From the platform of the Delaware Democratic Party:
Wages: No one who works full time should have to struggle to provide for their family. Delaware Democrats support our state’s working families and strongly believe in a $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, and short-term disability insurance.
Today’s Senate Agenda features SB 10 (Marshall), which would increase Delaware’s minimum wage to $10.25 an hour by 2020, and would provide for Cost-Of-Living increases thereafter. This bill can be enacted without any assistance from Rethugs. It’s all on the D’s. A similar bill passed the Senate during the last session, but was deliberately buried in a House committee and was never brought up for a vote in the House. Those who put the kibosh on the bill included Gov. Markell, who opposed the bill behind the scenes; Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, who assigned the bill to an inhospitable committee (The Business Lapdog Committee); and at least three Chamber lackeys on that committee, Chair Bryon Short and members Quin Johnson and Andria Bennett.
Perhaps the most noteworthy take from today’s News-Journal article on the bill is that John Carney (!) appears to be fully on board:
“In an ideal world, the federal government would take the lead on raising the minimum wage in a consistent way across states,” he said. “But there’s nothing ideal about Washington in 2017. And I’ve been clear that Delawareans who go to work every day should not have to raise their families in poverty.”
Good for him. Looking at the Senate vote, the one D at risk of flipping is Brian Bushweller, who often places the desires of the millionaire operators of that Dover casino over those of his working-class constituents. R Senator Cathy Cloutier is a potential yes vote. If either is your Senator, call and let them know how you feel.
Speaking for the Rethugs, Sen. Pettyjohn opined:
“I think it would be deadly to our economy, especially our small businesses,” he said. “In an incremental increase, it’s going to hurt them, some of them are going to lay off people in order to make it. If you make that drastic change, you will kill small business in Delaware.”
Just because all the empirical evidence contradicts Pettyjohn doesn’t make it less of a rote Chamber talking point for the Rethugs.
Assuming the bill passes, it is up to Democrats to demand that their elected officials in the House act as Democrats and not as Chamber mouthpieces. This is a partisan issue. The D platform is right, and the opposition is wrong. As long as D’s stick together the bill will pass. Which is at best a 50-50 proposition.
SB 109 (Townsend), which is also on the Agenda, requires that ‘individuals who receive health care via Medicaid (receive) the same dedication to treatment of substance abuse disorders as individuals who receive health care via private insurance’. With two R senators on the bill (Cloutier and Lopez) as sponsors, the bill has a solid chance of passage.
Today’s House Agenda features a proposed Constitutional Amendment that would:
…advance human dignity and equality for all under the Delaware Constitution, and would correct a constitutional shortcoming. It subjects unequal treatment arising from historical bias to strict scrutiny, and enables courts in Delaware to establish jurisprudence concerning equal rights violations under State law reflecting Delaware values.
That strikes me as meaning that the amendment would codify in the Delaware Constitution the protections that have been enacted by the General Assembly over the last few years.
Kids, when Rep. Spiegelman sponsors legislation ‘relating to conservation’, it invariably means legalizing new ways to kill animals. As is the case with both HB 156 and HB 157. A lesson in knowing your euphemisms.
Lots of committee meeting action tomorrow. I’ll be back with the wrap-up plus a committee preview bright and early Wednesday.