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Delaware General Assembly Opens Today

DOVER, Del. (AP) - State lawmakers are gathering in Dover to convene a new legislative session. The 147th session of the Delaware General Assembly is to be gaveled to order Tuesday afternoon.

As usual, a key issue for lawmakers this year will be the state budget, with stagnant revenues and rising costs putting a squeeze on Delaware's fiscal forecast.

Other thorny issues likely to surface this year include gun control and gay marriage.

A Democratic state senator from Wilmington already is promising to propose tighter controls on guns in Delaware in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting.

And Gov. Jack Markell, who signed a bill recognizing same-sex civil unions in Delaware starting a year ago, says he expects lawmakers to take the next step this year to legalize gay marriage.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.