Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (D) asked lawmakers in her address Jan. 18 to create a registry of health disparities among minorities and ethnic groups, provide cervical-cancer vaccine to all uninsured girls and launch a homeland-security initiative that would fingerprint every fourth-grader in the state. Minner also asked the politically split General Assembly to ease the First State’s already business-friendly tax code.
This was Minner’s last address. She is term-limited and cannot run for re-election when her term expires January 2009.
Delaware is one of nine states committed to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a group of Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states that aims to reduce greenhouse gases in the region. Minner asked lawmakers to pass a law endorsing that agreement. She also sought additional conservation and alternative-energy measures for state government.
Among her funding requests, Minner recommended continuation of a full-day kindergarten and a health program designed to reduce infant mortality, and expansion of a two-year scholarship program to include four-year bachelor's degrees. She also asked for more assistance for students ages 16 to 18 who have dropped out or been expelled from high school.
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