General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thursday, March 14, 2024

Today’s Big Story:  The Senate will consider ‘Permit To Purchase’.

The bill came back from the House with several amendments attached, amendments that largely weaken the bill, which is the modus operandi for the Lesser House, and will continue to be the modus operandi of the Lesser House until the leadership changes.  It is the only scheduled bill on today’s Senate Agenda.   The Senate Rethugs have already introduced, let me count ’em up…15 amendments.  Proof that the House approach of watering down legislation to attract more votes is worthless.  Especially since it didn’t attract more votes in the House.  Negotiating against herself on gun bills is Our PAL Val’s, yep, modus operandi.

Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.

I think the highlight on today’s House Agenda is HS 1/HB 286 (Spiegelman),  which ‘prohibits discrimination in life insurance based on genetic characteristics, genetic information, or the result of any genetic test.’  The substitute appears to weaken the bill somewhat, presumably at the behest of the vulture lobbyists employed by the insurance industry.  Here’s hoping they don’t try to weaken it further.  The bill has bipartisan support, so I expect it will pass relatively easily.

I also like HB 18 (Osienski), which ‘amends the Merit System of Personnel Administration by allowing for preference in hiring for casual seasonal employees who are performing the same job duties of a posted merit position’.  That’s the way it should be.

HB 35 (Wilson-Anton) ‘makes technical corrections to remove racist language and provisions from the Delaware Code’.  One can only hope that the vote is unanimous.

It’s unanimous.  I’m outta here.