportunity Funding for multilingual learners and low-income students. Opportunity Funding has reached $63 million since 2017, providing dedicated funding for our must vulnerable students in public schools.
Additionally, the $168 million supplemental budget bill consists of one-time expenditures and contingency funds like $56 million to the Other Post Employment Benefits Fund to cover the cost of future retiree healthcare needs.
“It is an honor to chair the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee, where we have heard loud and clear from our state retirees and workers about their concerns regarding their health benefits and the processes to administer those benefits,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long.
“Our group laid out a clear roadmap to protect and preserve the best healthcare not only for our retirees but for current and future generations of state workers. I’m pleased to say that Delaware has made investments that keep our promises to state retirees – including no Medicare Advantage – and ensure long-term fiscal sustainability for our state.”
The $1.1 billion capital budget covers projects to enhance roadways, school construction, state parks, beach and dredging needs, and more. Governor Carney also signed a $98.4 million grants-in-aid bill.
Historic Investments in Education
“Education is the foundation for our families and children. I’m proud that this administration has invested in our students and professionals — raising starting teacher salaries to $60,000 during the next four years. Since 2017, we have we have more than doubled investments in both Purchase of Care and Early Childhood Assistance Program to ensure all Delaware families have opportunities for a high-quality education,” continued Lt. Governor Hall-Long, who chaired the Delaware Early Learning Advisory Committee and created the Basic Needs Closet program so students in high-needs schools will have the basic necessities to effectively participate in class.
“The workforce of tomorrow is in our classrooms today. With continued investment in early education, our children will have high-quality learning in the classroom and throughout life. The first 1,825 days of a child’s life is when 90% of the brain is developed, so we have a window of time to make a difference.”
Protecting Reproductive Justice
“Delaware has led on reproductive justice measures well before the Dobbs decision. When attacks on reproductive care came down across the country, Delaware was one of the few states that could stand strong. Here in the First State, reproductive health services and freedoms continue to be prioritized and protected so that regardless of income, race, or experience no one faces barriers to care. Healthcare is a right – and abortion is healthcare,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long, a career nurse who has held jobs as a childbirth educator and perinatal grief counselor.
Strengthening Behavioral Health and Wellness
Leaning on her experience as a public health nurse, Lt. Governor Hall-Long championed several efforts to address the behavioral health crisis that has gripped the state. Working together, the General Assembly and the lieutenant governor have:
-
Established the Behavioral Health Consortium, an advisory body of advocates, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders that addresses prevention, treatment and recovery for mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders, which she chairs.
-
Led the Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee and convened public and private leaders.
-
Created the first overdose system of care in the country.
-
Stood up an opioid impact fee structure and ensured insurance parity for mental health services.
“Too many Delawareans have an empty seat at their kitchen table. Whether it’s due to COVID, suicide, illness or overdose, we must continue to attack the root causes of these issues and fight for strong policies that will make meaningful improvements in the health and wellness of our residents,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long. “We’ve faced the first decline in overdose deaths in 10 years, but it is far from a celebration. With statistics showing a 147% increase in opioid use disorder for Black residents, we must continue to throw the kitchen sink at this issue and fight for equitable access to treatment, care, and healing free from stigma.”
Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.
Here you can subscribe to future news updates.
Claiming lottery in Delaware
18 states have laws that allow national lottery prize jackpot winners to remain anonymous, but is Delaware among them?
The Delaware Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
20-24-46-59-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 3 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 7-1-2
Night: 0-1-8
Check Play 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 4 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 5-5-8-3
Night: 4-2-6-8
Check Play 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Multi-Win Lotto numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
10-21-22-24-26-33
Check Multi-Win Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
03-04-19-24-39, Lucky Ball: 11
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 5 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing
Day: 6-6-3-8-7
Night: 8-7-0-5-4
Check Play 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Sign the Ticket: Establish legal ownership by signing the back of your ticket with an ink pen.
- Prizes up to $599: Claim at any Delaware Lottery Retailer, in person at the Delaware Lottery Office, or mail your signed ticket and claim form; print your name/address on the ticket’s back and keep a copy/photo for records. By mail, send original tickets and documentation to: Delaware Lottery, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, Dover, DE 19904.
- Prizes up to $2,500: Claim in person at Delaware Lottery Retailer Claim Centers throughout Kent, Sussex and New Castle Counties.
- Prizes of $5,001 or more: Claim in person at the Delaware Lottery Office (business days 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with a photo ID and Social Security card.
- For all prize claims, directions to the Delaware Lottery Office are available online or via mapquest.com for a map.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Delaware Lottery.
Can I claim a jackpot prize anonymously in Delaware?
Fortunately for First State residents, the Delaware Lottery allows winners remain anonymous. Unlike many other states that require a prize be over a certain jackpot, Delawareans can remain anonymous no matter how much, or how little, they win.
How long do I have to claim my prize in Delaware?
Tickets are valid for up to one year past the drawing date for drawing game prizes or within one year of the announced end of sales for Instant Games, according to delottery.com.
When are the Delaware Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Play 3, 4: Daily at 1:58 p.m. and 7:57 p.m., except Sunday afternoon.
- Multi-Win Lotto: 7:57 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: Daily at 10:38 p.m.
- Lotto America: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Delaware Online digital operations manager. You can send feedback using this form.
Delaware
Trump will go to Delaware for the dignified transfer of the 2 National Guard members killed in Syria
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is traveling to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday for a dignified transfer for the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert that is testing the rapprochement between Washington and Damascus.
The two guardsmen killed in the attack on Saturday were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, according to the U.S. Army. Both were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment. A U.S. civilian working as an interpreter was also killed.
The ritual at Dover Air Force Base honors U.S. service members killed in action and is one of the most solemn duties undertaken by the commander in chief.
During the process, transfer cases draped with the American flag holding the remains of fallen soldiers are carried from the military aircraft that carried them to Dover to an awaiting vehicle to transport them to the mortuary facility at the base. There, the fallen service members are prepared for their final resting place.
Trump, a Republican, said during his first term that witnessing the dignified transfer of service members’ remains is “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.
Remembered as ‘the best of Iowa’
The Iowa National Guard is remembering the two men as heroes. Howard’s stepfather, Jeffrey Bunn, said Howard “loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out,” noting that he had wanted to be a soldier since he was a young boy.
In a post on the Meskwaki Nation Police Department’s Facebook page, Bunn – who is chief of the Tama, Iowa, department – called Howard a loving husband and an “amazing man of faith” and said Howard’s brother, a staff sergeant in the Iowa National Guard, would escort “Nate” back to Iowa.
Torres-Tovar was remembered as a “very positive” person who was family oriented and someone who always put others first, according to fellow guardsmen who were deployed with Torres-Tovar and issued a statement to the local TV broadcast station WOI.
“They were dedicated professionals and cherished members of our Guard family who represented the best of Iowa,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard.
Trump stands by Syrian leader al-Sharaa
On Saturday, Trump told reporters that he was mourning the deaths and vowed retaliation.
Trump said Monday that he remained confident in the leadership of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the onetime leader of an Islamic insurgent group who led the ouster of former President Bashar Assad, whose family had an iron grip on Syrian rule for decades.
The U.S. president welcomed al-Sharaa to Washington last month for a historic visit to the White House and formally welcomed Syria as a member of the U.S.-led coalition to fight the Islamic State group. Hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting IS.
“This had nothing to do with him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “This had to do with ISIS.”
Three other members of the Iowa National Guard were injured in the attack. As of Monday, two were in stable condition and the other in good condition. The Pentagon has not identified them.
Trump traveled to Dover several times during his first term to honor the fallen, including for a U.S. Navy SEAL killed during a raid in Yemen, for two Army officers whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan and for two Army soldiers killed in Afghanistan when a person dressed in an Afghan army uniform opened fire.
The fiscal year 2027 forecast remained relatively flat from the October meeting. But some expenses declined, including salaries for teachers. Brian Maxwell, state director of Management and Budget, said teacher salary expenses were down because student enrollment has dropped. He said federal immigration policy could be impacting the state’s Multilingual Learners.
“Obviously, there have been a number of students that may not be showing up to class just because of the enforcement of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” he said. “So some of the families may be scared to actually send their kids to school.”
Maxwell said overall enrollment is down, but the number of students needing special education services is up. The next student count is in February.
DEFAC members also discussed the revised Healthcare Spending benchmark. In September, the subcommittee devised a methodology that only used healthcare inflation, resulting in a 7.13% for 2026.
“We all gathered in October and there was a fair amount of concern with that outcome,” said Christen Linke Young, director of Health and Social Services. “So the subcommittee reconvened earlier this month to consider a new approach.”
After adopting the methodology using expected national inflation data and a three-year measure of health care cost growth, the benchmark now sits at 4.9%. But Young said there would be no penalty for hospitals exceeding the guideline.
Gov. Meyer and the state’s largest nongovernmental employer, ChristianaCare Health System, reached an agreement earlier this year in a lawsuit the regional hospital system filed last year. The Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board was created by lawmakers in June 2024 to try to rein in hospital spending. But the agreement, which requires new legislation and the governor’s signature, would strip the board of its authority to approve and modify hospital budgets.
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