General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Wednesday, March 10, 2021

The Minimum Wage Bill has been introduced.  Glad to see that all three of our elected officials in my RD  (Larry Lambert, Kyle Evans Gay, and Sarah McBride) are on the bill.  If your legislators aren’t on the bill as sponsors, you know what to do.  The bill has correctly been assigned to the Senate Labor Committee.  It should sail through the Senate quickly. The question is, will Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf once again try to bury it in the House Business Lapdog Committee? 13 members, 8 D’s, 5 R’s.  6 of the D members are almost certain to support the bill.  However, the chair and vice-chair are Bill Bush and Andria Bennett, neither of whom are sponsors on the bill, and neither of whom has demonstrated anything approaching enlightenment.  If Pete isn’t being led around by the nose by John ‘He’s Not A Democrat’ Carney, he’ll assign it to the House Labor Committee. Forewarned is forearmed.  They’ve killed it before and, believe me, they might kill it again.

Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.  As I feared/suspected, HCR 3 was not released from the House Administration Committee.  This is what happens when three cop sycophants, who value ‘authority’ above all else, run the show.  Carney calls, they salute.  Congrats to Stephanie Bolden and Sherry Dorsey Walker, whose ‘I’m the fairest of them all’ snit-fits ensured that there would be no Black representation in leadership.  They are only in it for themselves, and should be primaried.

Here are today’s House Committee highlights:

HB 69 (Shupe) ‘establishes a 2-year residential drinking water purification system pilot program to be administered through the Department of Health and Social Services with funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.’ (Health & Human Development).

HB 31 (Longhurst) ‘repeals certain provisions in Title 11 relating to abortion including provisions which treat abortion differently than other medical procedures, and provisions which criminalize women and the sale of medical devices and medicines.’ (Health & Human Development).

HB 89 (K. Williams) ‘will allow a critical need reimbursement to be distributed directly to an institute of higher education or Secretary of Education approved Alternative Routes to Teacher Licensure and Certification program for an eligible teacher who is taking noncredit-earning seminars or workshops or credit-bearing coursework in order to attain a Standard Certification in a state-approved critical need area’.  (Education).

HS 1/HB 92 (Baumbach) ‘reduces the term of a member elected to a school board from 5 years to 4 years for members elected after December 31, 2021.’ (Education).

HB 100 (Longhurst) ‘establishes a mental health services unit for Delaware elementary schools…According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicides are now the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-14.’  Pretty much every legislator is on this bill, and it’s very important. (Education).

Today’s Senate Committee highlights:

SB 64 (Townsend) ‘requires that accumulated snow and ice be removed from surfaces of a vehicle before it is operated and imposes a civil penalty for a violation.’  Whaddayathink? (Transportation).

SB 66 (Lopez) ‘exempts an individual from having to pay the revoked license or driving privileges reinstatement fee if the individual is eligible for and applies for reinstatement of the individual’s license or driving privileges within 1 year of their release from Department of Correction Level V supervision. The purpose of this Act is to limit financial barriers that may impede an individual from successfully reintegrating into the community after that individual has served their time.’ Good bill. (Transportation).

SB 56 (Sturgeon) ‘codifies the Opportunity Fund, an additional source of educational funding for Delaware public schools intended to support the increased needs of low income and English learner students, and establishes the parameters for how the funding is to be distributed to school districts and charter schools.’ (Education)

SB 39 (Gay) ‘clarifies that Probation Before Judgment (PBJ) may be entered for multiple charges arising from a single arrest.’ Good. Minimize unnecessary incarcerations. (Judiciary).

Today’s Senate Agenda also provides a preview of tomorrow’s Senate Agenda.  The House will not convene in session today.  Here is a preview of tomorrow’s House Agenda.

See you then.