The Big News: The Permit To Purchase Bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee. Because of the cost, it heads to the Senate Finance Committee. As always, the Fiscal Note does not consider the revenue that will be generated once the bill takes effect. Not considering revenue, the projected annual cost is around $9 mill. I suspect that funding has already been provided in the draft Budget Bill. The bill has an excellent chance to pass both Houses and become law:
“We certainly had some sticking points last go-round that have been addressed,” said Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, prime sponsor of the bill.
One of the most significant alterations, she said, was now exempting those who are allowed to conceal and carry a deadly weapon.
This bill also requires the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security to provide vouchers to cover the entire cost of required training for anyone whose household earns less than 200% of the federal poverty guideline.
These changes, she said, should “clear the path” in the House.
Plastic Fantastic Lovers will not be happy that SB 51 (Paradee) cleared the House Health & Human Development Committee. Neither, reportedly, was Speaker Pete. The bill sponsors have reportedly agreed to a ‘friendly’ amendment that should lead to the bill’s passage. That it handily cleared committee despite intensive lobbying by the Delaware Restaurant Association and Dart Enterprises is encouraging. Raising the question: What dastardly deeds will the Dynastic Duo deploy to deep-six it?
Here’s yesterday’s Session Activity Report.
Today’s Senate Agenda features SB 67 (McBride), which ‘updates the crime of official misconduct to ensure appropriate accountability of public servants who abuse their positions of power and public trust. The statute establishes a grade in the penalty for the official misconduct to be commensurate to the gravity of the misconduct’. If that seems somewhat nebulous to you, it does to me as well. Think I’ll listen to the floor debate on this one.
I don’t support HB 135 (Lynn), which is on today’s House Agenda. The bill ‘requires that of the five Justices appointed to the Supreme Court, at least one is a resident of Kent County, at least one is a resident of Sussex County and at least two are residents of New Castle County.’ A cursory look at the bill’s sponsors underlines my sense that it is being pushed almost exclusively by downstate legislators. There are only 5 Delaware Supreme Court justices. We shouldn’t have to dumpster-dive through any county’s judicial detritus merely to meet an arbitrary quota. Of course, we shouldn’t have so-called ‘judicial balance’ on the courts either. But that’s a story for another time and another governor.