You wouldn’t know it from today’s News-Journal, which used to be a newspaper, but the 149th Delaware General Assembly will convene today for its first session. Technically, the State Senate met post-election to consider some gubernatorial nominations, but today marks the official start to the two-year session. The first day invariably consists of ceremony. The swearing-in of the members, lots of family and friends in the respective chambers, and usually a reception to follow.
For newbies, here’s what to expect in January. The General Assembly will be in session for three weeks and nine sessions, weather permitting. Once sworn in, Governor Carney will present his first State of the State address to a joint session. Before the month is out, the new governor will present his proposed budget for FY ’18. Delaware’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The submission of the budget sets the stage for six weeks of Joint Finance Committee hearings. State agencies come before the committee to present their budget priorities.
Unless the Chamber of Commerce has something that absolutely must pass in January, like last year’s $60 mill payout to essentially the DuPont Company and Chemours, January is generally a slow month. You will get the occasional bill to clean up a couple of fiscal matters, but don’t really look for much. The operative word for legislative action is s-l-o-w.
BTW, speaking of the News-Journal and speaking of last year’s $60 mill payout, if you think that it’s pure coincidence that these two announcements took place yesterday…:
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2017/01/09/chemours-stay-revitalized-headquarters/96341886/
…you’d be mistaken.
Wish I had more. But I can only work with the material at hand.