A decided mixed bag yesterday. The bad news first. HB 30 (Bolden), which would move primaries from September to April, breezed through the House with only four no votes (Bennett, Kowalko, Morrison, and Spiegelman). I’d love to know why a bill that has been bouncing around since 2007 (John Daniello was pushing for it in my last years in the House) has taken on such urgency. Why newly-elected progressive legislators would support it is beyond me. I invite any of them to come over here and explain why they voted yes. There must be a reason, other than a purported cost savings. What am I missing?
The good news? Pretty much everything else.
HB 31 (Longhurst), which ‘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’, passed the House. All D’s and two, yes, two, R’s (Hensley, Shupe) voted yes. Shupe in particular is shaping up to be my kind of R. Meaning, he’d better watch his back.
Only one R voted against the universal voter registration mandated in SB 5 (Gay). Yes, it was Suxco’s Rich Collins. The bill now heads to the Governor.
Two other bills we discussed yesterday, HB 124 (Griffith) and HB 136 (Lynn), passed the House unanimously and head to the Senate.
Here are the highlights from today’s scheduled House Committee meetings:
*The General Assembly has quietly been doing good work in protecting residents of manufactured homes communities. The House Manufactured Housing Committee considers three more worthy pieces of legislation today. This is a committee where Rep. Kowalko has taken the baton from Rep. Baumbach. Sen. Ennis, who has been a champion of these communities forever, also deserves great credit. It’s one more reason why, despite my disagreements with him on several issues, that I admire him.
*SB 111 and SB 112, both sponsored by Sen. Darius Brown, seek to reform the expungement process. Both bills passed the Senate unanimously. Judiciary.
*HB 166 (Osienski) ‘establishes the Elevate Delaware program’, which is designed to provide free training for employees of small businesses. Labor.
*HB 177 (Brady) ‘prohibits the seller of consumer goods or services from refusing to accept cash payment, except in limited circumstances. Sales covered by this Act are those made at a retail store through an in-person transaction. Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce.
Here are today’s Senate Committee highlights:
*SB 93 (Poore) ‘ provides protections for consumers in connection with contracts with automatic renewal provisions…by ‘protecting consumers from unknowingly entering into these types of agreements by requiring that evergreen clauses be presented in a clear and conspicuous manner and that sellers of such contracts provide a written notice to consumers about an upcoming renewal. This bill also requires sellers of such contracts to provide consumers with a means to cancel the contract that is at least as easy to use as the means available to sign up for the contract’. Good bill. Banking, Business & Insurance.
*HB 91 (Bentz). I won’t repeat what I wrote about this bill when it was considered in the House. Just gratified that the Senate is considering it so quickly. Banking, Business & Insurance.
*SB 18 (Hocker). Should Suxco be governed by rules that are different than the other two counties? This bill ‘allows retail dealers in Sussex County to sell gasoline that does not contain ethanol if the gasoline is being used in watercraft’. To me, the issue isn’t the relative merit of the bill since I consider ethanol to be largely a sop to the corn growers. The issue is, why Suxco and not the other two counties? Environment & Energy.
*HB 88 (K. Williams). The Senate is en fuego. They’re wasting no time in considering the elimination of the training minimum wage and youth minimum wage. Labor.
*SB 127 (Walsh). Sigh. Here we go again. In the name of ‘economic development’, we’re gonna give the ‘non-governmental’ Council On Development Finance yet more keys to the ol’ coffers. To (half-) wit:
The purpose of this legislation is to promote sustained economic growth and stability by establishing a fund to provide grants, loans or other economic assistance to businesses or public entities that invest in constructing, renovating or improving infrastructure for sites that will attract new businesses or expand existing businesses within the State to initiate economic development opportunities that will create a significant number of direct, permanent, quality, full-time jobs. There is intense competition between the states to attract and to keep vital businesses that create and maintain these direct, quality employment opportunities. Therefore, it is critical to expand and sustain economic growth within the State to consistently maintain readily available commercial, industrial sites to attract new business, or expand existing businesses…(t)he site readiness fund will provide economic assistance to qualified businesses or public entities to renovate, construct, or improve commercial, industrial sites that are readily available to new businesses, established businesses that are considering moving to the State or existing businesses within the State that need additional sites to remain or expand within the State.
Call it bribery, call it extortion, we’re headed down the same zero-sum rabbit hole. No budget smoothing for this initiative. Elections & Governmental Affairs.
Wow. Talk about special interest legislation. SB 131 (Sturgeon):
…lowers the tax rate for premium cigars from 30% to 15% of the wholesale price so that Delaware’s tax rate is consistent with the tax rates for premium cigars in surrounding states. The tax rate in Maryland is 15% and there is no tax on premium cigars in Pennsylvania. Under this Act, a premium cigar means any roll for smoking that is all of the following: 1. Made entirely of tobacco, including the wrapper, binder, and filler. 2. Hand rolled. 3. Contains no filter, tip, or any mouthpiece consisting of material other than tobacco, or any additional flavoring.
In other words, we have to reduce this tax b/c the high rollers, those most able to afford to pay this tax, are heading across state lines to get their primo smokes. The Great Unwashed, who are smoking inferior product, get no such break. The Delaware Way. Executive. It should stay there.
*SS1/SB 132 (B. Ennis). More solid manufactured home community legislation from Sen. Ennis and a group of like-minded legislators. Housing.
Here is today’s Senate Agenda. You will note that SB 127 (‘call it bribery, call it extortion’) has already been fast-tracked to tomorrow’s Agenda. The Delaware Way at its worst. In those rare instances when John Carney wants something, he gets it. When John Carney doesn’t want something, you know, like a $15 minimum wage, he goes to great lengths to make sure he doesn’t get it. It’s hard to choose between Carney and Minner as the Worst Governor Ever. Minner was more corrupt. Carney is less of a big D Democrat than Minner. As rock critic Robert Christgau once put it: “Distinctions not cost-effective.”