UPDATED: Legislators Vote to Override Governor Carney’s Veto of House Bill 282
The Delaware House of Representatives voted to override Governor John Carney’s veto of House Bill 282. Sponsored by Rep. Paul Baumbach, the bill would revise the membership, structure, and procedures of the State Employees Benefits Committee (SEBC) to increase transparency and accountability. This measure previously passed unanimously through both the House and Senate.
Governor Carney’s Statement on House Bill 282 (Thursday, 6/27/24):
“For eight years, I’ve been focused on getting our fiscal house in order and protecting the interests of all Delaware taxpayers. I’m proud that we’ll leave our budget in strong shape for the next administration. In fact, we were able to turn a $400 million deficit when I took office into $400 million in additional reserves above the required Rainy Day Fund. As a result, we’ll be able to keep taxes low, prevent painful budget cuts and continue to fund important priorities for Delaware families. Unfortunately, House Bill 282 runs counter to those efforts.
As I said in my veto statement, this bill will make it harder for state leaders to manage over $1 billion in health care expenses — roughly one sixth of our state budget. That’s not smart public policy. It puts the interests of Delaware taxpayers at risk. It could lead to higher taxes and limit our ability to give pay raises to teachers, active state employees and pensioners, as we’ve done the last several years.
With that said, sometimes we have disagreements with members of the General Assembly. This is one of those times. I look forward to finishing this session by working together with legislators and doing as much good as we can for the people we’re fortunate enough to serve.”
House Speaker Valerie Longhurst issued the following statement regarding the vote to override Governor Carney’s veto:
“Today the House unanimously voted to override the Governor’s veto of HB 282. This marks the first successful veto override in 47 years, underscoring the broad consensus among legislators on the importance of this bill to our state.
“As elected officials, it is our responsibility to accurately represent the views and concerns of our constituents in the legislation that we pass. Many Delawareans, particularly our hardworking state employees and retirees, have expressed strong support for the changes proposed in HB 282.
“This measure previously passed unanimously through both the House and Senate, a reflection of the hard work and collaboration that went into it.
“I have the utmost respect for Governor Carney; however, the House of Representatives has a duty to implement legislation that positively affects the state, and a majority of legislators agree that HB 282 will do that.”
