Two major developments highlight this week’s action in Dover. On Tuesday, the civil unions bill was introduced, and has a very good chance for passage–if it gets out of committee in the Senate. I think it will. And, as UI posted this morning, the governor, legislative leaders, and representatives for state employees have tentatively approved a deal that would provide state employees with a 2% annual pay increase, but would reduce pension benefits for new hires, and would increase health costs for current employees.
Predictably, Monsignor Greg Lavelle moaned that this wouldn’t take $100-plus million out of the hides of state employees:
“I didn’t know that zero was the goal,” Lavelle said.
Which, of course, simply proves that zero is what Lavelle and the Billionaires On The Hill believe state employees and those lazy teachers are worth. It’s what they do: Do everything possible to make government dysfunctional and then blame any real or alleged dysfunctionality on those being starved of resources. It is the Big Lie, and they repeat it over and over again. Gov. Markell has come dangerously close to at least providing passive support for that meme. I can only hope that these words from chief aide Brian Selander put that approach to rest:
“If Greg Lavelle thinks that state employees don’t deserve a pay raise for the next several years, I guess that’s his prerogative,” Markell spokesman Brian Selander said. “We don’t agree with him.”
Plus, since this is largely a ‘wash’, this doesn’t grow the base of the budget at all. This makes for a much easier June than previously expected, but capital improvements issues, in particular, remain front and center. I expect to see the Joint Finance Committee restore some of the most draconian cuts proposed by the Markell Administration in pretty short order, thanks to the ‘found’ money, aka the $155 million in increased revenue projected by DEFAC (Delaware Economic and Fiscal Advisory Council).
Enough prognosticating. Time for some good ol’-fashioned reporting. Done from the comfy chair that faces my desktop.
On Tuesday, the House passed HB 6 (Bennett), which appears to increase penalties for gang-related offenses. Without commenting on the merits of the bill, Bennett fils follows in the jackbooted footsteps of Bennett pere, who couldn’t resist doing stuff like this. The bill ran into big-time opposition and almost failed, and I’m not sure why, as supporters and opponents were all over the ideological map. Could one of our Dover snitches (and I mean that in a good way) please let us know what went on here?
The House also passed HB 47 (B. Short), which gives the Department of Health & Social Services the authority to investigate and inspect conditions at abortion clinics. There were amendments, there were amendments to amendments. The bill ultimately passed, 27-12, with all no’s coming from R’s. Look for their own grandstanding piece of legislation any minute now.
Here is the entire Activity Report for Tuesday. Plenty of new legislation introduced. Plus, nothing of note took place in the Senate. Dog Bites Man.
On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed SR 9 (Katz), which calls for an ‘open and transparent’ redistricting process, and which calls for ‘open meetings and opportunities for the public to be heard in the redistricting process.’
Kids, please keep in mind that simple resolutions are not binding documents. However, I hope and expect that both the House and Senate will conduct at least one public hearing in each county, as well as the City of Wilmington. That should be the absolute minimum standard.
The rest of the day was given over to committee hearings. While we won’t know all bills released from committee until later today, we do know that Sen. Henry’s medical marijuana bill was one of those that cleared committee yesterday. Doltish ‘leaders’ in the law enforcement community immediately weighed in with their banalities:
Lewes Police Chief Jeffrey Horvath said the bill would send “the wrong message” to children.
“We’re going to send a message that marijuana is a good thing, marijuana isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” said Horvath, vice chairman of the Delaware Police Chiefs Council.
OK, Chief Horvath, I’ll bite. Marijuana isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can be a good thing. Especially if it’s relieving agonizing pain for your fellow human beings, if you deserve to be counted in their midst. If you can’t teach your children that, I can only hope that you don’t have any children. Do me a favor. Don’t take an early pension and seek a second one in the Delaware General Assembly. Too many of your fellow idiots reside there now. People who (don’t) think just like you.
Ahhhh, feel so much better now. Wonder if any of John Atkins’ ‘friends’ are reading today…
Let’s scope out today’s agendas:
Nothing much in the Senate. Just a bill clarifying that sewer and water authorities fall under the Freedom of Information Act. However, what is notable is that the aforementioned Medical Marijuana bill has been scheduled for a Day Certain, Thursday, March 31. Bills are generally scheduled for a Day Certain if there is great interest in the bill and if the sponsor and indeed those on both sides of the bill want to enable supporters and opponents to speak to the legislation on the floor. Expect a big crowd for this one.
The House has a lengthier, if only marginally more interesting, agenda, including some leftovers from earlier this week. Most notable is SB 16 (Sokola), which would enable school districts to make offers to teachers earlier in the year, thus enabling them to attract and retain quality teachers. The bill unanimously passed the Senate earlier this year, and should pass the House with equal ease.
I found two other bills especially interesting. HB 41 (Brady) would exempt the Academy of the Dance from ‘taxation and assessment for public purposes by county or local government as long as such property is not held for purposes of investment.’ Now, don’t get me wrong. The Academy of the Dance was created by the great Jamey Jamieson, who was the ballet master under Agnes DeMille for the original Broadway production of ‘Brigadoon’. It has long been a teaching mecca for aspiring dancers. But if the institution is having trouble, and I don’t know that it is, what singles them out for special treatment? Could this be the start of a spate of bills like it? I just have the questions, not the answers. If it wouldn’t be tutu much, could someone with more knowledge of this situation please fill us in?
Finally, Brad Bennett is at it again. His HB 51 would mandate ‘the Department of Transportation to display on its variable message signs information regarding missing senior citizens, suicidal persons, or persons with a disability’.
While I have no particular problem with the premise of this bill, how is DELDOT expected to sort this out? And, frankly, why should DELDOT have to sort it out? Don’t they have enough to do already? If DELDOT gets word of a missing kid, a missing senior, a missing suicidal person, and a missing person with a disability, who gets preference? At least with the license plates, everybody gets preference. I plan to continue lobbying for my very own ‘Nobody Special’ vanity plate.
And when does this end? Considering the sponsor of this bill, I have a prediction as to what the next one will be: A Mandatory Purple Alert for Ex-Wives.