General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up & Pre-Game Show: Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The big news: Legislation decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use passed the House Tuesday. Despite an amendment that weakened the bill, not a single ‘small government’ Rethug voted for the bill. BTW, the amendment sucks.  I can only guess that it was required to secure a sufficient number of votes to pass the bill.  Otherwise, it should not have seen the light of day. I mean, ‘(u)nder this amendment possession and use of marijuana by persons under the age of 18 remains a criminal offense in all circumstances’. Really? Whose bright idea was that? And that’s only one provision. Looks like the cops exacted their pound of flesh good commercial Mexican after all. Soon to be under the ‘watchful eye’ of golden parachute recipient Rebecca Walker. Memo to Rethugs: Nixon isn’t President any more. Time to stop fighting the culture wars.

The Senate passed Rylie’s Law, which provides that a medical marijuana derivative may be used to treat those with ‘intractable epilepsy’. 21 yes. Big shout-out to Sen. Lopez and all involved.

So many key bills in committee today, hard to know where to begin. OK, not so hard. Let’s start with HB 50(Kowalko), the so-called opt-out bill. It’s scheduled for today’s Senate Education Committee meeting.  If the bill passes the Senate this Thursday, which is possible, I hope that the bill is hand-delivered to the Governor’s office immediately.  Anything to make sure that the Governor doesn’t dawdle until after the General Assembly has completed session only to veto the bill then. My guess? He allows it to become law w/o his signature.

Here are lotsa highlights from today’s House Meeting Schedule (finally linkable!):

*Rep. Baumbach’s Death With Dignity bill will be considered in the Health & Human Development Committee. The bill:

“will allow a competent terminally ill patient the ability to request medication to end the patient’s life. The bill clarifies the procedures necessary for making the request, such as but not limited to: the receipt of counseling, a physician’s evaluation, the passage of a waiting period, and the completion of a formally witnessed request for such medication. The bill further provides the right to rescind any request for such medication; as well as immunity for persons participating in good faith compliance with the procedures.”

*HJR 5(J. Johnson) provides for an independent and comprehensive review of Delaware’s solitary confinement policies, something upon which the Code is reportedly relatively silent. House Corrections.

*Looks like the Total Wines guys are at it again. HB 156(Longhurst) purports to make the purchase of alcohol more ‘consumer-friendly’ by permitting longer operating hours from October-December. (Of couse, if ‘consumer-friendliness’ was a true consideration, the state would enable you to buy wine in grocery stores, but that doesn’t fit Total Wines’ definition of consumer-friendly.)  The bill, of course, is special interest legislation, and it’s not the consumers who are clamoring for this. Campaign checks (and complimentary booze?) to follow.  In the House Business Lapdog Committee.

*Yet another taxpayer rip-off from a ‘fiscally-responsible’ Rethuglican.  HB 144(Miro) ‘codifies the annual funding of transportation of students of nonpublic, nonprofit elementary and high schools’. Codifies it. As in ‘forever and ever’.  Taxpayers cough  up $$’s to subsidize parents who choose to send their kids to non-public schools.  Worst Bill of the Week. House Education.

*HB 148(Keeley)  “create(s) the Wilmington Education Improvement Commission as recommended by the recent report on Strengthening Wilmington Education, prepared by the Wilmington Education Advisory Committee.  The Wilmington Education Improvement Commission (WEIC) shall serve as a State advisory committee for the administration of planning, recommending and implementing changes to improve the quality and availability of education for children in Pre-K through 12 in the city of Wilmington and advise the State on improvements for all schools within the State with high concentrations of children living in poverty.” What saieth thou, O Beloved Education Gurus? House Education.

Plenty of action in Senate committees as well:

*The Senate Bond Bill Committee considers HB 140(Schwartzkopf), which is projected to raise over $23 mill annually through motor vehicle document fee increases to help fund the Transportation Trust Fund. Not a single R voted for the bill in the House.  Unless all D senators hold firm and secure one R vote, the bill will not reach the super-majority required for passage. It’ll make it out of committee, though.

*The Senate Judiciary Committee considers HB 75(K. Williams), which enables juvenile offenders who have subsequently turned their lives around to petition for expungements of those juvenile criminal histories. The bill passed the House unanimously.  I think the Senate will follow suit.

*A big thumbs up for SB 88(Cloutier), which basically allows the State Division of Parks & Recreation to partner with outside groups to bolster funding. Specifically, the bill’s purpose is:

 (in order to) help supplement General Funds the Division of Parks and Recreation shall be authorized and encouraged to solicit donations, sponsorships and sell advertisements to support park operations, help maintain park facilities and support park programs such as concerts and events.

I know this would be a boon to, say, Bellevue State Park in our area, and would also attract many more people to the parks.  Pass it! Natural Resources & Envoronmental Control Committee.

*Uh oh. Will the Senate spare the State Varmint from bloodthirsty hunters? HB 25(Wilson), which permits the ‘harvesting’ of gray foxes, has a target on its chest in today’s NR & EC Committee. It’s a six-member committee.  Members Ennis and Hocker are sponsors.  The other members? Sen. McBride, Chair; Senators Marshall, Peterson & Lopez.  Could be a close vote here…I’m gonna predict that it doesn’t get out of committee.

I’m gettin’ outtahere, though. Right now!