Del. lawmakers approve $3.7 billion budget

Delaware House gives final legislative approval to $3.7 billion FY14 operating budget

Randall Chase, Associated Press

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Delaware's Senate has given final legislative approval to a $3.7 billion operating budget for the fiscal year that starts Monday.

Senators voted 17-4 Thursday for the spending plan, which now goes to Gov. Jack Markell for his signature. House members voted 40-to-1 Tuesday to approve the budget.

All five dissenting votes in the House and Senate came from Republican lawmakers, who expressed concerns about continued growth in the state budget.

The fiscal 2014 budget is about 3.6 percent, or $131 million, higher than the current year's budget. It's also about $6 million higher than the budget proposed by Markell in January.