General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thursday, April 10, 2025

A slow week meanders to an end.  Only item of note from yesterday was the release of HB 140 (Morrison) from the Senate Executive Committee.  This likely sets up a vote for next week on the end-of-life options bill.

As long as I’m referring to what didn’t happen, I might as well point out that Rep. Stell Parker Selby still hasn’t made her first appearance in Leg Hall for this session.  Word on the street is that she won’t be making an appearance.  Privacy or not, don’t the constituents in her Representative District deserve, you know, representation?  Instead, we proceed with this fiction.

Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.

There is only one bill on today’s House Agenda.  While it’s an important bill, I can’t see it taking up, say, three hours of debate.  HB 110 (Osienski):

…identifies the specific categories of persons required to obtain a fingerprint-based national criminal background check in connection with working at a licensed marijuana establishment, holding a marijuana establishment license, or owning or serving on the board of directors of a business entity that has or applies for a marijuana establishment license. This clarification is necessary to comply with the requirements of Public Law (Pub. L.) 92-544 for access to FBI criminal history record information.

In other words, the bill aims to enable Delaware jump through the hoops being demanded by the FBI.  I don’t see anything controversial about it.  Couldn’t the Speaker at least scrape up some more bills for the agenda, or is there a big fundraiser after session?

This seems as good a time as any to drive a stake through the argument that an April primary benefits challengers, because it doesn’t.  Not only is the General Assembly off from the end of January through mid-March, it rarely does much during its two weeks back in session before they’re out again for Easter break and Bond Bill.  They’re in no way ‘trapped’ in Dover.  In fact, you don’t think that an ‘endangered’ member will be given a key platform to tout something by the Speaker or Pro-Tem?  It’s a function of incumbency protection that wouldn’t be there once the General Assembly goes out of session.

But, I digress.

Here’s today’s Senate Agenda.  There are two voting rights amendments to the State Constitution, SS1/SB 2 (specifically authorizes early, in-person voting for the general election, a primary election, and a special election filling a vacancy in the General Assembly), and SS1/SB 3 (eliminates the limitations on when an individual may vote absentee and provides an absolute right to vote by absentee ballot without an excuse.).  Both constitutional amendments are sponsored by Sen. Darius Brown, and would have to be passed in identical form in two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly.  These bills represent the first leg.  The Senate has the 2/3rds D majority to pass these bills.  The House is close, but would still require at least one R defector.  Oh, make that two since Rep. Parker Selby wouldn’t be around to cast an affirmative vote on this. 

I also like SB 52 (Buckson), which enables recently-retired state employees to serve as temporary, casual, seasonal, or substitute employees after only a three-month separation (it currently is 6) ‘to alleviate staffing shortages in schools and state agencies with 24-hour shifts’.

That’s all I’ve got. Whaddaya want me to do?  Make stuff up?