Veterans throughout the state are asked to join a rally for a new Veterans Home in Delaware on Wednesday, April 28, 2004.
The rally, on the west side of Legislative Hall in Dover, will be held from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to request that the state Senate and Gov. Ruth Ann Minner fully fund the state's share of a veteran's home.
Because Legislative Avenue will be closed to traffic during the rally, there will be limited parking near the rally site. Additional parking will be available in the Blue Hen Corporate Center on U.S. 113 with shuttle service to the rally site.
Delaware is the only state among the 48 continental states that does not have a veterans home. According to the Delaware Commission on Veterans Affairs, there are 84,289 veterans living in the state, including 15,403 World War II veterans, most of whom are more than 80 years old.
Under a proposal for a veterans home, the federal government would pay 65 percent of the project's cost, with the state funding the remaining $8.8 million.
House Bill 389, which would set aside the state's share in the capital construction budget that takes effect July 1st, has already passed the House of Representatives 38 to 0. Eleven of the 21 members of the Senate have also agreed to support the legislation.
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