Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Five more days. Lots of unfinished business.  Some, like the Budget Bill, will likely get done as early as today.  But where’s the urgency on marijuana legalization (HB 150), policing reforms (SB 147, SB 148), a limit on the size of assault weapon magazines (SB 6, Pete, why have you ‘disappeared’ this bill?), an end to debtors’ prisons (HB 244), the right to counsel for tenants in landlord-tenant disputes (SS1/SB 101), among others?

For once, that’s not a rhetorical question with the same answer (nowhere) every year.  Progressive grassroots organizations, like Network Delaware, Delaware United, and the Working Families Party, are pressing legislators to enact these bills.  You can do the same by contacting your legislators and urging them to support these bills.  If you don’t think that the work of these groups has had an impact, just remember, every single Democrat, including several who had publicly expressed reservations about the minimum wage increase, voted for that bill.  And here’s the deal: They are us. Except perhaps we have not been as active as we could be. Time to become more active.  After all, only five more days.

Looking for good news on the legalized pot front?   I’ve got some for you.  You know how Carney’s budget-smoothing fetish (do budget-smoothing festishists dress up like Furries adorned with green eyeshades and thick specs? I’m thinking yes. Pocket protectors could pierce the fleece, though…) means that ‘nothing should grow the base of the budget’?  The Joint Finance Committee instead has introduced a supplemental appropriations bill (HB 251) for these one-time expenses, annnnd, there it is. Section 7:

Section 1 of this Act makes an appropriation for the Marijuana Control Act Contingency withinExecutive, Office of Management and Budget, Contingencies and One-Time Items (10-02-11). The expenditure  of these funds shall be contingent upon passage of House Bill 150 or similar legislation of the 151st General Assembly establishing a Delaware Marijuana Control Act. The Office of Management and Budget has the authority to establish up to 41.0 FTEs for the implementation and enforcement efforts associated with this Act.

In other words, if you pass the bill, we’ve got the funding for you. It’s a job creator.  Seriously, get on the fucking ball and pass this sucka.  If you have to defeat a bunch of amendments to do so, just do it.  There’s no excuse for delay on this.

Today’s Senate Agenda features these goodies: HB 31 (Longhurst), which affords protections for women and medical personnel should Roe v Wade be overturned;  HB 200 (Longhurst), a major clean water act that is actually funded for once; and legislation enabling advanced nurse practitioners to help more people (HB 21, HB 141, both Minor-Brown).  There are also two Senate Committee meetings today.

Today’s House Agenda features HB 215 (Minor-Brown),  which requires electronic recording of suspect interrogations whenever possible; HB 122 (Heffernan), which requires that persons with disabilities be paid the minimum wage; HB 123 (Griffith), which provides access to higher education for foster children through ‘a tuition waiver program to cover the cost of tuition, fees, and (where offered) room and board at a public Delaware college or university’; HB 223 (Osienski), which prohibits having one’s personal belongings taken when a possessory lien is imposed on a motor vehicle; and HB 243 (Cooke), which:

…prohibits law-enforcement agencies from releasing or publishing or causing to be released or published the name of any juvenile or any image depicting a juvenile, including displaying such image on any publicly maintained social media page or website, unless the juvenile is charged with a violent felony, and release or publication of the photograph is necessary to protect the public’s safety.

Today’s lowlight komes kourtesy of the Kop Kabal’s CEO, Speaker/Ex-Trooper Pete.  HJR 4  is intended to create the illusion of police accountability and transparency while providing none of either.  The synopsis is designed to deceive:

This Joint Resolution directs the Criminal Justice Council to establish and by November 2, 2021, publish integrity reports on the number of complaints made against police officers in each police agency in this State for the past 3 years, and at least once a year thereafter, and to create and publish a list of all decertified police officers in this State in the previous 10 years, which shall be updated upon notification of the decertification of any police officer.

In other words, all you get is a list of police agencies with a list of the number of complaints lodged against them.  No names of police officers, no compilation of how many complaints per agency were deemed to have merit.  In other words, nothing. All we get is a list of former police officers who have been ‘decertified’.  Meaning, they are no longer on any police force.  Even for the Kop Kabal, this is cynical beyond their normal standards of covering up everything police-related.   BTW, I wonder how any disciplinary action against Steve Smyk (rhymes with ‘dick) is coming. Actually, I don’t.  What happens among cops stays among cops.  Especially on-the-job harassment.  Especially against female officers. Harmless hazing, right, Pete?  How do the women in your caucus feel about that?

One of the key bills I highlighted as a priority will be considered in the House Housing Committee today.  It’s SS1/SB 101, which affords tenants availability to counsel in landlord-tenant disputes.  Looks like that bill is on a glide path to a successful landing.

One down, four to go.