General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Wednesday, March 31, 2021

The Senate is rolling out the legislative artillery, beginning today.  Two gun control bills, SB 3 (Lockman) and SB 6 (Sokola),  will be considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee today, and have been scheduled as the only two bills on tomorrow’s Senate Agenda.  I think they’ve each got at least 12 votes in the Senate, and possibly 13 ( I don’t know about Paradee).

SB 3 :

…(1) Creates an application process to obtain a handgun qualified purchaser card to authorize the purchase of a handgun. While an applicant will incur costs related to fingerprinting and required training, a fee will not be charged to obtain the permit. (2) Requires licensed importers, manufacturers, or dealers, as well as unlicensed persons, to require an individual to present the individual’s handgun qualified purchaser card before selling or transferring a firearm to an individual. (3) Requires that an applicant complete a firearms training course within 5 years before the date of application, similar to what is required by Delaware’s concealed carry permit law. An individual licensed to carry a concealed deadly weapon is exempt from this requirement as they must already complete a firearms training course to be licensed. (4) Sends to law-enforcement information that is already collected at the time of sale and required under federal law to be made available to law-enforcement. This change assists law-enforcement in the criminal investigations they already conduct. (5) Makes clear that § 904A of Title 24 is not intended to prohibit law-enforcement officials from keeping records of sales and transfers of firearms for their use during criminal investigations or prosecutions.

SB 6:

…creates the Delaware Large Capacity Magazine Prohibition Act of 2021. The Act includes clear definitions for the term “large-capacity magazine,” as an ammunition feeding device with a capacity to accept more than 17 rounds of ammunition. After enactment, possession of large-capacity magazine will be a class B misdemeanor for a first offense and a class E felony for any subsequent offense. Those who possess a prohibited large-capacity magazine when this Act takes effect must, by June 30, 2022, relinquish the large-capacity magazine to a law-enforcement agency in this State. This Act establishes a buyback program for large-capacity magazines, to be overseen by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

In other words, it helps to get and keep military-style weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of your average ‘law-abidin’ citizen.  One last word on these: Promises made, promises kept. Former Pro-Tem Dave McBride and his #2, Nicole ‘No Longer’ Poore, had made the same promises, and simply reneged on them. You can thank Marie Pinkney, Spiros Mantzavinos and Kyle Evans Gay for defeating  pro-gun defenders, and helping to do the will of the people.  It remains to be seen if the House, under the autocratic control of the Lame Blue Line, will follow through. Memo to Our PAL Val: If you have the votes, there is no point in ‘negotiating’ with the MAGAT’s who will invariably flood any hearing you conduct. To quote, um, you to me, ‘This will be a learning opportunity for you.’  You’ve had this same learning opportunity several times before, and you’ve failed miserably.

Here’s yesterday’s Session Activity Report.  As I predicted (hey, it was a ‘gimme’), not a single Rethug voted for democracy in the form of SB 5 (Gay), which passed the Senate 14 to 7. Five Rethugs also voted against SB 40 (Brown), which ‘allows the Court to suspend an amount of the fine for uninsured driving if the defendant provides evidence that they have now secured insurance, demonstrating compliance with the law’.

Here is today’s Senate Agenda.  Not much that interests me, and, hey, I write this.

The House will not run an Agenda today, but will hold committee meetings.   Highlights from today’s Committee meeting schedule:

HB 6 (Longhurst) ‘…creates the Public Employee Sexual Violence Act which allows public employees who have suffered sexual violence in the workplace the ability to file an action against the perpetrator and the employee even if the applicable statute of limitations has run. This Act defines sexual violence and provides when a public employee who suffered sexual violence by a supervisor may file suit against an employer. This Act will allow a public employee who was a victim of sexual violence 1 year from the effective date to file claims in Superior Court.’  Having read the bill, it doesn’t appear that the General Assembly has exempted itself from this Act. Good. (Administration.)

SB 60 (Lopez) ‘…allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants to recommend medical marijuana for adult patients.’  I rarely include bills that have passed one chamber and are now being considered across Leg Hall in these roundups.  This is my exception today. (Health & Human Development.)

HB 129 (K. Williams) ‘requires high needs elementary schools, including high needs elementary charter schools, to have school-based health centers. The State will pay the start-up costs for each school-based health center at 2 high needs elementary schools per year until each high needs elementary school has a center. High needs elementary schools are defined as any elementary school in the top quartile of 3 or more in percentage of low-income students, percentage of English learners, percentage of students with disabilities, percentage of minority students, or having 90% of its students classified as low-income, English learners, or minority’.  Good legislating. (Education.)

HB 133 (K. Williams) ‘changes the current evaluation system for all teachers from the former Delaware Performance Appraisal System II evaluation to a new Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System. The goal of this new evaluation system is to build a culture of professionalism and learning within every school by converting the evaluation system from a teacher-focused to a learning-focused system. It also increases accountability by requiring a beginning, middle and end of the year review of both the teacher’s professional learning goals and student improvement goals. All teachers (not just 4-8 testing subjects) will be held accountable for student growth.’  This makes sense to me. What do you educators think? (Education.)

HB 198 (Dorsey Walker) ‘requires each school district and charter school to establish and implement a curriculum on Black History for students in grades K through 12. This Act incorporates contemporary events into discussions of Black History and the tools of experience.’  Having read the body of the bill, I think this is essential. (Education.)

Here it is, folks.  The Trone Family Special Interest legislation, introduced courtesy of Mike Ramone.  Because having a near-monopoly isn’t enough. Domination must be T(t)otal.  This is special interest legislation of the worst kind, meant only to benefit Total Wines. It should remain buried in committee. (Business Lapdog.)

HB 122 (Heffernan) ‘…requires that authorization to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage required to be paid to other employees will be phased out by July 1, 2023.’  Never should have been this way in the first place. (Business Lapdog.)

Today’s Senate Committee highlights, other than the previously-mentioned gun control bills:

SS1/SB 78 (Sturgeon) tightens up background checks and eligibility requirements for prospective school board members. It also hastens the process for removal of a member who has been charged or convicted of a crime that would ordinarily require their removal.  Hmm, we have had a few Skeevy Rebozos turn up as candidates and/or members lately. (Education.)

Well, that’s it for Senate Committee highlights today. Meaning, that’s it for me.  Be back tomorrow with a Very Special Gun Control Edition.