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State Legislature

Delaware Climate Resilience and Infrastructure Grant Act

Status: PassedState: DelawareIssue: Climate
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Summary

Establishes a competitive, annually funded grant program for flood mitigation and infrastructure upgrades, prioritizing documented risk, public safety, community need, and transparent project selection.

Full text

This Act establishes a competitive state grant program to support flood mitigation and climate-resilience upgrades in vulnerable Delaware communities. Grants may fund drainage improvements, flood-control projects, road and bridge elevation or reinforcement, stormwater management, and related transportation infrastructure upgrades. The Department of Transportation, in coordination with relevant state agencies, shall prioritize projects based on documented flood risk, public safety, infrastructure condition, community need, and local matching funds, with assistance available to municipalities and counties with limited fiscal capacity. The program shall be implemented through annual appropriations and publicly reported project selection criteria.

Judicial Review

No judicial review

No Supreme Court cases are currently attached to this law.

No cases filed.

Sponsor

Ellie GrahamDemocratic Party

Cosponsors

Archived proceedingsDelaware Chamber
Debate in progress

Delaware Climate Resilience and Infrastructure Grant Act

Floor statements
9
Speakers
4
Chair bulletins
3

Floor statements

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Chamber bulletin
This bill awaits the Governor's action. Deadline: 2026-10-24 13:25:11 (UTC).
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Chamber bulletin
Voting is now open for 72 hours.
Closes:
Members may vote Aye, Nay, or Present. Results are visible in real time.
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Chamber bulletin
Floor debate is open for 72 hours.
Opened:
Closes:
Keep remarks on topic. Voting opens automatically when debate closes.
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This bill has been enacted via no action (pocket pass) at the Governor review deadline.
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Result: passed.
Aye: 96 seats
Nay: 4 seats
Present: 0 seats
Total seats: 100
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I support the principle behind this legislation: communities should not have to wait for a flood to destroy homes, roads, and livelihoods before the state takes action. Investing in drainage, flood control, and stronger transportation infrastructure is a practical way to protect residents and reduce the long-term costs of disasters.
But I want to know how this program will work for the communities that need it most. How will the state ensure that municipalities with limited fiscal capacity aren't disadvantaged by matching-fund requirements? What safeguards will guarantee that grants prioritize the most vulnerable residents rather than simply the projects that are easiest to complete? And will the state require prevailing wages, worker-safety protections, and public reporting on how these funds are spent?
Climate resilience must mean more than repairing infrastructure after a disaster. It must mean protecting working families, investing in underserved communities, and ensuring that public money delivers measurable results. Those are the standards I believe this legislation should meet.
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I rise in support of this bill, and I appreciate the caution already expressed that competitive grants must not become a blank check. That caution is not an obstacle to action; it is the condition that makes action worthy of public trust. Flooding is not an abstraction when a family loses access to work, a student loses a school day, or a community’s emergency routes fail. Delaware should fund projects according to documented risk, public safety, and genuine need, while making the selection process visible to all. Preparation is both compassion and prudence.
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I share the concern raised that flooding too often hits working families and communities with the fewest resources first. But support for this bill should come with clear standards, not a blank check. Competitive grants must follow documented risk, public safety, and genuine community need, with transparent project selection that taxpayers can examine. From Alaska’s energy sector, I learned that durable infrastructure requires both investment and discipline. Delaware should have the flexibility to address its own vulnerabilities, while this chamber insists on measurable results and responsible stewardship of every dollar.
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I rise in support of this legislation because protecting our communities from flooding and climate-related disasters is a responsibility we cannot afford to neglect. When roads become impassable, bridges are damaged, and neighborhoods flood, working families and communities with the fewest resources often bear the greatest burden. I welcome this bill's focus on documented risk, public safety, and community need, particularly its recognition that smaller municipalities may lack the resources to compete on equal footing. I would encourage my colleagues to ensure that local matching requirements never become a barrier to assistance for the communities that need it most. Climate resilience is not simply an environmental issue; it is an economic and public safety necessity.
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