General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Grasping at (plastic) straws.  Word on the street is that SB 51 (Paradee) will likely be on tomorrow’s Senate Agenda.  We’ll find out–tomorrow.  The key question is whether one legislator will unilaterally kill the bill in the House.  We’re talking Our PAL Val Longhurst, who has a business that cranks out these plastic polluters in her district.  More about this business tomorrow–presumably.

Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.  Spoiler Alert:  No surprises. Including the lone ‘no’ vote by Rethugs’ Rethug Rich Collins on SB 60.  Only an asshole would vote against that bill.

Today’s Senate Agenda inspires ennui (Is that an oxymoron? That’s what I’m aiming for).   Other than Speaker Pete’s Jolly Coppers On Parade license plate bill, it’s thin gruel.  (That reminds me: As part of his ploy to retain the Speakership, Speaker Pete promised that he would retire from the General Assembly after this year’s Session.  I wonder what steps, if any, have been taken to facilitate the transfer of power…to, who, exactly?)

But I digress.  Just wanted to plant that seed in your heads. We’ll follow it through to fruition.

OK, kids, committee time.  Today’s Senate highlights:

SB 66 (Buckson): Pity the petits pauvre Rethuglicans.  Forced to legislatively grovel for crumbs at the Big Kids’ Table. In this case, for membership on the Public Health Emergency Planning Commission.  Presumably so they can have a platform to claim that COVID, or its successors, are hoaxes.   For some unintelligible reason, Stephanie Bolden is on the bill as a co-sponsor.  Health & Social Services.

SB 69 (Wilson): Unserious legislation from an unserious legislator. The bill ‘exempts sectarian or religious institutions from the Delaware Child Care Act’. Because, God forbid (pardon the expression) children in those child care facilities should have the same protections afforded kids in other facilities. Education.

SB 67 (S. McBride): ‘(U)pdates the crime of official misconduct to ensure appropriate accountability of public servants who abuse their positions of power and public trust. The statute establishes a grade in the penalty for the official misconduct to be commensurate to the gravity of the misconduct.  Gee, I wonder what action by what public official precipitated this legislation. Judiciary.

No House Agenda today as there rarely is on Wednesdays.  Today’s House Committee highlights:

HB 110 (Minor-Brown):  A biggy.  The bill ‘amends Title 31 to require all health benefit plans delivered or issued for Medicaid to cover services related to the termination of pregnancy. Coverage provided under this section is not subject to any deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement and may not impose restrictions on services inconsistent with Subchapter IX, Chapter 17, of Title 24.’  Aren’t you glad you live in Delaware instead of, say, Florida?  I am. Health & Human Development.

HB 104 (Bush): Perhaps it’s just me, but my Spidey Sense tingles whenever the words ‘expedite’ and ‘economic development’ appear in the same synopsis.  Especially when the bill is in the Business Lapdog Committee, as this one is.  Anybody wish to talk me down?

HB 96 (Morrison): ‘(R)educes the eligible age of a citizen to vote in school board elections for purposes of electing members to the school board from 18 years old to 16 years old’.  I’m all for it.  High school students are constituents when it comes to school policy, after all.  Not to mention, I want to see the heads of all those anti-education nut-jobs collectively explode should this become law.  They’ll never win a school board election again.  You’ve got the power, Democrats.  Pass it!  Education.

HB 29 (Hensley):  ‘(I)ncreases the Senior Real Property Tax credit to $750 from $400 as authorized in the Appropriations Bill for fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, which effectively amended Title 29, § 6102(q)(3) from $500 to $400.  W-wait.  So the General Assembly reduced the property tax credit to $400 just last year, and now we’re increasing it to $750?  Gee, let’s see what kind of hole that creates in education spending in Delaware–um,  about $9 mill annually.  Three D’s are on the bill: Bush, Hoffner, and, that name again, Stephanie Bolden.  Bad bill. Hope it gets buried in the Education Committee.

SS1/SB 1 (Townsend): Breaking my general rule about addressing bills that have come over from the other chamber because we all either remember, or should remember,  how the House killed similar legislation last year. We’re talking renters’ right to representation, and Sen. Townsend has managed to mollify some of the opposition with some changes he made from last year’s bill. It should be enough to get the bill onto the House floor, where it would pass,  but the House is still under the grip of its anti-democratic Democratic leaders, so we’ll see.  Housing.