Sen. Huxtable represents the 6th District, covering Milton, Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach.
The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) is accepting applications through May 1, 2023, for a new Poultry House Demolition Assistance Program. The program provides cost-share assistance to remove old poultry houses past their useful life.
DDA will reimburse the poultry house owner 50% of the actual costs for remediation, up to a maximum of $10,000 per house. Prior to approval, DDA Nutrient Management staff will perform a site visit to verify houses to be removed and discuss the need to manage residual litter or nutrients. Funding will be reserved for approved applications to give applicants time to complete the removals.
Landowners who wish to apply for the Poultry House Demolition Assistance Program can download an application at https://agriculture.delaware.gov/grants-loans
Applications can be emailed to nutrient.management@delaware.gov, mailed to DDA, or faxed to (302) 697-6287. Anyone receiving funding from the Delaware Department of Agriculture must complete a W-9 form online before approval.
Poultry house remediation cost-share is also available through programs such as NRCS-EQIP. Cost-share through the DDA program may be combined with other programs to help the landowner to reduce costs further, but DDA will not reimburse expenses that have or will be covered by another source. The applicant is responsible for meeting the requirements of any other cost-share program used.
This morning we made it out and planted some beach grasses at Cape Henlopen State Park. Brandon Williams, my Legislative Aide, and my daughter joined a whole host of volunteers to help Delaware DNREC plant grasses in a number of locations on our dunes.
Then we headed over to the Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park annual flea market. That’s going on until 3pm.
I was invited to Milford to join the Food Bank of Delaware as they “topped off” their new facility with the last beam. Can’t wait to see the facility be completed as they serve the residents of Kent and Sussex Counties. This will help their capacity to serve. Thanks for sharing your mission and helping our community with the challenges of food insecurity.
I next joined the The Green Beret Project at their Milton location to learn more about how they serve the youth in our communities. Thank you all for sharing your mission and vision.
Had the pleasure of hanging out with Rep. Stell Parker Selby yesterday touring the Brandywine Valley SPCA facilities in Sussex County with a couple of our constituents who are concerned with veterinary capacity in the area. Thank you for the work Brandywine Valley SPCA and others are doing in the field of veterinary medicine.
One of my last appointments yesterday was at Fort Miles Historical Association museum where I snapped this picture.
As you are working on filing your taxes this year, please remember that all $300 checks issued by the Delaware Rebate Relief Program will NOT need to be reported on your 2022 tax filings.
In January, we passed House Bill 25, which ensured that the payments disbursed to Delawareans would not be taxable. You can read the IRS guidance reaffirming this decision here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8bfm6s
Please note this important change about emergency food assistance benefits:
Starting on March 1, 2023, SNAP households will only receive their regular monthly benefit on the normal issuance date. SNAP households will receive their final issuance of Emergency Food Benefits on February 28, 2023.
Although SNAP households have been receiving extra Emergency Food Benefits at the end of each month since March 2020, a federal law was passed back in December to end Emergency Food Benefits.
Great day. Started the morning with my friends and colleagues Sen. Sarah McBride and Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf at the Delaware State Dental Society “Give Kids A Smile” event in Lewes, providing underserved children free oral health care. Thank you for the great energy and your outreach and service to our community.
Then spent the evening at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village celebrating 100 years of growing chicken here in Delaware with Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) and several more friends and colleagues like Bethany Hall-Long, Sen. Dave Sokola, Sen. Kyra Hoffner and Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker. Just imagine, this industry started with an accidental shipment of 500 chickens and now it’s a multi-billion dollar industry here in Delaware!
ICYMI — Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long has announced that every family is able to pick up a free canister of baby formula at a number of locations across the state.
The Food Bank of Delaware, Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, and local community organizations are partnering with the State to serve as points of distribution to these communities.
Starting today, February 2, Delaware families with infants up to 12 months of age can pick up one canister of formula at the points of distribution — at no cost to the family.
To learn more, visit https://ltgov.delaware.gov/
Teachers have endured an extraordinary and trying past few years. Now more than ever, these dedicated public servants deserve to be compensated fairly — and Delaware can’t afford to be out-competed by our neighboring states who pay their educators a higher salary.
I was proud to stand alongside my colleagues and several educators yesterday as Governor John Carney announced a historic increase for teacher salaries that will be included in this year’s budget. His plan includes a 3% raise for everyone working in public education, with a total of a 9% raise for our teachers. There’s still more work to do to improve our schools, but this is an exciting first step.
Delaware families face many barriers accessing affordable and quality housing. Recently, the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) has announced two updates that will help reduce these barriers for Delawarean homeowners and renters.
First, DSHA is expanding their Delaware Mortgage Relief Program in a variety of ways, including: an increase in available financial assistance, future mortgage payments, removal of the delinquency requirement, and partnerships with community organizations. Over 1,100 Delawarean families have benefited from this program and DSHA hopes to help even more. Learn more about the Delaware Mortgage Relief Program at https://demortgagehelp.com/.
Then, DSHA is proud to announce the opening of the Delaware Tenant Rent Reporting Pilot Program. This program will help renters build credit without going into debt. Interested to see if you qualify? Visit https://www.
While I look forward to the opportunity to work with my colleagues in Dover on steps we can take locally to combat climate change, I was excited to join our federal delegation at Bowers Beach today as we celebrated the passage of the Water Resources Development Act through Congress. This federal legislation authorizes much-needed investments in flood mitigation and coastal restoration projects.
The WRDA will benefit communities in Delaware through a number of avenues: it updates the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ emergency authorities to provide greater support to Delaware’s beaches following damaging storms, lowers costs for shoreline protection efforts, and invests in modernized drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure across our state — just to name a few.
Delaware’s coastal communities are already feeling the effects of rising sea levels and are often impacted the hardest by extreme weather events. I’m glad that we have partners in Washington, D.C. who understand the urgency of this matter and look forward to the implementation of the WRDA here in the 6th District.
Senator Tom Carper
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester
Bethany Hall-Long
Before he gave his State of the State address last week, I had the chance to sit down with Governor John Carney. We discussed some of the biggest issues facing families living in the 6th District, like access to affordable housing, the effects of climate change on our coastline, and the need to preserve open space across our community.
