Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on June 25, 2024

Two Big Stories Today:

Bond Bill On Agenda.

HB 140 Could Reemerge In Senate.

A quick look at the Bond Bill reveals–yet more money for the Underwater City At Ft. DuPont despite solemn promises from Our PAL Val and Nicole ‘No Longer’ Poore that last year was the end of the State’s commitment to the project. Yes, they want more land.  Also, money for a bleeping softball field at the U of D.  I’ve linked to the bill–find your own outrages.

Word on the street is that HB 140  could well resurface in the Senate, perhaps today.  I have a question–assuming that the Senate passes the bill and heads to the Governor, are we certain that this governor will sign it?  Somebody, anybody?

A real good bill finally surfaces on today’s House AgendaHB 445 (Wilson-Anton): ‘…would prohibit law enforcement and courts from requesting, issuing, or enforcing reverse-keyword court orders 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 or reverse-keyword search.’  Here’s why this bill is needed:

Reverse keyword court orders enable the government to obtain 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.

Well, an amendment eliminates that private right of action because you do what you have to do to get the bill passed.  Can’t wait to see the roll call on this one.

For the most part, look for the House to work Senate bills this week, and for the Senate to work House bills this week.  Today’s Senate Agenda illustrates the point.  My faves? HS2/HB 110 (Minor-Brown) and HB 204 (K. Johnson).

The Joint Finance Committee marks up the Grants-In-Aid bill on Thursday.  Stay tuned to find out how much money Our PAL Val hoovers up for her Police Athletic League (not to mention for her own pockets) and how much Nicole ‘No Longer’ Poore hoovers up for her phony baloney Jobs For Delaware Graduates ‘program’.  It’s a disgrace that these two low-lifes get state money to mainly enrich themselves.  However, when the head of JFC has his family’s own soccer compound to take care of, everybody gets to sup from the trough.  To be fair, it has ever been thus that everybody gets to sup from the trough.

There is one House Committee meeting of note today as the Appropriations Committee meets to release bills from committee that received funding in the Budget Bill.

The schedule this week?  General Assembly is in session from Tuesday through Thursday, then comes back for what could well be an abbreviated session on Sunday, June 30.

My schedule? Back tomorrow for more of the same.

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  1. Rufus Y Kneedog says:

    Spotlight Delaware reporting that the GA will not be conducting hearings into the $1million debacle over their pensions. Need to study it, not enough time, waiting for committee report, etc, etc.

    https://spotlightdelaware.org/latest-news/

  2. JEE-zus. It’s always ‘There’s nothing we can do’ when it comes to padding legislators’ pensions.

  3. In Related News says:

    In related news:

    Police Chiefs Council comes out against Wilson-Anton fantastic bill HB445

  4. Another Mike says:

    During the House Judiciary Committee meeting about the reverse-keyword searches, Schwartzkopf and Cooke both complained that prohibition would handcuff (see what I did there?) law enforcement, and what about the children? Cooke, in particular, was all fired up. Guarantee those two are a “no” on this one. It’s disappointing to see they removed the private right of action and replaced it with “other methods of enforcement,” but you have to start somewhere.

    As far as UD softball is concerned, they added lights last year because they were supposed to host the CAA tournament this spring, but when the university announced they were leaving the CAA, the conference pulled the tournament from Newark. I believe other upgrades were already scheduled, but I’m sure the move to Conference USA comes with a list of suggested improvements. And we’ll pay for them.

    • The failure to primary Cooke is, IMO, the biggest recruitment fail of the cycle.

      Only thing keeping him in office is his lack of opposition.

      • BLT says:

        Hopefully we’ll defeat Val this year. If not, then The sooner we get rid of Our PAL Val’s friends the better. He reign of terror has to end.

        • BLT says:

          The sooner someone like Sophie can become Speaker or get into leadership.

          • MonteCristo says:

            Val’s chances to retain her speakership diminish greatly with a BHL loss. Certainly Meyer won’t support her after she called Judaism a “Jew cult”. No idea about O’Mara. I’d assume and hope he’d want change in leadership in the House.

            But a vote against Bethany is a vote against Val. Especially after she threatened everyone to go along with this disaster of a campaign promising it would be fine. It’s very not fine.

    • John Carney, telling state employees to go fuck themselves.

      Ya paying attention, Wilmingtonians?

      The good news?: I DO believe that veto is getting overriden.

      Perhaps unanimously.

      Perhaps starting today.

  5. gary myers says:

    Does anyone have a link to the Governor’s veto message surrounding his veto today of HB 282?

    • As of now, all I found was this Legislative Advisory:

      “Legislative Advisory #38
      Governor John Carney vetoed the following legislation on the date indicated:
      HB #282 AAB HA #1 & HA #2 & SA #1 (6/25/24) – AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF
      THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STATE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
      COMMITTEE. (Sponsors: Rep. Baumbach & Rep. Minor-Brown & Rep. Carson & Rep. Dorsey
      Walker & Rep. Ramone & Rep. Harris & Sen. Townsend & Sen. Pettyjohn).”

      I’ll keep looking.

  6. Just wondering–if/when the Senate gets around to overriding this veto, will BHL be presiding over the body?

  7. They’re bringing back HB 140. Sen. Townsend has just motioned. There’s an objection to bringing it back. 11 yes means that the motion to reconsider is approved.

    Roll call coming soon, I hope. But the key is that Sen. Hoffner voted to reconsider, meaning she’ll almost certainly be a yes.

    Likely lots of talk before we get to that roll call.

    • Another Mike says:

      Hoffner is near tears as she said she spent the weekend talking to constituents. She will be voting yes.

      What is hard to grasp is that she said she supported the legislation from the time she heard about it, yet when it came time to vote, she all of a sudden had doubts about what it was she was voting for. Anyhow, she is supporting the bill.

  8. An incredibly emotional and moving speech by Sen. Hoffner.

    She thanks her colleagues for giving her the weekend to talk to her constituents. Especially Sen. Ennis, her predecessor.

    Oh, man, followed by a disgraceful speech by Sen. Lawson, who talks about mutilation through gender-affirming care. “They come to Delaware to kill.”

    This from a guy who opposes any protections from gun violence.

    Guy is a canker sore.

    • Another Mike says:

      Lawson also cast doubt on whether those who would choose MAiD could truly be people of faith. That drew Hansen out of her seat after she talked about her father suffering from ALS for more than 2 years, asking his wife to shoot him every single day. Lawson is a tool.

  9. We are now back to the EXACT SAME COMMENTS from the EXACT SAME SENATORS as last week.

    Bill’s gonna pass. What will Carney do?

  10. HB 140 passes: 11 Y 10 N.

    Heads to Governor’s Office.

  11. BTW, no BHL on the podium today. At least, not yet.

  12. The MoMo says:

    Hmmm, here’s that statement. Perhaps a dedicated post to decry it. https://news.delaware.gov/2024/06/25/governor-carneys-statement-on-veto-of-house-bill-282/

    Also, Abortion bill – coverage by Medicaid and insurance – passes.

    House was entertaining even if they haven’t reconvened on policy. Retirements – including like an hour on Lt G candidate Ruth Briggs King who left so long ago

    • I was WONDERING what the bleep she was doing at the podium for so long.

      Any word on a veto override in the House?

      • The MoMo says:

        IMO the House is sending a strong message with their schedule this evening, opting keep their lengthy agenda (so far) rather than go to the Governor’s picnic. They can’t attempt to veto override today according to Code, but could as early as tomorrow. But, if done in the House, the Senate could immediately reconsider, the weird thing about “same day” doesn’t apply when crossing. Both chambers passed with sufficient majorities to drop a few folks and still stay above the three-fifths threshold. Probably lose Williams and Paradee, maybe other JFC folks if there is some sort of private data about the potential financial cost Carney imagines in his comments.
        Keeping an ear to the ground, right now it whispers that a veto on 140 later in the Fall when reconsideration isn’t possible may come to pass.

        • Honestly not sure they’d lose anybody, unless BHL pissed in some legislators’ ears, which would be, um, ill-advised.

          • Stewball says:

            BHL won’t do that. It’s in her interests to play to the popular position here. And she’s received credit from advocates for her work on the SEBC to address the Medicaid Advantage issue since it arose. What is interesting is if there are enough votes to override.El Som – when was the last time a veto was overridden? Even if just one chamber overrides, it will be the first time in decades I think. That will be a big slap in the face of Carney. The slap will be so hard it might knocks mustache back on his face.

            • Well, both houses were going to override had Carney vetoed the pot legalization legislation.

              So, he allowed it to become law w/o his signature.

              Carney has been worse than a lame duck for some time now. He’s completely lost the respect of the General Assembly. I can’t overstate it.

              If the General Assembly chooses to override, there will be no due deference to the Governor.

            • Another Mike says:

              I believe the last veto override was in 1977. I seem to recall that when the GA tried to override Carney on marijuana legalization a few years ago.

              • Curious says:

                Well her bestie just vetoed the legislation, so any the credit she received just vanished. If she can’t fight for this and convince her best friend and pal who works with her lockstep boots on the ground blah blah blah – how’s she going to fight anyone else?

                Sorry. The veto is hers. And if you don’t think she’d do the same thing if elected then you’re an idiot.