‘Irresponsible and dangerous’: Bond bill chair blasts Delaware governor’s veto of funding for Legislative Hall expansion

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Gov. Matt Meyer has line-item vetoed a $35 million appropriation in the 2027 Bond and Capital Improvements bill that state lawmakers set aside last month to start expanding the Delaware Legislative Hall.

Meyer’s administration said the building expansion alone is expected to cost $116 million. Lawmakers have been discussing renovating the space and adding a parking garage for at least the past two years.

The General Assembly scrapped a plan last year to spend $50 million on it for fiscal year 2026, which had included part of the Legislative Hall expansion and part of an adjacent parking garage and connecting tunnel. The state is moving forward with the parking garage construction, but without the tunnel, which was estimated in February to cost about $23 million.

Meyer’s office said the governor signed the remaining parts of the bond bill into law. In a statement, Meyer said he couldn’t justify spending the $35 million during a time when many Delawareans are struggling to afford basic necessities.

“Affordability demands accountability, and accountability demands that we put taxpayers first,” he said. “Affordability starts with setting the right priorities.”

The governor has the constitutional authority to line-item veto budget appropriations. It’s an all or nothing power. The governor cannot amend a line in the budget; it must be accepted or rejected. According to Spotlight Delaware’s Civics 101 series, the last time a Delaware governor used the line-item veto was in 2011, by former Gov. Jack Markell.

Bond bill committee chairs condemn veto

The chairs of the Bond Bill Committee, state Rep. Deb Heffernan, D-Bellefonte, and Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Stanton, issued a joint statement blasting Meyer’s move.

“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 said. “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.”

In an interview with WHYY News, Heffernan called the veto “unprecedented, irresponsible and dangerous.”

John Flaherty, a spokesman for the Delaware Coalition for Open Government, said he was pleased with the governor’s decision. Flaherty has been urging lawmakers to reject spending for a Legislative Hall expansion, which he said is too costly and unnecessary.

“A well-deserved veto of a foolish project,” he said. “I’m sure they [state lawmakers] work hard, but there are many, many alternatives that they can utilize. They need to utilize better scheduling, they need to improvise, they need to adapt.”

House Minority Leader Tim Dukes, R-Laurel, is a member of the Legislative Council Committee, which has been meeting to develop the construction plans for the capital complex. He said safety is a big reason lawmakers approved moving forward with the building renovation.

“We’ve had the chief of Capitol Police in numerous times to talk about some of the concerns that he has with the lack of security, with the building being as old as it is,” he said. “It’s a bit shocking that the governor would do this and never communicate with the leadership of the General Assembly until after the announcement has gone out, and then also that he had not communicated with Capitol Police.”

Meyer’s office did not respond to a question about whether the Capital Police had been informed before the veto announcement was sent out. Heffernan said the law enforcement agency was not informed prior to the governor’s news release.

State Sen. Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford, and state Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, said they agreed with Meyer’s veto decision.

“When it comes to state funds, you’ve got to prioritize when to spend money and when not to spend money, and now’s just a terrible time to be spending it on that building,” Smith said.

Despite concerns about affordability, the Meyer administration and state lawmakers have hiked Division of Motor Vehicles, tolls and park entrance fees in the past year. The governor recently signed legislation into law that raised business formation fees.

Now that the bond bill has been signed, the only budget bill left on the governor’s desk is the grant-in-aid bill. A Senate spokesperson said it has not yet been signed, but Meyer’s office did not respond to questions about its status. Meyer signed the operating budget bill on June 30.

Editor’s note: WHYY receives grant-in-aid funding from the state of Delaware. WHYY News produces independent, fact-based news content for audiences in Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey.