DOVER, Del. (AP) - State lawmakers are getting down to the business of drafting a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Members of the Joint Finance Committee will convene Tuesday to being marking up Gov. Jack Markell's proposed $3.8 billion operating budget, which is about 3 percent higher than this year's spending plan.
But lawmakers have a few hurdles in approving Markell's proposal.
The panel that sets Delaware's official financial projections lowered its revenue estimate for the upcoming fiscal year by $19 million from April's estimate. That leaves a gap of about $41 million between projected revenue and Markell's budget proposal.
But an even more immediate problem is how to close a $14 million hole in the current year's budget before the fiscal year ends June 30.