It’s Bill-A-Palooza Week. So much so that the House will run a full agenda on Wednesday instead of dedicating the day to committee meetings.
I’m gonna start with the House. As you know, I’ve been highly critical of House Speaker Mimi Minor-Brown. However, and I don’t know if coincidence or some other factor is behind this, you will note that the majority of bills on today’s House Agenda are sponsored by two of my favorite senators–Marie Pinkney and Russ Huxtable. If that reflects some sort of preference on the part of the Speaker, I’m with her.
Please check out SB 286 (Poore). This bill was previously on the Consent Agenda, but was moved to the regular agenda. That happens when any representative requests that the bill be removed from the Consent Agenda. No debate, it’s automatic. This bill is nothing more than a sop to Delaware’s RV dealers by a senator who has had her campaign coffers consistently enriched due to contributions from Delaware’s automotive dealers. This special interest legislation specifies that:
‘…(m)anufacturers are required to specify in writing to their new recreational vehicle dealers licensed in the state the dealers’ obligations for pre-delivery preparation, manufacturer-sponsored maintenance programs, manufacturer extended warranty, certified pre-owned warranty, manufacturer-issued service contracts, parts exchange programs, recall, and warranted service on the dealers’ products. In addition, manufacturers must compensate their new recreational vehicle dealers for these services and provide the dealers with a schedule of compensation and the time allowances for the performance of the work and services. Termination, cancellation, nonrenewal, or alteration of a dealership. In the event a new recreational vehicle dealer terminates, cancels, or fails to renew a manufacturer-dealer agreement for good cause, and the manufacturer fails to cure the deficiencies, at the new recreational vehicle dealer’s election and within 45 days of the termination, cancellation, or nonrenewal, the manufacturer must, in addition to its existing obligations, compensate the dealer for any transporting, handling, packing, storing, and loading of any returned parts, tools, and equipment.
With respect to parts reimbursement, reasonable compensation to a new recreational vehicle dealer may not be less than the rate charged by the dealer for like services to nonwarranty customers for nonwarranty parts, service, or actual wholesale cost, plus a minimum 40% handling and the cost of any freight to return the warranty parts to the warrantor.’
The bill goes on in the same vein, but you get the picture: A bill written by, and on behalf of, recreational vehicle dealers. In other words, Nicole Poore doing what she’s always done.
I like the following bills on today’s Senate Agenda, which is mostly comprised of House bills: SB 347 (Mantzavinos)and HB 348 (Phillips). It’s not that I dislike the other bills, it’s just they’re mostly what I see as being of the incremental variety.
While there are a (very) few committee meetings today, there’s little of note, other than that the House Appropriations Committee will consider bills that required funding in the Budget Bill. Since the members of the Appropriations Committee double as the House members on the Joint Finance Committee, release of those bills from committee is a mere formality.
Session adjourned.
