General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., March 21, 2017
16 tons of bullshit and whaddayaget? Another day older and $35.6 million deeper in debt. The budget hole is up to $386 mill and counting. Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why not do a property tax revision on Delaware properties owned by those who do not officially reside in Delaware? And, of course, propose two new brackets for those earning the biggest bucks? That way, if the wealthy bastards claim to move to Florida for half of the year and one day, at least they’ll pay a lot more in property taxes on their so-called secondary residences. Just trying to help out, John.
A fairly standard legislative day stands ahead as everyone waits for Gov. Carney’s budget proposal.
The Senate Agenda features several bills that have passed the House. Nothing notable, however. Just a ‘housekeeping’ bill that cleans up murky language from a bill from last session (HB 18), plus some specific municipal bills, including a charter change and a property transfer.
The House Agenda is meatier. Including the meat on Jason330’s leg. The Pitbull Anti-Discrimination Bill is up for a vote. If passed, it will take a big bite out of pet prejudice.
I’m a big fan of HB 11 (Bentz), which ‘removes the prohibition against receipt of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF” also referred to by the name Aid for Families with Dependent Children or “AFDC”) funds by persons convicted of a drug felony, so long as that person is otherwise eligible for TANF assistance.’ Removal of this prohibition benefits needy families:
Under existing law, individuals convicted of any state or federal drug felony, including possession of marijuana (which can be a felony under federal law), are ineligible for TANF for life. Although the children of a parent convicted of a drug crime can still receive assistance, the family’s overall award is significantly reduced, and in practice this affects the well-being of families and children.
A real good bill from one of Delaware’s more promising legislators.
Speaking of Delaware’s most promising legislators, I’m a huge fan of Sean Matthews. He tries to address the school dropout issue with HB 23, which:
…requires that any student over the age of 16 (and under the age of majority) who wishes to leave school prior to graduation must obtain the written consent of the parent or guardian, and attend an exit interview where information is supplied regarding the likelihood of diminished earning potential and the increased likelihood of unemployment associated with dropping out. The school is also directed to explore whether there are support services, interventions or programs that might assist the student in remaining enrolled. The intent is to lower the dropout rate and encourage students to complete high school.
What do our education experts think?
I’m trying to figure out just what is the purpose of HB 29(Q. Johnson). The bill ‘… establishes a writ of attachment of tax refunds and lottery winnings. This bill provides a procedure for interception of tax refunds and lottery winnings by the Department of Finance for judgments resulting from a breach of a residential or commercial rental agreement.‘ OK. Who asked for this legislation? And why is there no sponsor on the bill from north of Newark? There are an awful lot of moving parts to this bill. Looks like special interest legislation to me. Anybody out there with more info? I remain suspicious until convinced otherwise.
And finally a bill I think we can all support. HB 47 (Yearick) removes the requirement that requests for absentee ballots must be notarized. Any removal of an impediment to voting, regardless of how small, is worthwhile.
While I’m gonna post an in-depth preview of committee meetings tomorrow, I wanna give this heads-up to the grassroots. We’ve got a meaningful minimum wage increase being considered in the Senate Labor Committee tomorrow. SB 10 (Marshall) ‘increases the minimum wage required to be paid in this State by 50 cents a year beginning in 2017 and ending in 2020. After 2020, the minimum wage required to be paid in this State increases based on cost-of-living adjustments under the federal Social Security Act…In addition, this Act requires that employers pay an increased minimum wage based on cost-of-living adjustments under the federal Social Security Act in any year in which the federal minimum wage does not increase.’ Let’s be honest. That’s a very modest minimum wage bill. But our previous governor fought tooth-and-nail against its passage. Several legislators, mostly House D’s, quoted Chamber of Commerce talking points verbatim. It’s this simple. If John Carney shows some backbone and comes out for this bill, it will pass. If not, the House D’s will once again have to challenge the Pete Schwartzkopfs and Bryon Shorts of the caucus to even bring it to the floor.
So, if you’re Delaware United, Network Delaware, or just believe in what’s right, stand up and fight for this bill. And hold those who refuse to stand up accountable at the ballot box. This is a defining issue. Let’s pass this thing. Unamended.
Remember: You can’t spell unamended without amen. Can I get an amen?
Deep!!!
For those advocating and organizing for the minimum wage increase… The minimum wage issue is at it’s core, a health and well-being issue. This doesn’t come through often enough in the policy discussions.
Raising the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour by just $1 could save a lot of babies’ lives. A new study found that a $1 minimum wage increase above the current federal level could have prevented an estimated 3,000 low-weight births and 500 post-neonatal deaths in 2014.
Research shows that states that increased the minimum wage $1 above the federal level had a 4% decrease in infant deaths and a 1% to 2% drop in low birth-weight babies.
“The annual social and health cost of preterm or low-weight births in the U.S. was at least $26.2 billion in 2005. The pain and suffering from the deaths of so many infants in their first year of life are incalculable, Minimum wage laws not only help lower-income families make ends meet, they also appear to influence important infant health outcomes.”
Additionally, analysis suggests that a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour would have reduced premature deaths by as many as 5,500 deaths over five years. Even if wage increases led to modest job losses, as many as 2,800 deaths could have been averted in this period. Further, with a $15 minimum wage more than 1 million low-income residents might see an average $10,000 per year boost in family income and about 400,000 could move up from below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
A $1 increase in the minimum wage would likely reduce the U.S. adolescent birth rate by about 2 percent, according to new Indiana University research.
Roughly 60 percent of all minimum wage earners are women, and, according to the Department of Labor, two-thirds of them have children. When these babies are born premature, or before 37 weeks, they have a higher risk of infant mortality and long-term neurological problems. Studies have found that women with low incomes are at a higher risk for premature births, which some explain as a result of the high rates of high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, diabetes, drug use, poor prenatal care, and poor overall maternal health within the demographic. A 2007 report from the Institute of Medicine found that the cost associated with premature births, including treatment of health complications and lost work and pay, was upwards of $26 billion a year in the United States.
While minimum wage increases’ impact on employment continues to be debated, research has linked the raises to other health effects, including decreases in body-mass index, reduced risk of child maltreatment, improvements in birth outcomes and decreases in premature mortality.