Colin Bonini had company this year. The Annual Operating Budget passed the Senate, but only by a 15-6 vote. All the nos were from R’s with only Cloutier, Lawson and Lopez voting for the budget. An amendment failed that would have removed a $290,000 to the Center for Energy & Environmental Policy. The center is run by McDowell ally Dr. John Byrne. The amendment predictably failed on a straight party vote, 9 yes, 12 no. I may have time to slog through the Epilogue Language which, as longtime legislative observers know, is often where special favors for legislators and their pet projects are buried. However, today is not that day.
Well, maybe, just maybe, these articles sometimes have an impact. Senate Bill 290 (Henry), which was featured here yesterday, was defeated in the Senate, twice actually. Three D’s (Peterson, Sokola, and Townsend) joined all 9 R’s in voting against the bill, which would have ‘allow(ed) the election cycle regarding contributions from political parties and political action committees to reset after the Primary Election as it does for other contributors.’ Defeated bill aren’t defeated, however, until the Session officially adjourns, so it’s still alive. Hmmm, this wouldn’t have anything to do with Bethany Hall-Long’s campaign, now would it? Just speculating…
John Viola’s sop to the VFW and American Legion was not worked in the House. Rep. Smyk’s ‘destructive weapons’ bill was passed by a 30-9 vote. Those voting no: Bennett, Bolden, Heffernan, Keeley, Kowalko, Lynn, Matthews, Potter, and K. Williams. I think they got it right.
As much as I want to see Draft Kings and Fan Duel regulated, this bill reads like it was written to spec for these two gaming sites. Which it probably was. For those of you who don’t watch ESPN, Fan Duel and Draft Kings are facilitators of national fantasy games, and award cash prizes to the (very few) winners. It turns out that some of the biggest winners worked for Fan Duel and Draft Kings and were winning b/c of insider information that they kept to themselves. It also is viewed as illegal gambling in some states, including New York, which is suing the companies. For the better part of two years, the companies were ubiquitous with their advertising on ESPN and other sports networks, and were successful in luring in loads of degenerate suckers. Here’s the problem: The major premise of the bill is wrongwrongwrong. In order to legalize these contests, the General Assembly must first somehow ‘find’ that ‘interactive fantasy games’ do not constitute ‘gambling’ in Delaware. How does this bill do this?:
“Interactive fantasy sports are not games of chance because they consist of fantasy or simulation sports games or contests in which the fantasy or simulation sports teams are selected based upon the skill and knowledge of the participants and not based on the current membership of an actual team that is a member of an amateur or professional sports organization.”
Bull. Shit. By that standard, video poker is far more a game of skill than guessing which players will have a hot night on the diamond or gridiron. This is a phony finding designed for only one purpose: to enable Draft Kings and Fan Duel to be legal in Delaware. I for one don’t want to let Rep. Charles Potter substitute his ‘finding’ for that of the Attorneys General around the country who are suing these scam artists. And, seriously, this is gonna be considered in the final two days of the General Assembly? How much are they paying you, representative? If you had any shame, you’d be ashamed.
Today’s House Agenda is highlighted by the Budget Bill, which should hit the Governor’s desk before sundown. I also need to give props to Sen. Townsend for yet another excellent bill that the House will consider. This one deals with streamlining the process for legitimate juvenile expungements, and it passed the Senate unanimously.
I count at least four real good House bills on today’s Senate Agenda, and I hope they all pass. HB 381 (Baumbach) ‘requires greater transparency, efficiency, and fairness in (health care) pre-authorization programs. HB 314 (Keeley) ‘makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to require an employee to not disclose his or her wages’. (BTW, 10 House Rethugs voted no on this bill.) HB 316 (Heffernan) ‘prohibits discrimination in employment based upon an individual’s reproductive health decisions’. And HB 317 (K. Williams) ‘ prohibits discrimination in employment based upon an individual’s caregiving responsibilities.’ Passing these bills would be a pretty good day’s work, right there.
I leave you with this cautionary note. Get to know, although not to love, the following acronym: MTSR. Lest you think that bills not on an agenda or bills that you’ve never heard of will not/can not be worked in the waning hours, you are incorrect. MTSR stands for Motion to Suspend Rules. Meaning a motion to suspend any and all rules that would interfere with consideration of any piece of legislation at any time. While most motions rarely meet with opposition, you can bet that, if something good like the minimum wage bill was proposed to be considered, there would be objections and a roll call on the motion. However, legislators get tired and bored on the last night, and they aren’t always paying close attention to the proceedings. Making it easier for one of the hinky bills we’ve discussed over recent weeks to move through with nary a sideways glance. Sad, but true.