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 Agenda. HB 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.