Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Keep an eye out for:
(a) some possible amendments to the cop-friendly LEOBOR bill.
(b) some blow-back on Carney’s Pot Czar choice.
In fact, don’t just keep an eye out on some blow-back, become the blow-back. Only in Carney’s blinkered worldview is an ex-top cop the perfect choice to set up what will be a complex brand new business. The Senate is already hip to Carney, the Senators know that Carney would have vetoed the pot bills if there was any chance they wouldn’t have been overridden. His choice of Coupe is spiteful, and it comes from a lame duck. This nomination can be killed in the Executive Committee although, if the votes are there to kill it on the floor, perhaps it would send a stronger message to this doltish clod in the Governor’s office. I know that great deference is generally given to the Governor’s nominees, but his serial obstructionism on this issue should not be ignored. Call your State Senator today and insist that they oppose this nomination. I will–once I’m done with this magnum opus. The nomination could be considered as early as tomorrow in the Executive Committee, although it will ideally be held off a week to enable Delawareans to weigh in on the choice.
I think the final set of DEFAC numbers come in at the end of this week, so look for the Budget Bill to be considered next week.
On to the matters at hand. Today’s Senate Agenda features a true sign of the times. Unfortunate, but necessary. SB 158 (Gay) ‘permits an individual who is a reproductive health care services provider or employee to apply for participation in Delaware’s Address Confidentiality Program, which allows participants to keep their actual address confidential by applying to the Department of Justice for a substitute address to which all mail will be delivered.’ Let’s see how many Rethugs support intimidation of health care professionals. I’m guessing all of them.
The petits’ pauvres Rethugs are also looking to upset the ‘tyranny’ of government intervention into public health crises. SB 66 (Buckson):
…adds the Senate Minority Leader and the House Minority Leader as members of the Public Health Emergency Planning Commission (Commission). This Act also requires the Commission to meet within 30 days of the initiation a state of emergency due to a public health emergency for the purposes of discussing and evaluating, in an advisory capacity to the Governor, the response to the public health emergency. The Commission would be required to continue meeting at least every 30 days until the termination of the state of emergency due to a public health emergency.
Meh. Sound and fury signifying nothing.
Looks like Renters’ Right To Counsel could be one step closer to passage today as it’s on the House Agenda. There’s a House Amendment, but it looks procedural, so it’s likely a friendly amendment. If it passes in the House (let’s see how Bolden votes), it could be on its way to the Governor by the end of the day tomorrow.
Both the House and Senate have Consent Agendas featuring this year’s Sunset bills. The Sunset Committee reviews various state agencies and introduces bills to improve their operating procedures–or to terminate the agency in its entirety.
Today’s House committee highlights:
Great bill. Terrible committee. HB 145 (Wilson-Anton), well, let’s quote the entire synopsis:
Reverse-location court orders and reverse keyword court orders enable the government to obtain location data or technology search data without identifying any specific person as to which there is probable cause to believe they have committed or will imminently commit a crime. The profusion of electronic devices and apps in recent years has allowed recordation of numerous details of citizen’s everyday lives, that the government should not be permitted to collect and review at will. Such general searches allow the government to sweep in personal information about hundreds or thousands of people who are not suspected of having committed any crime. These searches are an invasion of privacy, have a potentially chilling effect on civil liberties, and sidestep requirements for individualized suspicion that are otherwise required for a lawful search. This Act would prohibit law enforcement and courts from requesting, issuing, or enforcing reverse-location court orders, reverse-keyword court orders, reverse-location requests and reverse keyword requests. It also creates a private right of action for an individual whose personal information was obtained in violation of this Act and requires the suppression of evidence derived from an unlawful reverse-location or reverse-keyword search.
This bill could, and should, easily have been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. Instead, Speaker Pete has consigned it to the Kop Kabal Kommittee. Not an accident.
HB 12 (Phillips) ‘creates an Electric Vehicle Rebate Program to incentivize the purchase and lease of new and used electric vehicles by Delaware residents. All-electric vehicles shall receive a rebate of no more than $2,500 and hybrid vehicles shall receive a rebate of no more than $1,000.’ Natural Resources & Energy.
Don’t forget to make that phone call.
