General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., April 1, 2014
A truncated version today. Woke up at 4, took our youngest daughter to the airport. Not quite with it yet.
I’ll (try to) write a committee meeting preview for tomorrow.
Let’s first all put our hands together to celebrate the ascension of the shell of the channeled whelk to its rightful place as Delaware’s Shell Among Shells. Should, for some reason, the channeled whelk be unable to fill out its term, the bearded clam will don its tiny tiara.
Here’s the entire Session Report from Thursday.
HB 98(Paradee) passed the House. Two no votes, Kowalko and Jaques. The bill adds gray foxes, skunks and weasels to the list of animals that can be blown away by ammo. I haven’t scoured the bill thoroughly, but I’m betting that the bill differentiates between literal skunks and weasels as opposed to figurative skunks and weasels, some of whom inhabit Leg Hall. And voted for this bill. Although I relish the first time we get to hear the cry, “It’s skunk season!”
I’m a big fan of HB 229(Baumbach), which ‘allows for a conditional license for the purpose of attending school or job training for anyone who has had their license revoked for conviction of a drug offense’. Passed the House unanimously.
Today’s Senate Agenda features one bill, but it’s a good one. HB 56(D. Short) “sets certain regulations for motor vehicle data-reporting devices to prohibit the use by insurance companies of such data for anything other than consideration for premium discounts, requires disclosure to the insured of others who may gain access to such data, and otherwise prohibits insurance companies from releasing such data to others.” Quite possibly the best bill sponsored by a Republican this session. Unanimously passed the House, likely to experience a similar fate in the Senate.
The House will likely work HB 265(Schwartzkopf), which would raise about $51 million through various corporate tax increases. Consideration of the bill was delayed last week due to (a) the fact that the Secretary of State, who will carry out this law, was out of state; and (b) the absence of a couple of Democratic legislators from session, calling passage of a super-majority vote into question.
Here is the entire House Agenda.
Time for some zzzz’s.
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In 2010 we passed legislation that designated the Grey Fox as the “Official State Wildlife Animal” at that time it was the chosen alternative to the red fox which procreated aggressively and caused anxiety among the farmers and rural communities. The Grey had and has none of these proclivities and in fact is quite reclusive. Unable to defeat such foolish recklessness I’ve requested several senators to remove the Grey Fox from the bill and hope all of you will join that effort just as the teacher originally involved has by email to the senators below:
Senators,
My name is Paul Sedacca, and I am the fourth grade teacher at McVey Elementary School whose class helped create the State Wildlife Animal Bill (HB 354) in 2010.
I am extremely outraged and saddened by HB98 allowing a hunting season for the gray fox. There should be an amendment removing the gray fox from the bill before it passes the Senate. As it stands, HB98, in my opinion, is an insult to the students of McVey Elementary that worked for 10 months to get the bill passed.
My class of 22 fourth graders will be writing letters to the Governor today recommending a veto if the gray fox is not removed.
I have been in contact with the News Journal and the Department of Fish and Wildlife to get their opinions on this.
Is there an accurate count of gray foxes in Delaware? If so, has a study been done to analyze the impact of a hunting season on the population of our state animal?
Respectfully,
Paul Sedacca
Today Senator Townsend and Representatives Baumbach, Bennett, Carson, Kowalko, and Paradee joined over 40 members to watch Inequality for All at the Dover Public Library and have a discussion about the issues raised in the film.
Representative Andria Bennett deserves credit for speaking publicly, eloquently, and from her heart about the minimum wage bill, apologizing for and explaining her initial vote to table as well as expressing the values and circumstances that led her to change her mind. Thank you for your words Rep. Bennett, and for helping give Delaware low-wage workers a raise!
Rep. Kowalko,
Why did you post the above email in apparent direct violation of state law? Under the Freedom of Information Act, all emails to or from members of the General Assembly, and all communications with constituents, are considered non-public records and exempt from disclosure. There is no provision under FOIA for a legislator to waive that exemption. Anyone contacting your offices, especially by email, is supposed to be assured of confidentiality and privacy. Your action here calls that assurance into question.
I refer you to Title 29, Chapter 100, Sections 10002(I)(16) and (19). (http://delcode.delaware.gov/title29/c100/)
Sussex Watcher, explain your interpretation of the code. Just because you cannot submit a FOIA request for something or it is not automatically public does not imply to me that it is illegal for one to make it public. I’ve never heard of this claim that constituents are supposed to be assured of confidentiality and privacy and that constituents or legislators cannot do what they want with said e-mails, which they would likely own as private property.
Being exempt from disclosure doesn’t mean it can’t be disclosed. It means you can’t force someone to disclose it.
Are you a lawyer, or just a dick?
Check with the House attorney, John. You can’t have it both ways.