DOVER, Del. (AP) - The Delaware House has given final approval to a $4.27 billion operating budget for the fiscal year starting Sunday.
The budget bill passed unanimously Tuesday and now goes to Democratic Gov. John Carney, who is expected to sign it Thursday.
The bill represents a 4 percent increase over this year's budget. It includes $26 million for pay raises of $1,000 for most state employees and 2 percent for teachers, and millions more than Carney proposed in areas including disability services, special education and school transportation.
The budget also includes $753 million for Medicaid, slightly less than this year, as part of a health and social services budget of almost $1.2 billion. Spending on public education, the largest single spending category, would increase by more than $63 million to $1.48 billion.
