Nancy Cook and the Joint Finance Committee began its budget markup yesterday, free, for hopefully the last time, from the disinfectant of sunshine.
Virtually all of it took place behind closed doors, according to the News-Journal’s J. L. Miller.
Allegedly an ‘Orientation’ session, as if 12 veteran legislators with decades of JFC experience required any orientation whatsoever, it turned out to be a markup session:
In its opening day of deliberations, the JFC spent six hours behind closed doors in what is known as an “orientation” session. The panel opened the doors to detail the cuts it had made, then immediately went back into closed session before adjourning for the day.
During those closed door sessions, JFC cut travel expenses for virtually every state elective office and some state agencies. Conspicuous by its absence from the list were travel cost cuts for the Delaware General Assembly.
Since these negotiations took place out of the public eye, the Beast Who Slumbers considers himself free to speculate on what happened. Did anyone move that travel expenses for legislators, such as travel to conferences, be eliminated? Did anyone move that the mileage allowance that legislators (but not staff) receive to travel to and from Dover on Session days be eliminated? If so, what happened?
J. L. Miller performed a public service this morning by explaining what the press was not privy to. ‘Bulo hopes that this will be part of the media’s daily reporting on the budget deliberations.
This refusal on the part of JFC to open the doors is not a matter of principle, it’s a matter of keeping the ugly deal-making out of the public’s eye. Of course, it’s the public’s money, not Nancy Cook’s money.
Or, at least, it will be. Once HB 1 is signed into law.