Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Can there really be only six more session days with Pistol Pete as Slavemaster?  We may, or may not, find out in six more session days.   He and Our PAL Val have turned the House into something not unlike Hungary.  For the record, I doubt that he’ll follow through on his pledge to the Majority Caucus.  He’s lied before, as has Our PAL Val, so we have precedent.

HB 230(Neal), which affords legal protection for gender-affirming health care, really should be considered this session.  Why?  Because just this year alone, at least 491 anti-trans bills have been introduced across the United States.   Time is of the essence.  New Jersey and Maryland have already enacted legislation similar to HB 230, so it’s not like we’re reinventing the wheel here.  You can help WFP, Network Delaware, and other progressive groups, in getting this bill across the finish line.  You can take action here.  Pretty sure the votes are there.  We just need willpower from the leaders in Dover.

Well, look what popped up on today’s House Agenda.  Just when you think that the notion of ‘LLC’s are People’ is dead in Dover, it gets resuscitated.  HS 1/HB 121(D. Short), which gives LLC’s the right to vote in Seaford, is back.  The House should kill it deaddeaddead.  Will it?  We’ll find out soon enough.  Just remember–anyone who votes for this votes against democracy.  You know, one person, one vote.  In fact, if there are municipalities that permit this, legislation should be introduced to outlaw this notion.

I like HB 12 (Phillips), which creates an EV rebate program.  Looking forward to the roll call.

HB 186 (Romer) is excellent legislation that would be easy to demagogue.  The bill:

…makes changes to the requirements for placement on the sex offender registry of individuals who are adjudicated delinquent of certain offenses. First, it reduces the number of offenses for which placement on the sex offender registry is mandatory and the Family Court has no discretion to relieve a person adjudicated delinquent from the requirement or to reduce the tier assigned. Mandatory registration is still required for all degrees of rape (first through fourth) and conspiracy or attempt to commit any degree of rape.

What you need to know is that the bill does not ‘send rapists back into our community’.  It enables those adjudicated for non-violent offenses to perhaps put their lives back in order.  Who will be the first Rethug to use the word ‘groomer’?  I’m going with Collins, although the Extreme Right Rev. Dukes has similar odds.  This roll call could be close.

Only one bill of note on today’s Senate Agenda.  HB 62 (Wilson-Anton) ‘requires that each county reassess the value of real property in the county at least once every 5 years. The first 5-year period starts when the reassessment currently being conducted by each county is completed’.  Needless to say, subsequent reassessments will not take as long as the one currently under way.  The House Roll Call on this bill was all over the place.  The no’s:  Collins, Postles, Yearick; Not Voting: Briggs King, Hensley, Hilovsky, Parker Selby, Ramone; Absent: Heffernan, Lynn, M. Smith, Shupe.

Little of interest in today’s committee meetings.  Although Michael Smith has introduced two bills to address noise complaints at a bar that has live music somewhere near Yorklyn. Or is it Hockessin?  Someone remind me. I mean, I think I wrote about it, but that was awhile ago.  Anyway, they’re in the Business Lapdog Committee, which has become a little less lapdog-ish this session. Guess that means they might have to come up with a new theme song.

The current one?: