General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., March 28, 2012

Well, the circus featuring Jeff Christopher and his Posse Comatosis must wait for another day. Citing ‘a great deal of misinformation circulating regarding this measure’, Rep. Dan Short announced that he would table the bill clarifying that the sheriff and his deputies are not police officers by another name.  Police officers without, you know, that police training stuff. What is this  misinformation, you ask? From the News-Journal article (firewall ‘protected’, but if you can access it, just look at the photo of that horde of humanity supporting the ‘Sheriff’):

“There’s information that’s been disseminated, for example, that says the sheriff will be replaced, and that’s absolutely untrue,” Short said.

OK. Then didn’t Short just clarify by his statement that the sheriff will not be replaced? Crisis averted, one would think. And we’re not exactly talking ‘mob rule’ here, unless the lunchtime (and dinnertime) crowd at the Dew Drop Inn, as depicted in the photo, constitutes a mob.

To further prove that Sussex County is the comedic gift that keeps on giving, let’s go to Jeff Christopher for a comment:

“I think that’s (tabling the bill) a wise thing to do,” he said. “There should never be a bill introduced anywhere that affects everyone in this state that is misunderstood by anyone. … As elected officials, we serve the people.”

Well, Jeff, that would indeed be a worthy goal if, for example, there weren’t stone cold idiots like those who support you who cannot understand anything. For now, this sentence is a contender for Most Amusing of the Year, so let’s just memorialize it:

“There should never be a bill introduced anywhere that affects everyone in this state that is misunderstood by anyone.”

For more on this topic, check out our own MJ’s stellar snark here. While MJ states…:

“House Democratic leadership told the GOP that it was their responsibility to put this genie back in the bottle. They blinked. This bill is not dead, just delayed. It can pass even without the votes of Short, Lee, Briggs-King, Kenton, Wilson, et al.

…I believe that Pete Schwartzkopf will not even permit a roll call on this bill unless the  House Sussex County Rethugs commit to voting for it. And if they bail during the roll call, I believe he’ll table the roll call.

We’re officially on a roll, let’s keep it going. Here are the highlights of yesterday’s session:

In dramatic fashion, the House passed the first leg of a constitutional amendment which eliminates the five-year waiting period for voting privileges for eligible felons who have completed their sentences. The bill first fell one vote shy of passage (28  votes needed as it requires a 2/3 majority). However, the roll call was rescinded, and Rep. Debbie Hudson switched her vote from ‘no’ to ‘yes’, giving the bill the 28th and deciding vote.  Democrats voting No: The ‘Law-Abiding’ John Atkins and ‘Lumpy’ Carson. R’s voting Yes: Don Blakey, Debbie Hudson, Greg Lavelle,  and  Mike Ramone. A tip of my sombrero to them. And to sponsor Helene Keeley. It’s on to the Senate, where I think it has an excellent chance to pass.

The House unanimously passed HB 257(Gilligan), which would require deadbeat professionals licensed by the state to pay their back taxes or face losing their licenses. From deadbeat professionals to professional deadbeats, one might say, and I just did:

“This is an attempt to make professionals who owe the state back taxes to pay their fair share of taxes,” said Rep. Gilligan, D-Sherwood Park. “We are not talking about someone late on this year’s taxes. These are licensed professionals who have exhausted their due process and have a judgment against them for delinquent taxes.”Rep. Gilligan noted that this proposal could net the state up to $10 million in back taxes.

The Senate passed SCR 21(Ennis), which creates a ‘Blue Ribbon Task Force’ to consider the feasibility of Family Court open proceedings. I’m not sure that opening Family Court proceedings is a good idea, and I’d love to know what you think. BTW, is their any such thing as, say, a ‘Red Ribbon Task Force’? Just wondering what gives a task force blue ribbon status. This being Delaware, I already know what a Blue Blood Task Force is.

The Senate also passed SS1/SB 151(Peterson), which requires that operators of video lottery facilities must use data provided by the Division of Child Support Enforcement to identify large video lottery prize winners having outstanding child support debts. Once identified, such prizes would be used to pay child support debts. For those of you new to Delaware, ‘video lottery facilities’ are actually casinos. Feel free to take a constitutional law class or two to understand why Delaware has to pretend that casinos are not casinos.

While today’s committee meetings will be less entertaining w/o the sheriff in town, there is still some serious action. No, I’m not talking about the minimum wage bill, which has yet to make it to an agenda of the House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance/Commerce Committee, but I do see some notable bills scheduled for today:

The House Administration Committee will consider SB 34(Blevins), which is being pushed big-time by the state employees’ unions, and which would place two union representatives on the State Employee Benefits Committee. The bill is opposed by the Markell administration. We will see whether the bill is seriously considered, or whether it will be tabled in committee, thus fulfilling the committee’s minimal obligation to consider the bill. The House Rethugs, of course, have placed an amendment with the bill to add, wait for it, two members of the Delaware Chamber of Commerce to the committee. Why? Because they’re Rethugs, I guess.

The Rethugs’ effort to fight back against renewable energy will be considered in today’s House Energy Committee. Don’t think it’s going anywhere.

A solid coalition of legislators continues to do good work in restoring enlightenment to judicial proceedings, particularly concerning children. HB 253(Barbieri) is yet another example, and will be considered in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill establishes a procedure for the evaluation of the competency of a child for the purpose of Family Court proceedings.

SB 174(Bushweller) will likely sail through the Senate Judiciary Committee, but I have one question about it. The bill would create a ‘confidentiality privilege between the first responder and a Critical Incident Stress Management team or team member to encourage first responders to seek stress management services in order to alleviate the high levels of stress they may experience as a result of their exposure to a critical incident so that they may continue to function effectively during emergency situations.’

The intent is laudable, as the bill seeks to enable first responders to deal with extraordinary stress that accompanies their positions. My only question is, what if the first responder indeed has involvement that is germane to any subsequent investigation? Perhaps even an investigation directly involving the first responder? Perhaps even something incriminating? If the bill exempts those situations, then this is indeed a laudable bill. I just don’t know if it does. Probably reading too much into it, as usual.

The Senate has a one-bill agenda, that bill being SB 157(Peterson), which would ‘limit(s) the health insurance options to survivors of pensioners who are collecting survivor benefits effective on or after January 1, 2012 to only that survivor and any dependent children. Future spouses of survivors would not be eligible to participate in the State’s health insurance program.’

That’s it for today. Gotta put the finishing touches on my Baseball Fantasy Draft research. After last year, I’ve got nowhere to go but up…unless I remain in the cellar. At least there’s wine down there. I mean, here.