General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., April 6, 2011

Perhaps the greatest thing about this blogging gig is that I get to wallow in self-indulgence. (However, not as much as Matt Denn does. Before I die, I want to write one sentence at least as funny as “I am confident that I am the only Lieutenant Governor in America who has had to utter the following sentence at his local public library recently: “Hi, are you holding a copy of Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets for my son?”)  Anyway, please indulge me as I gleefully scratch yet another musical itch. And, yes, it’s on topic and bleepin’ great:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIUFzbEqWaI[/youtube]

Todd Rundgren-‘Parole’

Owoooooooo!

Back in the real world, or the Dover-Through-the-Looking-Glass version of it, the House voted to abolish the Board of Parole and to send its functions elsewhere. Plus save the state about $500K annually. The Board has long since outlived its usefulness. Quoting from the bill synopsis:

“…the parole system was abolished for offenses committed after June 30, 1990. As a result, the caseload of the Board of Parole has decreased dramatically over the past two decades in its core areas of responsibility. As of November 2010, there were only 247 inmates in state prisons eligible for parole and 350 parolees under parole supervision. These numbers equate to approximately 5% of total incarcerated sentenced inmates and 2% of total offenders supervised in the community.”

Bill sponsor Rep. Bryon Short asked the proper question during floor debate:

“If not now, when do we do it?”  “The day will come when there are as many on parole as are on the parole board. We’ve got to move forward.”

However the fact that, as the News-Journal reported, the Board has five members and seven employees, most likely constituents of those voting no, led 13 reps to go thumbs down. Here’s the roll call.

The Senate passed HB 19 (George), the overhaul of the state’s drug laws. Since an amendment was added to the bill in the Senate, it goes back to the House for final passage.  There were 4 no votes, but, once again, Tony DeLuca has decided that it’s not your right to know who those four were. The roll call only provides the final margin of 16 Y, 4 N, 1 Absent.

The House passed HR 10 (Schwartzkopf), which details the chamber’s process for redistricting:

Beginning (yesterday), a four-week comment period will open, during which residents can submit their plans, suggestions and requests in writing to a redistricting e-mail address: House.Redistricting@state.de.us. Residents also can mail their proposals to the House of Representatives, Attn: Erik Schramm, 411 Legislative Avenue, Dover, DE, 19901. Only written comments will be accepted during this period. Comments can be specific or general – such as requests to keep certain neighborhoods together, place adjoining communities in the same district, etc. The comment period will close on April 29.

Once the House has completed its draft redistricting proposal, the plan will be circulated to the media and a public hearing will be scheduled at a to-be-determined date during the General Assembly’s two-week break in May (16th-30th). During that hearing, officials will collect written and oral comments on the proposal, which will be taken into account as the House revises its proposal and draws its final plan in legislation form.

The redistricting process will be headed up by Rep. Schwartzkopf, lead House attorney William G. Bush IV and House Democratic Chief of Staff Erik Schramm.

Let’s be upfront here. The House already has a pretty darn good idea how the plan will look. They are open to changes like those suggested above. But, by and large, those changes will be ‘around the edges’, and will not in any way significantly change the thrust of the plan. Sorry to say, but this is as good as it gets regarding public input. I would recommend, however, that the House conduct hearings in all three counties at least. There is yet another ‘open redistricting’ ‘plan’, out there, and I’ll discuss that one shortly.

Here’s the entire session record for yesterday. Per usual, I’ll withhold comments about newly-introduced bills at least until they surface in committee.

Today’s Senate Agenda features both SB 12 (Henry), which “removes the prohibition against persons convicted of any drug felony from receiving federal food benefit assistance”; and SB 13 (Henry), which “continues, without sunsetting, the needle exchange program. This Act directs the Director of the Division of Public Health to maintain a sterile needle and syringe program to help prevent the spread of AIDS and other diseases. The program would offer HIV testing, health counseling and information on substance abuse treatment.”

Both chambers have many committee meetings today.

Before I figuratively bury Tony DeLuca a couple of paragraphs hence, let me briefly praise him. After two years of hectoring by me, DeLuca has finally begun posting the names of those scheduled for confirmation hearings in his Senate Executive Committee. Halting as it may be, I, at least, consider it progress.

Did I say a ‘couple of paragraphs hence’? I meant one paragraph hence. There’s, um, one other piece of business on today’s Senate Executive Committee agenda. His joke of a bill, SB 50, which would purportedly ‘ensure that the redistricting process becomes entirely open’, will be considered in DeLuca’s own Senate Executive Committee. Kids, they’ve been working on the maps for two months now. The process is close to over. This bill is nothing but a phony attempt on DeLuca’s part to perversely claim the mantle of being an ‘open government’ advocate. Do not be fooled. Anyone who was truly serious about opening up the process would have introduced legislation like this months or years ago. Pay no attention to the man behind the door. Read the bill in its entirety, and you will see that this is merely a PR stunt in bill form.

DeLuca’s all over today’s committee agendas.  A bill in today’s Senate Community/County Affairs Committee should be served with pasta and red gravy along with a montepulciano d’abruzzo perhaps. That’s right,  I’m talking about the (I’m not making this up) Delaware Commission on Italian Heritage and Culture. Tony DeLuca is carrying its grappa this week as he tries to make sure that some ‘invaluable’ paisan is reappointed to this commission. May I ask a question here? Since when is it the state’s responsibility to promote or herald a particular ethnic culture? Whether it’s Irish, Polish, Italian or whatever, shouldn’t this be handled amongst the ethnic celebrants in question? Memo to Joint Sunset Committee: Research this and abolish these nonessential agencies.

Oh, and he’s also trying to fast-track his bill to consolidate the vo-tech districts into one statewide district. It’s being considered in today’s Senate Education Committee. The tipoff on this is the way he’s trying to rush this through. The bill may well (or may well not) be good public policy. But something this important will require more than just cursory consideration. Time to slow this train down until we figure out where it’s going and why it’s going there. Can you simply imagine how much patronage could be doled out by whoever becomes the Superintendent of this district? I can, and that, in and of itself, should stop the momentum for this bill.

Other interesting (to me) Senate committee notes:

SB 40 (Marshall)-Gov. Markell’s push for more and more specific tax/credit incentives for business; and a special emphasis on clean air technologies. In today’s Senate Finance Committee.

SB 46 (Bushweller)-When the General Assembly considers legislation regarding derivatives, be afraid, be veryvery afraid. Virtually none of them know what this bill will do, and I number the sponsors among them. In today’s Senate Insurance Committee.

In the interests of having time to take a shower and get to work, I’ve omitted some other interesting bills. Here’s the entire Senate Committee schedule.

Time for a similarly hasty inspection of today’s House committee schedule.

HB 81 (Longhurst), which makes changes to employees’ health care and pension benefits, will be considered in today’s House Administration Committee. This is part of the ‘compromise’ recently reached between the governor, legislators, and representatives for state employees.  If you’re a state employee, read it. Knowledge may or may not be power.

HB 63 (Barbieri) makes it “illegal for an employee or volunteer of a healthcare facility, nursing home, assisted living facility, long-term care residence, group home, psychiatric treatment facility residential substance abuse or mental health facility, or any facility required to be licensed under Title 16 of the Delaware Code to engage in sexual activity with a patient or resident of a facility.” I’ll say it again, this activity is already illegal. It hasn’t been adequately monitored or enforced. The bill just basically adds another charge, but it’ll look great on election brochures and will most assuredly pass unanimously. In today’s Health & Human Development Committee.

HB 66 (Brady). Gerald Brady’s at it yet again with his favorite obsession, red light cameras and ‘speed monitoring systems’. How soon until nose-picking while driving is a public offense? In today’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee.

That’s it for today.

Except to say that ‘Never let it be said that I take self-indulgence only halfway.’ Just as I entered with an on-point musical piece, allow me to close with one. In honor of SB 49:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AieUk2AH4w[/youtube]

Dean Martin-“That’s Amore”