DOVER – In response to Governor Matt Meyer’s unprecedented line-item veto to remove the $35 million appropriation for the Legislative Hall expansion project from the Fiscal Year 2027 Bond and Capital Improvements Act, Joint Capital Improvement (Bond) Committee Chairs Representative Debra Heffernan and Senator Jack Walsh released the following statement:
“The General Assembly has spent a great deal of time in recent years protecting our democracy. And while that often means passing laws that expand access to the ballot box, it can also mean physically preserving the halls of government — improving the physical spaces that we occupy to ensure that they are safe, accessible, and welcoming to the People of Delaware.
“The tens of thousands of people who visit Legislative Hall yearly – and especially those who visit on a session day – know firsthand the challenges that come with simply showing up to our state capitol to participate in our democracy.
“They know how difficult it can be just to find a parking spot and make the walk across the street. They’ve seen committee rooms filled beyond capacity, with people standing in hallways because there’s nowhere left to sit. And those who have physical disabilities know how challenging it can be to simply navigate the building, which hasn’t had the updates necessary to keep pace with how our legislature, and the public it serves, has changed over the years.
“It has been an ongoing goal of the Legislature – and the state as a whole – to increase public participation in the decisions that affect the lives of every resident who calls Delaware home. And the fact that we are out of space at Legislative Hall is a testament to the success of that goal. Our laws should reflect the will of the people we serve. All of the people that we serve. Since the last major construction on Legislative Hall in 1994 the population of Delaware has grown 49%. But Legislative Hall wasn’t built to reflect that, and that is not a legacy that we need to preserve.
“That’s why it’s not only disappointing, but frankly perplexing, that the Governor chose to veto the Bond Bill language that would have funded these long-overdue renovations.
“These are not frivolous or cosmetic upgrades – this is a carefully planned and well-thought-out project that would address problems that legislators, members of the public, the press, and staff have experienced for several years now. Years of bipartisan planning has gone into the expansion, with a special focus on public safety recommendations made by Capitol Police.
“Through the Bond Bill, the legislature routinely funds construction, maintenance, and renovation on state buildings used by the Governor and their staff, including this year, when more than $838 million in funding was approved by the General Assembly for executive branch capital improvements.
“Those include more than $200 million in school construction; $6 million for building maintenance and restoration at the Carvel State Office Building; $60 million to renovate the dilapidated Emily P. Bissell facility; and nearly $18.2 million for maintenance, capital improvements, and restoration at DHSS, DSHS, and DNREC facilities — just to name a few.
“Legislative Hall, which belongs to the People of Delaware, should be no different.
“That is why we, the Chairs of the Joint Capital Improvement Committee, stand united in condemning this veto language that would have delivered transparency, accessibility, and safety to Legislative Hall.”
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