General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., May 10, 2023
It’s official: Eric Buckson is the wannabe leader of the Rethuglican Party. Either that, or he just can’t get enough of his own stentorian stylings. Or both. It’s like he’s channeling John Wilkes Booth who, lest we forget, was an AC-tor. A self-important strutting peacock. Yesterday, he voted against the so-called Consent Agenda in the Senate. He could have merely requested that bills he doesn’t like be removed from the Consent Agenda. Instead, he voted against the package of bills with that one vote. No, he isn’t an assassin. No, he doesn’t spout the N-word in public. But he needs the spotlight. (Betcha Nathan Arizona knows what’s coming. Yes, time for some Sondheim!):
You don’t get this with any other post-game wrap-up/pre-game show of the Delaware General Assembly. But, I digress.
The aforementioned Senate Consent Agenda passed, 20-1. I’m calling it: Buckson is the next State Rethug Chair whenever Julianne Murray heads for the exits. If he doesn’t run for statewide office first. And/or after he runs for statewide office and loses.
Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report. You’ll note that Sen. Buckson introduced legislation to bring back Delaware’s death penalty. Or, to be more precise, legislation to bring Delaware into conformity with the Supreme Court’s standards for imposing the death penalty. The result would be the same–restoring the death penalty to Delaware. It’s going nowhere except onto Rethug election brochures.
Other than some likely votes on nominations, all of today’s activity takes place in committee meetings.
Senate committee highlights include the following:
SB 9 (S. McBride) creates a ‘comprehensive system to eliminate lead-based paint from those residences where children are still exposed to lead’. This is major legislation. Both Sen. McBride and Rep. Lambert have been working on this for quite some time. Health & Social Services.
SB 72 (Poore) permits ‘ residents of Delaware who are active members of a labor organization to claim a tax credit equal to the annual cost of maintaining their membership in the labor organization, not to exceed $500’. That’s a 15-6 Senate roll call vote if ever there was one. Labor.
SB 99 (Pinkney) ‘…prohibits municipal ordinances that require the eviction of tenants for criminal activity by a tenant, member of the tenant’s household, or a guest’. Housing & Land Use. Some context:
This Act is a recommendation of the African American Task Force, established under Senate Bill No. 260 (150th General Assembly). In addition, the 2020 Statewide Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, a report produced by the Delaware State Fair Housing Consortium, lists the removal of crime-free housing ordinances and legislation banning such ordinances as one of its goals for ensuring that people within the protected classes have equal access to housing. Currently, at least 6 municipalities in Delaware have crime-free housing ordinances. Generally, these ordinances require landlords to include an addendum on their lease agreements prohibiting a tenant, member of the tenant’s household, or a guest from committing a criminal activity within a specified distance of their unit. If a tenant, member of the tenant’s household, or a guest commits a certain number of criminal activities within a specified time period, the landlord must initiate eviction proceedings.
The annual package of unintelligible Corporate Law bills will be considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee. This package is designed to maintain Delaware as the pre-eminent corporate law center of America. I suppose it’s best that nobody understand what’s really in it. Judiciary.
SB 103 (McBride) seeks to expand the availability of EV charging stations by ‘(r)equiring that newly constructed single-family and multi-family residential dwellings include certain electric vehicle charging infrastructure.’ Environment, Energy & Transportation.
SB 87 (Huxtable) makes changes to the Realty Transfer Tax in order to encourage the availability of low-cost housing. Executive.
Did someone liken Sen. Buckson to a ‘self-important strutting peacock’? Yep, he’s introduced term limits legislation. He knows it has no chance of being enacted. He knows he can get attention from the press by introducing it. Executive.
HB 9 and HB 10. ‘Do as I do, not just as I say’. Each bill moves state purchase of electric vehicles closer to reality. HB 9 (Griffith) ‘requires that all passenger vehicles and light duty vehicles owned and operated by the State be zero emission vehicles by 2040 by requiring increasing volumes of zero emission vehicles every few years.’; HB 10 (Heffernan) ‘establishes targets for annual purchase of electric school buses through fiscal year 2030’. Natural Resources & Energy.
HB 121 (D. Short) ‘authorize(s) artificial entities, limited liability corporations’ partnerships and trusts to vote in Municipal elections held in Seaford. Because, according to a majority of Seaford Town Council members, artificial entities and LLC’s are people. Horrible bill which should be buried. Administration.
HB 4 (Longhurst) ‘provide(s) more behavioral health supports to school districts and charter schools in the aftermath of a school-connected traumatic event, which is defined as the death of any student, educator, administrator, or other building employee of a public school’. Good bill. The worst imaginable sponsor. The very thought that the Chief Bully of the House Of Representatives can present herself as Dover’s leading mental health advocate is a sick joke. Longhurst’s idea of a sick joke. Education.
…establishes a Delaware Educator Apprenticeship Program to be developed by the Department of Education. The Department of Education will work with the Department of Labor to create a program that This program will complement the Grow Your Own Educator Program and teacher residency programs to create a low-cost pathway for aspiring teachers to earn their teaching credentials and will address the educator shortage in Delaware. A pilot program will be created for the 2023-24 school year between 1 institute of higher education and 1 district or charter school. The program shall be expanded if interest and funding is available for the 2024-25 school year and thereafter.
My oldest daughter, a teacher and a DSEA member, likes this bill. Good enough for me. Education.
Did Buckson specify which bill on the consent agenda was the reason for him voting “no”?
While I (mercifully) didn’t listen to the floor debate yesterday, I suspect it is/was the notion of a Consent Agenda that he objected to.
I don’t think any of the bills were controversial, which is why they were on a Consent Agenda in the first place.
SEAFORD? Why does Seaford want such a thing? Is it to soften the ground for Rehoboth, where landlords REALLY want it.
It was something like a 3-2 vote by Council. Too many KMG-types on Council there, apparently.
Although it’s rare for the General Assembly to reject a Charter Change, this could be the exception to the rule.
The House Administration Committee unanimously released the Seaford Charter Change from committee. They knew better, did it anyway. From Claire Snyder-Hall of Common Cause:
“DOVER – Common Cause Delaware is disappointed that the House Administration Committee voted unanimously in favor of HB 121, a bill introduced by state Rep. Daniel Short that would allow artificial entities like corporations, LLCs, and trusts to participate in Seaford’s municipal elections.
“The committee’s decision today is shocking. I have to wonder why these lawmakers would vote in favor of wealthy special interests and outsiders,” said Claire Snyder-Hall, executive director of Common Cause Delaware. “This bill dilutes the votes of Seaford residents and gives corporations the power to kick in the door and dominate our political processes. I urge lawmakers to put a stop to this bill.”
WTF.
If this one passes, next logical step would be to allow all those corporations headquartered on paper at CSC or in the 1200 block of Orange Street to vote in all Delaware elections.
Wouldn’t that be fun?
There may be a lot of big money flush in our small towns via the state’s downtown development–Markell Legacy–programs that enriched BPG so handsomely in Wilmington.
Horrible bill among many horribles that are weirdly getting traction this year.
“The annual package of unintelligible Corporate Law bills will be considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee. This package is designed to maintain Delaware as the pre-eminent corporate law center of America. I suppose it’s best that nobody understand what’s really in it.” Do the legislators know the contents, or do they behave as corporate lackeys?
No and yes.
Well… It’s not Seaford , but greedy developers and assorted political finaglers are on the march here as well, they put up a notice Smyrna wants to allow building 110 town houses directly across from my place. Knew it would happen some day, and dare say it’s unstoppable by fair means or foul. It may well increase the value of my place if it goes thru, damned if I care. I sense road trips to other states in my future, failing that other countries.
Sorry, but I don’t quite understand how building 110 townhomes is a bad thing. Is it better to build 25 sprawling McMansions instead?
When it’s replacing open space right across from you there’s not much difference other than the extra traffic. Either way it’s a quality-of-life downgrade.
Okay, but we have a nationwide housing shortage, so housing is going to be built somewhere. The only way to build more housing without downgrading anyone’s quality of life is to build in the middle of nowhere- which creates sprawl and destroys the environment. Better to add more housing to near where people already live rather than gobbling up more forest and farmland. I’m sure once the townhomes are built, bamboozer will have a few more annoying neighbors, but overall the quality of life in Smyrna will be just fine.
FWI, You have no clue what you’re talking about.
Ole’ Eric is just following in Daddy Dave’s footsteps. Dave Buckson was a RWNJ showman of the first order. He made deals, raced his Trotters and was a master of lobbing political stink bombs. He was before his time. He made it his mission to defeat Russ Peterson and while he did not beat him in the primary, he wounded him fatally and Peterson lost the general. Eric may come offf like a clown. do not be fooled he is a dangerous and cunning right wing crazy!