Dover — Controller General Ruth Ann Millman told the Legislative Council on Jan. 30 that the governor's recommended operating budget for fiscal 2025 is about $6.5 billion, a roughly 6.9% increase over the current budget, and that Joint Finance Committee (JFC) hearings will begin Feb. 4 and run Tuesdays through Thursdays in February at 10 a.m.

Millman said the governor's recommendation includes roughly $85 million in additional general‑fund support for Medicaid, bringing total Medicaid appropriation in the proposal to nearly $1.1 billion in General Fund dollars. She also said the proposal includes $368.3 million in cash‑to‑bond conversions; last year those conversions were about $427 million.

The Division of Legislative Services reported that House Bill 288 from last session, which changed the division's name, is now effective and that the division's new initials (DLS) will appear on legislation drafted by the office. Mark Catrona of DLS briefed council members on the division's staffing, ongoing code‑editing work and preparations for upcoming oversight activity, including the Joint Oversight and Sunset Committee (JOSC) first regular meeting scheduled for Jan. 30 and a slate of agency reviews the committee will consider.

Why it matters: The governor's recommendation sets the starting point for budget negotiations. JFC will review department presentations, fiscal notes and proposals during the February hearings; any compensation commission recommendations would be considered separately during JFC markup, Millman said.

Supporting details: Millman said the governor's recommended budget reflects about 6.91% growth over last year and includes $60 million tied to Pensions and Employee Compensation (PEC) recommendations. She told council that the compensation commission report is not included in the recommendation and that JFC would need to address those raises during markup if the General Assembly adopts them.

On the capital side, Millman reported the bond bill committee plans a "mini bond bill" and expects to open applications for the community reinvestment fund on Feb. 10 with an earlier application deadline of May 1. She said grant‑in‑aid and veterans' grant cycles are underway; general and veterans applications were due Dec. 6 and senior center applications are due March 14.

Division updates: Catrona said DLS's code editors integrated 290 enacted bills from the prior session, which affected roughly 1,460 provisions in the Delaware Code and 206 provisions in the Delaware Constitution, and that the Registrar Regulations Office is completing a new end‑to‑end regulations management system.

Staffing and operations: Millman introduced new staff assigned to several departments and noted the fiscal‑note effort last session produced 230 fiscal notes, with 104 of the attached bills enacted. DLS and legislative staff also noted a recently hired facilities coordinator to support operation of Legislative Hall.

Meeting flow: Council members asked procedural questions about benchmarks used by DEFAC, the scope of cash‑to‑bond conversions and the timing of application deadlines for bond bill grants. Catrona and Millman responded with schedule and process clarifications.

Ending: Council members thanked the presenters and moved on to other agenda items, including votes recorded later in the meeting.