General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thursday, June 26, 2025
First, a shout-out. Jacob Owens of Spotlight Delaware has been doing a live legislative blog the last couple of days. There aren’t two of him, so he can’t cover everything. But what he’s doing is a helluva lot better than covering nothing. Well worth checking out.
Ho-kay. A very notable legislative session yesterday. Plus, the Governor has been signing bills, so the engines are at full throttle. Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.
You remember that Lumpy Carson had amended Larry Lambert’s HB 210 by exempting the poultry polluters from the bill. All’s well that ends well, at least in the House. HB 222 (Lambert), which restores the portion of HB 210 that the amendment struck, passed in the House. Ol’ Lump and Bill Bush, both of whom had supported the the weakened version of HB 210, voted against HB 222.
I was pleased that SB 75 (Paradee), which ‘ limits the restrictions a county may impose on the operation of marijuana establishments’, passed on pretty much a party line vote. It now heads to the Governor.
The House also passed the annual Corporate Welfare package that was crafted by the Corporate Law team from the Delaware Bar.
The House did not consider Stephanie Bolden’s stoopid HB 206, which was on yesterday’s Agenda. It is not on today’s Agenda. Good.
The Senate passed the following bills that I like: HB 67 (Osienski); HB 79 (Morrison); HB 82 (Wilson-Anton), which, practically speaking, rids the Christina School Board of that Baqir guy (only one no vote: Darius Brown); SS1/SB 130 (Paradee), which ‘prohibits retail stores and wholesalers from selling, distributing, or offering for sale in this State expanded polystyrene foam food service packaging products, most expanded polystyrene foam coolers, and expanded polystyrene foam loose fill packaging, such as packing peanuts’; and SS2/SB 155 (Mantzavinos).
The Senate will consider the Budget Bill, which has already passed the House, and the just-introduced Bond Bill. I really wish there was some way to massage the Bond Bill schedule so that we could get this bill earlier. Here, however, is one item I really like in the bill:
Section 103. Community Air Quality Monitoring. Section 1 Addendum of this Act makes an appropriation to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for Community Air Quality
Monitoring. This amount shall be used to help fund the installation of air monitors in the community around Delaware City, along with the creation of community outreach and reporting tools by the Clean Air Council.
Yep, air monitors, and the money has been appropriated.
You will note that on both agendas are bills that had already passed one chamber, then passed the other chamber, but which had amendments added in the other chamber. Those bills proceed directly to the Agenda and are generally given priority.
Well, only one more session day after today. And, no, we won’t have to wait until midnight for the session to conclude.
Air monitors for De City….and sponsored by Poore?! El som dropping Caneco primary hints is actually making her do things…for people!
Someone convince Caneco to open a campaign account and she may be advocating to shut it down next! Haha
It was sponsored by the Bond Bill Committee. While Poore is a member, so is Sen. Pinkney, who campaigned against pollution from ‘forever chemicals’.
To be sure, they KNEW they had to include that provision–how many years too late?
The news journal actually covered something and I think it might be this. The jist I got was that it’s funding what is no longer covered by the federal grant but that the monitoring doesn’t include the chemicals recently released..:https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2025/06/26/more-air-monitoring-near-delaware-city-refinery/84351275007/
Thanks! What this I read about the Bond Bill being defeated in the Senate? Looks like I’ve got some digging to do…
Oh, I see. The Rethugs playing games on a 3/4 bill (Townsend switched his vote to be able to bring the bill back).
Jacob Owens over at Spotlight Delaware has the story.
Yep, I figured it was objections over Suxco not being able to deep-six that wind project:
“Senator Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown) told Spotlight Delaware that Senate Bill 159 – essentially referring to the current controversy around offshore wind off the coast of Sussex County – is addressed and put on hold, and the Senate will not move forward with the Bond Bill.
“This is something that is very important to our caucus, and many people in Sussex County, they don’t want to see the county’s decisions overriden [overrode] by the General Assembly.” said Pettyjohn.
He went on to claim that SB 159 sets a “very bad precedent” and that the General Assembly, during this most recent legislative session, has taken steps to override decisions by local municipalities.”
Air monitors yes, supporting chicken shit no. Thanks for keeping public abrest of the sleazy happenings at leg-hall. Busting Bolden was eye opening too. The shenanigans never stop with the double dippers.
I wonder who the intended targets of Bolden’s dumb bill are. I see the normal parade of dipshits as sponsors and I’m not sure whose expanded candidacy they’re trying to obstruct.
Shane Darby’s name pops up immediately.
Bill wouldn’t take effect, though, before she retires Nnamdi.
Kevin Caneco could well do the same thing to Nicole ‘No Longer’ Poore.
Ah, that’s true. Since it would be a constitutional amendment it would need to win two thirds in this legislature and then in (whatever number we’re up to) in 2026’s.