The Big News-Universal Recycling on Today’s Senate Agenda
SB 234(McBride) is first on today’s Senate Agenda. Why is this important? As always, Tommywonk explains it all for us. As he points out, the alternative of finding a replacement for the Cherry Island landfill would be difficult, at best:
Of course, we may not be able to find the required 500 to 800 acres at any cost. The footprints of DSWA’s major landfills range from 513 acres (CIL) to 835 acres (Sandtown), which comes to roughly 12 to 20 40-acre farms. If a site for a new landfill cannot be found, we would be looking at higher costs for waste disposal, including transportation costs to a downstate or out of state landfill.
Per the Wonkster:
SB 234 would establish universal curbside recycling, eliminate the current five cent bottle deposit and replace it with a four cent fee that would go away in four years.
Seriously, if you’re not reading Tommywonk, you’re just not informed on any and all issues environmental.
SB 234 appears to have near-universal support, and should sail through the Senate today.
Now back to the day-to-day mundanities. Here’s the complete Session Report from Wednesday. Except, of course, it’s not complete.
Which means it’s time for another Teaching Opportunity! The Session Day does not end when the clock strikes midnight and the calendar flips. When the House and Senate initially reconvene today, they’ll still officially be in Wednesday’s session. The Legislative Day doesn’t change until the presiding officer adjourns and then reconvenes the body, at which point roll call is taken. so, before they ‘change the day’ today, the committee reports, including notice of which bills have been released from committee, will be read into the record.
In other words, yesterday’s Session Report excludes the meat of what went on yesterday: committee meetings. And now you know why. This knowledge will no doubt lodge itself in your gray matter somewhere near that annoying Tommy James & the Shondells song you’ve been trying to get out of your head for 35 years (Cri-i-i-imson and Clo-o-ver, overrr and overrr…). What the bleep is crimson and clover, anyway?? Some bubblegum pop stars should be kept away from drugs at all costs. Now, Hanky Panky, that was a great song.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQcjTP9RTiY&feature=related[/youtube]
But…I digress. Consumer protection legislation finally passed the Senate yesterday, and heads to the Governor for signature.
Only other real legislation of note considered yesterday, IMHO, was the beginning of the yearly procession of general corporation law legislation. Kids, this is how it’s done in a ‘business-friendly’ state. In order to keep us at the top of the corporate food chain with our ‘highly-respected’ Court of Chancery, the Corporate Law Section of the Delaware Bar annually introduces a legislative package to do so. Not a single legislator understands what’s in the legislation (well, maybe Melanie George does, but she’d be the only one), but it invariably sails through. Occasionally, someone like Sen. McDowell votes ‘no’ because the legislation is so willfully complicated, but there’s no serious opposition. Per example, here’s the synopsis for HB 341, which passed the Senate yesterday and heads to the Governor. I prefer an endless loop of Crimson and Clover to trying to decipher that.
Which brings us to today’s Pre-Game Show. More of those corporate law bills highlight today’s House Agenda.
Today’s Senate agenda, of course, features the universal recycling bill. It also features a bill allowing school buses to have LED lighting, which should improve safety.
Say, waittaminit! There’s something missing from the Activity Report (imagine shuffling of e-papers…). Remember yesterday when I raised questions about HB 166, which would allow up to eight non-residents per property to vote in Bethany Beach Municipal elections? It wasn’t voted on yesterday, and it’s not on today’s agenda. Maybe it’s possible that a staff attorney actually looked at it and realized that it had constitutional questions. I’ve got a practical one–How do actual residents of Bethany Beach feel about allowing so many non-residents to vote in municipal elections?
Which leads me to another question–Who, exactly, is pushing for this legislation? MJ? Intake Manifold? Your thoughts? Don’t make me post that Crimson and Clover youtube vid. It sucks worse than the song.
And with that–I think I’m alone now, there doesn’t seem to be anyone around…