DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware's Senate leader is tired of seeing exhausted lawmakers crawling into their cars after annual final-day marathons.
Democratic President Pro Tem David McBride received a standing ovation Wednesday after saying the Senate will recess at 1 a.m. this July 1, regardless of what business remains unfinished.
Lawmakers always work past midnight each June 30 so they can call themselves back into session if necessary in the new fiscal year.
But quitting times have come increasingly later amid legislative gridlock in recent years, with last year's session ending about 8:30 a.m.
Senators say forcing drowsy lawmakers and staffers to drive home is "an accident waiting to happen."
House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf says cooperation throughout the session, not drawing a line in the sand, is the best way to ensure earlier endings.
