Legislative Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show-Thurs. March 18, 2010
The big news is that John ‘Let’s Arm Everyone’ Atkins had to backtrack on his bill that could’ve, well, armed everyone. Here’s the money quote from Delaware’s Most Embarrassing Legislator:
“We’re either going to come in with a substitute bill or an amendment,” Atkins said. “It was never Sen. Booth’s or my intent to allow guns in day cares and on DART buses and all that,” Atkins said in asking the House Administration Committee to table the legislation.
Which, of course, is exactly what the bill would have done.
Assuming that he’s telling the truth, always at best a 50-50 proposition with Atkins, he is admitting that he had no idea what was in the bill that he had the NRA write on his behalf. Time for the General Assembly to grow a spine and fight back against the bully-boy tactics of Atkins, Booth and the NRA.
Here’s the entire record of yesterday’s session.
The other ‘rilly big news’ is that legislation to ban hand-held cell phone usage while driving has never been closer to fruition. HS 1/HB 229, which has 21 House sponsors, cleared committee yesterday. Based on the committee report, the bill will require some technical tweaking to clarify DMV’s role, but otherwise will likely be considered by the full House soon.
Other notable bills clearing committees include HS1/HB 247, which would expand the ability of the AG’s office to strengthen consumer protection enforcement; HB 317, which regulates door-to-door salespersons; and HB 137, which requires the Insurance Commissioner to conduct random audits of small business insurance providers.
Today’s Pre-Game Show starts with the Senate agenda, featuring the good, and the bad & the ugly on its two-bill agenda. I’ve commented extensively on both previously. Suffice it to say that it indeed is emblematic of the ‘Delaware Way’ that a special interest bill solely benefiting a relentlessly-loudmouth lobbyist (Yrene Waldron, Executive Director of the Delaware Health Care Facilities Association) will fast-track its way to the Governor’s desk. If ever a bill deserved to be vetoed, this would be a likely candidate.
The House has a much lengthier agenda although it is highly doubtful that the House will work anything close to the entire agenda today.
I like HB 137, and like the fact that the carriers would bear the cost of the audits. The only caveat is the dingbat running the IC’s office. I hope that Rep. Dan Short and the other legislators sponsoring this bill make sure that the IC actually carries out this mandate.
I think Sen. DeLuca’s SB 60 is totally ill-advised and represents yet another legislative incursion into the domain of the judiciary. Were this merely statutory legislation, I believe that this bill would be unconstitutional, which is precisely why this is actually structured as the first leg of a constitutional amendment. (Time for a ‘Teaching Opportunity’! Proposed amendments to the Delaware Constitution must pass in two consecutive sessions of the Delaware General Assembly. Sometimes it’s easier to pass the first leg b/c the legislators know full well that they’ll get another bite of the apple down the road. Still, the House has a chance to stand on principle and consign this latest power grab to the circular file, where it belongs.)
As always, check out the agendas and links. I’m sure that you’ll find items that intrigue you that didn’t really interest me. If so, come on back and comment on ’em.
Tags: cellphones, Consumer Protection, Delaware General Assembly, Gun Contol, John Atkins, Karen Weldin Stewart
Ad hominem nclusions of this kind “The only caveat is the dingbat running the IC’s office” don’t win you any points with me, my friend. How do you even know whether this mandate didn’t come out of her office?
You’re right. I shouldn’t have used the term ‘dingbat’. I meant to say, ‘the incompetent and possibly corrupt…”
Nancy, if you think that anyone here is looking to score any points with you, you have — again — way overvalued your importance again. And you are in no position to scold anyone about ad hominems.
Ohhh. Old frumpy school marmish is at it again…Cass, when I am talking to you, you’ll know it. (oh, oh my that ad hominem just slipped out despite myself…my bad).
Funny that you can’t quite bring yourself to recognize my ‘fitness to serve’, dear, when I was the Delaware blogger who represented on the DelCOG panel last night in Dover.
I was in pretty good company too, with John Flaherty, Ginger Gibson, Brad Bennett, Greg Lavelle and Colin Bonini and the excellent Allan Loudell moderating the discussion about open government and the General Assembly.
Now, if either one of you had bothered to address the substance of my comment it would have impressed.
What do you want to bet that that legislation originated in KWS’s office? I would say the chances are good that it did or at least that the IC advised in the writing.
You have your ugly prejudices and I guess you can keep them.
Oh dear — and here you are ranting away with your usual lack of substance and name calling. Because the name calling and conspiracy theories is about all there is with you.
When you have some substance, we’ll let you know that. And I’ll go further to give you a clue of how you’ll know that — we won’t be pointing out the conspiracies, the name calling and lack of substance in your efforts here. So just stop being lazy and if all you have is the name calling, you can do that on your own blog.
Gotta run, I am listening to a county union rep. slamming Chris Coons on WDEL right now about how he is hiring executive assistants and placing them in different departments where they have no expertise and at a high salary who are deemed non-essential. Gotta love that Mr. Ethics is finally going to be examined and vetted from county employees who know the score.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars for his friends and DEM hacks. Nice.
Delighted that you’ve found a kindred spirit!
Well, Nancy, let’s use our powers of reasoning, shall we? The bill was introduced in April of 2009. As dysfunctional as the IC’s office is today, it was even more dysfunctional then. I have searched, and there is no public record of KWS proposing this legislation.
By contrast, a simple Google search reveals dozens of articles on Stewart trying to bring captive insurance company business to Delaware.
And the fact that HB 137 uses the word ‘requires’ instead of ‘authorizes’ suggests that this IC will not jump unless pushed.
Absent any proof from Nancy or anyone else, I can only conclude that Stewart had nothing to do with HB 137. After all, Stewart has never been shy about taking credit for her initiatives or in claiming credit for others’ initiatives.
Prove me wrong, Nancy.
I will give you the recent actions by Karen and her team that is the likely impetus for this legislation:
Allstate to Issue Refunds to Policyholders Who Did Not Receive Defensive Driving Discount
Dover, March 11, 2010 – Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart announced today that the Allstate Insurance Company will be providing refunds or credits totaling $428,355 to 2,445 policyholders who had not received discounts on their automobile insurance premiums to which they were lawfully entitled.
http://delawareway.blogspot.com/search/label/Insurance%20Commissioner
Now, don’t you think that it makes a lot of sense that if the citizens of Delaware got ripped off to the tune of almost a half a million dollars because Allstate wasn’t counting defensive driving credits that this new legislation was warranted. This legislation is reactionary as most of it is in Deleware. I would guess that it is reacting to the problem recently uncovered and rectified by the IC you hate and who’s reputation you trash. Just try to stay off of the ad hominems, people.
Hold yourselves to the standard you hold everyone else to (as in the ridiculous argument on yesterday’s thread…)
Wrong, Nancy. HB 137 deals with mandatory audits of companies offering health care policies to small businesses. Thanks for playing.
I thought she was leaving because she found a new playmate?
But she’s back and still can’t keep the thread of the conversation.
I would like to apologize to Cassandra for using ‘Thanks for playing’ w/o attribution.
I will personally pay her copyright royalties ( or buy her a drink) at the earliest possible opportunity.
It’s AOK, Bulo, but I’ll join you for a drink any time!
Hey Nancy, how about paying your school and county taxes. We pay our taxes, how about you? Two years behind. Shame!
“Hey Nancy, how about paying your school and county taxes. We pay our taxes, how about you? Two years behind. Shame!”
You should have heard her ramblings on Rick Jensen today–he was like “what the eff?” HAHAHA