Here are the takeaways from Delaware Gov. John Carney's final State of the State

Delaware Gov. John Carney gave his rescheduled State of the State address Tuesday afternoon before state lawmakers inside House Chambers in Dover.

The Democrat was set to give his last State of the State address in January, but Carney fell ill and had to postpone the speech. The speech marks Carney’s last as Delaware governor. The state constitution prohibits the governor from running for a third four-year term.

Carney already presented his 2025 proposed budget Jan. 25, which highlighted plans to address Delaware’s soaring health care costs; increase funding for education and professionals; continue investments in agriculture and environment; invest in housing and small business development; and pay for improvements in government infrastructure and buildings.

RELATED: The 5 takeaways from Delaware Gov. John Carney's 2025 budget address

Carney’s speech Tuesday was interrupted by protesters calling for lawmakers to support a ceasefire in Gaza. Those who spoke out appeared to be muted during the speech’s livestream and escorted out of House Chambers. Carney spokespeople said no one was muted; protesters were not close enough to a mic to be heard in the recording.

They shouted things like "permanent ceasefire now," and "stop funding genocide" as they were ejected.

They noted Carney last year ordered flags in the state be flown at half staff to mourn the 1,200 Israelis killed during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that sparked the bombing campaign and invasion of Gaza. They contrasted that against state lawmakers not acknowledging the 30,000 Palestinians that have been killed since then.

Aid groups say most of the territory's 2.3 million population has been displaced and are on the brink of famine, according to The Associated Press.

While the state constitution bars Carney from running for another term as Delaware's governor, the Democrat is considering a run for Wilmington mayor this year.

MORE: Carney quickly raises $100K for Wilmington mayoral run, surpassing Jones-Potter

These are the takeaways from Carney's speech:

Leaving Delaware in ‘better place than I found it’

Carney emphasized his desire to ensure that he leaves Delaware’s next governor “in the best possible position to succeed,” which means ensuring a balanced budget and sustainable investments.

To that end, Carney called on lawmakers to finally pass a constitutional amendment that will permanently control operating spending, commonly referred to as “benchmark spending.”

“I won’t be here next year. I know some of you may be happy about that,” he said. “But most of you will. Don’t set yourselves up for failure.”

Among the financial hurdles the state must overcome is ballooning health care costs, which Delaware spends nearly $2 billion on annually for state employees and retirees.

Carney said those costs are roughly $200 million more than last year.

“If we don’t get serious, health care spending will crowd out other investments,” he said. “We should all work together to strengthen our health care benchmark and address health care cost inflation.”

Strengthening schools

In tandem with Carney’s 2025 proposed budget, the governor highlighted the work he’s done to strengthen schools across the state.

Delaware created a program that provides additional funding for low-income students and English learners, which Carney increased to $63 million this year.

The state also has spent $1.5 billion on school construction in the past seven years, Carney said. That investment includes the “first new school” in Wilmington in “over half a century.”

The old Bancroft school will be named Maurice Pritchett Sr. Academy, after the schools’ longtime principal and community icon, in Wilmington’s East Side neighborhood. The governor said he expects the school to open later this year.

Beyond schools, Delaware has also increased its investments in childcare. This year’s proposed budget includes more than $135 million, Carney said.

Growing and maintaining a strong economy

The Democratic governor said when he first took office he signed an executive order creating the Delaware Prosperity Partnership.

“By every measure, it’s been a success,” Carney said, adding that in the last two years, the effort has created more than 20,000 jobs.

The governor also applauded state universities' efforts to prepare future generations for the jobs available.

Delaware also is exploring federal funding opportunities to expand job opportunities, Carney said.

Delaware, along with Pennsylvania and New Jersey, were selected last year to be part of the federal government’s hydrogen hub, a program funded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The designation will bring $750 million to the region, Carney said.

“Make no mistake: this is a generational opportunity to build a clean energy industry right here in Delaware,” he said. “And to compete for good union jobs of the future.”

The state also received $50 million in federal money to expand the Port of Wilmington.

Carney said Delaware is also increasing financial support to towns and cities:

• Last year, the once-blighted Nylon Capital Shopping Center in Seaford was updated.

• Affordable housing is being built on Wilmington’s East Side community.

• A few weeks ago, the state announced plans to “supercharge the redevelopment of downtown Dover.”

Fighting gun violence

Carney highlighted efforts over the last seven years to fight gun violence, including passing red flag laws and preventing straw gun purchases.

Group Violence Intervention programs are in full-swing in Wilmington, and expanded to Dover and Laurel.

Much of the gun violence is committed by a small group of people fighting amongst themselves, and the program works with those groups and gangs to get them to "put down their guns," Carney said.

"If they do, we will offer job training and other social services," he said.

The governor said over 300 people have participated in the program since it started.

Climate change and clean energy

The First State is the lowest-lying state in the country, Carney said, and Delaware is already feeling the effects of rising sea levels.

To combat this, Delaware has budgeted more than $30 million to “harden our coastal infrastructure.”

Carney also highlighted the state’s goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

RELATED: What's in Carney's $130 million proposal for environmental initiatives?

Delaware also approved regulations last year to move toward zero-emission vehicles.

State officials are also exploring offshore wind options, and in December began negotiations with developer U.S. Wind to bring wind energy to Delaware.

“We expect the agreement to bring more than $100 million in benefits to our state without raising rates,” Carney said. “We will be pursuing legislation that will make Delaware more of an active player in offshore wind.”

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: The key takeaways from Delaware Gov. Carney's final State of State