General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 11, 2013

That was quite the eventful Senate session last Thursday. We can count to three, so let us count the ways (even though Legislative Council can only count to two; seriously somebody needs a wake-up call there):

1.  The Senate handily passed SS1/SB 33(Ennis), which would require owners/landlords of manufactured homes communities to justify rent increases above the Consumer Price Index. 17 yes, 1 no(Bloviator Bonini), 1 not voting (Pope Pompous I, formerly Monsignor Lavelle). Now don’t get all excited. The Senate vote was viewed as a ‘free vote’ last session because the Forces of Evil had wired the House. It’s getting late in session. Contact your state reps and urge them to move forward and pass this bill. First warning sign will be if this bill doesn’t get placed in Paul Baumbach’s Manufactured Housing Committee.

2. Although Legislative Council, the official ‘information’ arm of the Delaware General Assembly, took no note of it, the Senate passed landmark legislation which prohibits gender identity discrimination in Delaware. SB 97(Henry) passed the Senate by an 11-7 vote.  Interesting roll call. Cathy Cloutier was the only R to vote yes,  Dems Bob Venables and Bruce Ennis voted no,  D Brian Bushweller and R Pope Pompous I went not voting. All 11 yes votes were required for passage. If your senator did the right thing, thank them. And, if anybody’s home at Leg Council, could you please update the session log? I know that there are some exciting new solitaire options on your computers, but perhaps one of you…? Pretty please?

3. The Senate passed ‘redistricting reform’ on a straight party line vote. SB 48 creates an 11-member commission to draw the lines and to make the process more open than it has been. Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf has made it pretty clear that he likes the current ‘behind closed doors’ method of drawing the lines. There are quite a few House D’s signed on as co-sponsors, so we’ll see what happens. My guess? Schwartzkopf prevails, reform doesn’t.

I’m pretty sure that the House did some stuff on Thursday, but Legislative Council hasn’t yet gotten around to posting it. Once again,  here’s your complete incomplete official activity report from Thursday.

Woke up Sunday morning to find that Jack Markell wants to raise some taxes for infrastructure improvement and maintenance. No, not progressive taxes like an equitable income tax rate on the uber-wealthy. But sales taxes. Delaware doesn’t have sales taxes, you say? Of course they do.  They’re talking a higher gas tax, a higher tax on new motor vehicle purchases, and a rental tax on vacation home stays.  Markell, of course, is calling some of these ‘fee increases’, but they’re sales taxes in all but the nomenclature. Better that than eliminating tax breaks for Markell’s friends and contributors. Not to mention, talk about an artificially-created crisis. You wait until there are three weeks left in session to begin discussing this? Come back, Mark Brainard, all is forgiven. Utterly. Inept.

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!!!

Speaker Pete’s gone and done it, folks. # 8 on today’s House Agenda: HB 165(Jaques). Somebody wants this bill real bad. Delaware Way strong-arming at its worst. BTW, the list of Charter Schools that Kavips posted is must reading. How many politically-connected people can you identify? Charlie ‘Bouvier de Flanders’ Copeland and his Crazy Uncle Pierre? Nick Manolakos, the former state rep? Irv Becnel, former legislative candidate? I like Earl Jaques, but this bill is far from two guys sittin’ on the front porch whittlin’ while coming up with some ideas for charter schools. This is a bill by the elites for the elites. Concocted in secret. Memo to legislators: We know this, you know we know this, and we will hold you accountable.

Other highlights on today’s agenda:

HB 160(Schwartzkopf) creates a Delaware shellfish aquaculture industry.

Rep. Baumbach’s two bills that give more rights to residents in manufactured home communities remain on the agenda. HB 106 and HB 107, check ’em out.

HB 146(Bolden) adds an additional $25 penalty to those convicted of criminal offenses committed within the City of Wilmington. The money would go to the City of Wilmington. Presumably not to fund church gymnasiums.

The most notable bill on today’s Senate Agenda purports to create a ‘permanent solution’ to the ‘problem’ of veterans’ organizations having been serial scofflaws of the state’s gambling laws. We’re talking the machines, I mean ‘video lotteries’, that have permeated VFW’s and American Legion Posts for decades. Once the Markell Administration called them on it, and the racinos reacted with puffed-up outrage to the mom-and-pop interlopers on their legalized monopolies, it was inevitable that this day would come.

SB 112’s synopsis effectively spells out the convolutions:

This Act puts in place a permanent solution to allow for a fraternal or veterans organization with national affiliation or an organization whose membership consists primarily of veterans honorably discharged or active duty service member to operate charitable video lottery machines within their organizations upon approval from the Director of the Lottery. The business arrangement calls for the charitable gaming organizations to receive 60% of proceeds after players are paid and 40% shall go to the state to cover expenses of which 1% of the state’s proceeds shall be set aside to fund programs for the treatment, education and assistance of compulsive gamblers and their families. Each eligible charitable gaming organization may have up to 10 charitable video lottery machines plus one additional charitable video lottery machine for every 70 members of the charitable gaming organization over 500 members of said organization. Effective January 1, 2014, charitable gaming organizations will be required to donate at least 40% of the organization’s proceeds from charitable video lottery machine gaming annually to a charitable purpose. Finally, it requires the charitable gaming organization to adhere to the same guidelines for deducting from prizes of winners who are delinquent on the child support payments and sets a deadline of July 1, 2014, for these organizations to be connected to the state’s central system for reporting and auditing purposes.

As to any violations of the law that may have occurred in the decades preceding, uh, never mind. They’re veterans, for crying out loud. Just one of several groups for which Delaware laws do not apply. Kinda like Del-Tech and, for that matter, government, when it comes to public bodies doing their business in public.

More of that on today’s Al Mascitti Show, 10 am to 12 noon, WDEL 1150-Newsradio. Along with the Weiner-In-Wonderland denouement to the Stoltz Barley Mill Project legal proceedings (some things I just cannot make up).