Live-Blogging the House With All the Comforts of Home

Making all the final preparations. Lessee…

Bottle of Chenin Blanc/Viognier nicely chilled? Check.

Cheese platter to allay that pre-dinner break hunger? Check. 

Law & Order reruns on the tube for those anticipated down-times? Check.

Dogs fed? Oops, better feed the dogs…Check.

OK, here’s how the final day usually works. Once the House goes in, they generally work about 2-3 hours or so, and then they break for dinner, which is a fairly lengthy break, 90 minutes is typical. ‘Bulo thinks that most of the action will be on the Senate side, since the House has already passed the ‘revenue enhancement’ package. Still, the House must pass the Budget and Bond Bills. Assuming that there is a Grant-In-Aid bill, they’ll consider that as well. There’s also scores of bills, notable and trivial, that are run through the chambers through the evening.

The Beast Who Slumbers will chronicle those bills that capture his interest more than, say, whatever Law & Order rerun happens to be on. So, this will not be comprehensive, it will be selective. And hopefully peppered with those irreverent observations that keep ‘bulo interested in what he’s writing. Still waiting for the House to convene…

4:20 p.m. They’re in!

Rep. Carson with the prayer. Asks the Lord to grant wisdom. He no doubt has been asking that for his 60-some years. The Lord has not heretofore obliged him.

Saying goodbye to longtime House employee Joyce Keeler, who is retiring. A great character and just a wonderful person. Also a successful horsewoman. Everyone who knows her loves her, including El Somnambulo.

Now working HS1/HB 267-Increasing fees charged by the Secretary of State. This is a 2/3 bill, so a couple more R’s will have to vote ‘Yes’ than voted for the ‘revenue enhancers’ yesterday. Kowalko is introducing an amendment. Could this have anything to do with Disney? Meanwhile, a 4-year Sunset provision has been added. Looks like Kowalko’s not working his amendment. Boy, they’re struggling with amendments at the podium. Here comes Would-Be Blue-Blood Rep. Hudson with an amendment, no doubt her 1-year Sunset provision which, like all the others, will go nowhere. Rep. Hudson is now giving herself credit for the final bill, claiming that she forced the parties to the table, what a self-glorifying phony. And, yes, it’s a one-year Sunset. Speaking of self-glorifying phonies, Rep. Carson is again touting ‘sending a message’. The amendment is defeated. Now, Kowalko is coming with another amendment, which places an additional $5K cap addition on corporations incorporating here, which would raise an additional $7.5 million. Blueblood Hudson argues that this ‘will place Delaware at a competitive disadvantage.’ She’s now arguing that the administration would not have wanted this, as if she gave two bleeps about the administration’s position on anything. She’s voted against every single bill in the revenue package. Schwartzkopf calls this an ‘unfriendly’ amendment. They’re all now ganging up on Kowalko. Cathcart claims that the amendment will change the scope of the bill and hence, is unconstitutional. Waiting for an attorney is turning into Waiting For Godot. Things are not proceeding real smoothly. Finally, Mike Migliore, House Attorney, advises that the amendment is out of order. Kowalko’s arguing his case, but Speaker Gilligan rules it out of order. And, now, after all that, they’re laying the bill back on the table. The House is now recessing for Caucus. Looks like some arm twisting is about to happen. Time to sample that Chenin Blanc/Viognier…

Aaaah, refreshing. Attention, all you White Zin Drinkers. If you are quaffing that swill you are not drinking wine. Take a step up in class, though not necessarily in price, and sample riesling, for example. Riesling is even more versatile than chardonnay, running the style gamut from steely-dry to unctuously sweet, and everything in between. You can get a superb German Riesling for under $20 a bottle, and you can get a very reasonable alternative from the Pacific Northwest for under $10 a bottle. Also try gewertztraminer, another Alsatian varietal, which smells like rose petals in the glass.

‘Bulo’s choice tonight is a 2008 (it’s meant to be drunk young) Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier. Medium-bodied, apple, pear, spice notes with a touch of grapefruit at the back of the palate. Dry, with just a hint of sweetness. Under $10, available at Kreston’s and Total Wine among others. Just perfect for live-blogging the last night of the General Assembly. Although, depending on the length of the recess (can someone who’s there please weigh in and tell us if they’re breaking for dinner before returning?), ‘bulo’s blogging might become even less intelligible as the evening drags on…