I knew her ‘sustainability’ bill stunk to high heaven. I couldn’t figure out what the purpose was for this bill. Now I know. It was a bill designed to create a cottage industry where Melanie George Smith could prosper. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This is truly a blatant self-dealing conflict-of-interest. First read this article by Scott Goss in the News-Journal. Read the entire article. It paints a damning portrait of Smith’s motives and the lengths to which she went to make them reality. Some choice excerpts:
Former state lawmaker Melanie George Smith has launched a consulting firm that critics say is benefiting from a Delaware “sustainability” industry that she helped create during her final months in office.
Her business, Sustainable World Strategies, is prompting questions about the rules that are supposed to stop state lawmakers from crafting legislation that benefits them personally…
…Smith rejects the notion that her business has anything to do with the legislation she sponsored.
“They are completely separate,” she said. “And when you introduce legislation in Dover that is broadly beneficial to everybody, there is no conflict whatsoever.”
I boldfaced that last sentence for a reason. The bill is not broadly beneficial to everybody. In fact, it appears to only benefit Melanie George Smith. It certainly does nothing for sustainability. Basically, for $250 a year, a company can list some sustainability goals on a piece of paper, or e-paper, and get a Certificate from the State citing them as some sort of Sustainability Corporation. They don’t have to do anything to make their company more sustainable. The state isn’t even gonna check on them. Smith sponsored the bill and, before her term had officially even expired, created an LLC to lead companies through the process. Presumably b/c nobody but her understands the process. I sure know that I didn’t. Here’s what I wrote back when the bill was being considered:
Rep. Smith’s HB 310 looks like the Bullshit Bill Of The Year. Which is presumably why it has so many co-sponsors. It, and I quote b/c I can’t make this up, ‘establishes a voluntary disclosure regime to foster dialogue around sustainability and responsibility among participating Delaware business entities and their various stakeholders. Because issues relating to sustainability and responsibility are fact-specific and fact-intensive and may vary greatly depending on, among other things, the size of the entity, the nature of its business and operations, and the industry in which it operates, the Act does not prescribe specific standards, measures of performance or criteria for evaluating performance’. In other words, it depends on what ‘is’ is. Just read that entire synopsis and please tell me WTF this bill is supposed to accomplish. It looks like it enables ‘business entities’ to claim sustainability achievements w/o having achieved anything. Instead of passing this bill, couldn’t we just give ’em special license plates or something?
The good news? There’s an easy way to rectify this blatant double-dealing, and it should be done in January. The General Assembly can and should enact legislation excising this blatant abuse of office from the Delaware Code. BTW, kudos to Reps. Kowalko and Williams and 8 R senators for voting against this bill at the time.
As to what the future holds in store for Melanie? Can that position at Del-Tech be far behind?