General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., June 20, 2019
Gotta work today. Less snark, less…everything.
Minimum wage legislation was not released by the Senate Finance Committee. For all we know, the committee never met and never considered the bill. When the committee chair posts a notice but provides no notice as to what will be considered, we’re all in the dark.
A series of modest justice reform measures were passed, with only token opposition from some of Lower Slower’s lowest and slowest.
Here’s yesterday’s Session Activity Report for all you completists.
An intriguing Senate Agenda today. SB 45 (Paradee), which makes it a civil penalty for ‘the possession, use, or consumption of a personal use quantity of marijuana remains a crime for those under the age of 21’, is back on the agenda after a one-day’s hiatus. It’s already now a civil penalty for adults, so I would expect the bill to pass.
Legislation to make the auditor do her fucking jog is also on the Agenda. We’re talking about charter school audits. We’ve had so many examples of charter school financial legerdemain that this would seem a no-brainer. Wonder what part of his body Ernesto Lopez will employ when determining his vote on this (hey, I said less snark, not no snark).
The big news in the House is that the annual Budget Bill is scheduled to be worked today. As is the bill providing for one-time appropriations. There is a Consent Agenda, and I have a question about one of the bills on that Consent Agenda. This one, to be specific. My question: Is this backdoor budget-smoothing by another name? It has Carney stench all over it. Can someone talk me down? Here is today’s entire House Agenda.
Gotta run. But I’m taking off from work next week. So I’ll be covering the General Assembly in agonizing detail.
From the looks of HB 133, this essentially will require cabinet agencies to use performance budgeting and predictive analysis of outcomes in order to request budget increases during the appropriations process. Its built as an effort to reduce waste and unnecessary programs. However, most of the unnecessary and wasteful programs come from and are protected by the legislature.
Does Carney dislike his own administration? He’s fighting the courts to ensure that he doesn’t have the ability to stack the judiciary with whomever he wants regardless of their party affiliation. Then with budget smoothing, he’s forcing the legislature to tie his own hands from being able to invest in his own agencies. I just don’t get it. He probably cuts or flogs himself too.
The bill instructing the Auditor to do her fucking job passed. What’s notable is that, while all D senators took the D auditor to task, 6 R’s voted no, and two R’s were absent. Only Delcollo joined with the D’s. Meaning, yes, Ernesto Lopez sided with his presumably previous paramour.
Strange bedfellows, indeed.
BTW, 6 Rethugs, but not the SAME 6 Rethugs, voted against Sen. Paradee’s bill making it only a civil violation for juveniles caught with pot. All D’s voted yes.
Interesting. Tells you which party’s interests will be served.
Probably. Although–I wonder what Kathy fan-boy Pete Schwartzkopf will do with this bill in the waning days of session…
Already hearing he has ordered Earl Jaques not to let the bill be heard in the House Education Committee. This is exactly why every single Delawarean who voted for McGuiness loses the right to bitch about anything.
She paid $45k for a report that could have been written by Capt. Obvious saying that the AOA has not been doing it’s job. Predictably, she is using this to argue for more $$ in the budget, the News Journal reports she’s asking for a 30+% increase for her office.
I actually don’t have a problem with this, re-funding the office by working her political connections was literally the only reason to vote for her.
Following the Maddie Lauria report on the cost of sea level rise on properties along the DE coastline yesterday, I wrote on facebook:
I asked for the fiscal note when the bill was in the House Administration committee to set up the DE City Redevelopment Corp. largely because of the cost of holding back the water. Crickets. Then DNREC Secy O’Mara had no comment.
Then Peggy J. Ostrom Schultz gave me the bad news: $6 million for a new levee at Ft. DuPont in the budget this year. $6 million. Serious boondoggle.
Couldn’t find it in the budget or in the supplemental appropriations bill. Bond Bill perhaps, which hasn’t yet been finalized?
“Then Peggy J. Ostrom Schultz gave me the bad news: $6 million for a new levee at Ft. DuPont in the budget this year. $6 million. Serious boondoggle.”
The cost of a Cathcart.
This should be adopted as a standard measuring unit, as in, “Our department needs a 3-Cathcart budget increase.”
heh, we’re on.