ALERT! ALERT! Dirty Delaware Way dealings being rushed through the Senate today! In the form of the so-called ‘Mini-Bond Bill’, SB 35 (Walsh). I spot three items that should be excised. Can you spot even more?:
1. “Section 187. Redevelopment of Strategic Sites (Fort DuPont). Notwithstanding the provisions of any other state law to the contrary, the Fort DuPont Redevelopment and Preservation Corporation is authorized to utilize funds appropriated under 83 Del. Laws c. 56 and the Section 1 Addendum of this Act for capital projects sitewide which are ready to proceed.
So, which state laws are being waived so that the Underground City At Fort DuPont Project can plow ahead? Environmental laws? Procurement laws? The project got its funding courtesy of Nicole Poore and Deb Heffernan last year. But some pesky state laws must first be adhered to. Unless this section of the bill passes, in which case, the General Assembly will make them magically disappear. I guess the attitude of the Honorables is that this project has been hopelessly corrupt since its inception, so we can’t shine a light on it now.
2. Remember this mini-scandal? You know, the lodging tax $$’s specifically earmarked for DE Turf, the mecca where kids from all over the country would come to play soccer? The lodging tax got scotched after this familial relationship became public, but not state $$’s going to this complex. From this year’s Mini-Bond, an expenditure to:
“Kent County Regional Sports Complex in an amount up to $123,195 for the purchase of a concrete pad, concrete apron, all–terrain vehicle, and grinder pumps at DE Turf Sports Complex.”
Hey, I wrote the linked article in 2019. Three-plus years should be plenty of time for the pipples to forget all about it, and the human stain known as John Paradee. Besides, if this is such a gold mine, why are taxpayers subsidizing it?
3. “Section 185. Poultry House Demolition Assistance Program. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other state law to the contrary, the Department of Agriculture is hereby authorized to use the remaining funds appropriated in 82 Del. Laws c. 86 Section 1 for Irrigation System Conversion as reimbursement for a new poultry house demolition assistance program. The new program would provide qualifying applicants with a 50 percent reimbursement of demolition costs up to a maximum of $10,000 per house.”
So. This is a new program, not in last year’s Bond Bill. I, and presumably other enquiring minds want to know–we’re not subsidizing Perdue, Tyson and the giant poultry overlords with these dollars–are we? And what laws are we ignoring?
These are all questions that could have been asked in a committee meeting–even today, before the bill was worked. However, it went straight to the Agenda, presumably to be worked under a Motion To Suspend Rules. Bad form, disappointing from this Senate.
Does anybody want me to post the ‘visionary’ State Of The State address from John Carney? Didn’t think so. Man, the Delaware Democratic Party has relapsed into irrelevance in record time. Erik, we hardly knew ye.
Today’s Senate Agenda features the aforementioned ‘Must-Pass’ Mini-Bond Bill. I’ve heard rumblings that some Rethugs might vote against it b/c, you know, it includes criteria for establishing the Community Workforce Agreement, which:
authorize(s) the Office of Management and Budget to engage in a pilot program to include Community Workforce Agreements; and authorize(s) the Department of Transportation to engage in a
Community Workforce Agreement for no more than two large public works projects.
The only Senate committee meeting today will (hopefully) put public officials on the spot when it comes to Delaware’s School Lead Testing Program and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. Let’s repost that Amanda Fries story from last week. A, pardon the expression, sample:
As Delaware embarks on a statewide resampling for lead in school water, initial results have come back with some alarming levels, underscoring a reality educators and state officials worked hard to downplay in the state’s earlier sampling efforts.
Of the 479 samples taken from water outlets at 10 schools in the Indian River School District, 9% had lead levels higher than 7.5 parts per billion, according to results posted on the Lead in Drinking Water Sampling online dashboard as of Jan. 20. This is the threshold Delaware opted to act on after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency flagged the state over the botched testing.
There is no House Agenda today. Today’s House committee highlights:
SB 29 (Townsend): Gives state retirees and public employee unions more input into retiree health plans. Should reach the Governor’s desk by Thursday. House Administration.
HB 44 (M. Smith): An utterly batshit-crazy redistricting bill from an increasingly batshit-crazy State Rep. Can’t resist quoting from the synopsis:
This fresh approach to reapportionment is described in a paper by 3 Carnegie Mellon University professors entitled: “A Partisan Districting Protocol with Provably Nonpartisan Outcomes.” It utilizes a system analogous to a proven, prudent method for instructing 2 children to fairly divide a piece of cake between themselves. The first child cuts the cake, while the second has the option of selecting which piece he or she wishes to consume. In the protocol outlined in this bill, the two competing parties are the partisan caucuses of each General Assembly chamber. The first caucus will initially draw all the legislative districts, observing established legal redistricting standards. The second caucus will have the ability to “freeze” a set number of the districts, locking their boundaries into place. They will then be able to redraw the remaining districts as they wish, delivering the new maps back to the first caucus. This group will then also engage in the freeze and redraw process, with the cycles continuing until all the districts have been defined. With both sides getting equal “bites of the apple,” each has a practical ability to affect the outcome and a reason to work together to achieve a mutually acceptable conclusion.
Stating the obvious: The bill’s going nowhere and shouldn’t go anywhere. Certainly not out of the House Administration Committee.
HB 36 (Bush): Bill Bush’s plan to blow a big hole in the budget by decreasing the state’s share of the realty transfer tax. The hole the bill would create?:
Fiscal Year 2024: $104.0 million
Fiscal Year 2025: $130.2 million
Fiscal Year 2026: $135.4 million
Don’t think it’s getting out of the Revenue & Finance Committee.
HB 2 (Osienski): “The Delaware Marijuana Control Act regulates and taxes marijuana for recreational use in much the same manner as alcohol.” It’s getting out of Revenue & Finance. M. Smith will also likely vote to release it before sabotaging it down the line.
Pretty interesting day.