HB 281 Summary

• Appropriates $37,248,905 total in grants-in-aid for fiscal year 2018, distributed across four sections: government units and senior centers ($18.6M), community agencies and one-time grants ($13.7M), fire companies ($4.7M), and veterans organizations ($244K)

• Section 1 provides funding to county seat packages ($2.3M), Delaware Adolescent Program ($708K), paramedic program operations ($8.6M), and 44 senior centers across New Castle, Kent, Sussex counties and Wilmington ($6.4M)

• Section 2 funds 200+ community organizations including youth services, aging services, arts/cultural organizations, health/disability services, and neighborhood services with amounts ranging from $800 to $1.1M per category

• Section 3 distributes funds to 120+ volunteer fire companies statewide for equipment maintenance, ambulance operations, rescue trucks, aerial equipment, and rescue boats, plus funds to City of Wilmington fire operations

• Establishes eligibility criteria for grant recipients including non-profit status, active governance, non-discrimination policies, annual audits, and prohibits use of funds for child day care, capital equipment purchases, or political purposes