General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., Jan. 14, 2016

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., Jan. 14, 2016

ALERT!! MARKELL, CHAMBER AND LONGHURST GIVE MIDDLE FINGER TO DELAWAREANS: HB 235, the so-called Delaware Competes Bill, is the first bill the House will consider this year.  What's amazing, well, not amazing, but typical of the primordial ooze behind this, is that the bill will be considered under Motion to Suspend Rules.  Here's why. Even though the bill cleared the House Revenue & Taxation Committee, the bill was reassigned to the House Appropriations Committee (the committee is comprised of the House members of the Joint Finance Committee). That's because the bill has a significant cost. Such bills are typically not considered until/unless JFC does the fiscal legerdemain.  In this case, even though the bill will have a significant annual cost, the House will try to bypass the budgetary process.  Since the bill wouldn't even take effect until January of 2017, rushing this through serves no purpose other than to satisfy the Chamber and its millionaire minions.  This is a transfer of wealth from ordinary citizens to the politically-connected corporate overlords, pure and simple. We'll pay somehow, just wait. Last days of June when they hope that no one is watching.  Hey,  whaddayawant from Markell, Longhurst and their (wait for it) ilk? Call your state reps! What's not on the House Agenda under Motion to Suspend Rules is HB 50--the Opt-Out Bill.  As opposed to HB 235, doing this under MTSR is legit.  The bill has been through the committee process, was passed (twice) by the House, and it's a veto override, not consideration of new legislation.  Now, maybe the House will entertain a motion from the floor, maybe Speaker Pete won't, but it sure as hell should be considered.  Has the cynicism of Pistol Pete and Vindictive Val become so great that they can ignore the will of the members of the chamber?  We'll see.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., Jan. 13, 2016

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., Jan. 13, 2016

We have two bills that somebody wants fast-tracked in January: HB 240 (Longhurst)  'establishes the Statewide Afterschool Initiative Learning Program. The Program will provide grants to public schools, that qualify as Title I schools, to develop afterschool engagement of students that will provide extended learning, homework assistance, enrichment, and nutrition.'  Sounds good.  There is, however, no funding mechanism mentioned in the bill.  Nor does the bill, for reasons I cannot understand, require a fiscal note.  So, how are they gonna pay for the program?  Will it be paid for from the Mortgage Settlement Funds? If not, what are you defunding in order to fund this? We may or may not find out sooner rather than later.  Bill's scheduled to be considered during today's House Education Committee.  BTW, here's my uninformed guess as to what's happening here:  Sponsors can claim that this is merely 'enabling' legislation and that the funding mechanism will be determined by JFC.  Which, of course, is totally disingenuous.  You don't need enabling legislation if the JFC funds such a program and establishes the criteria in the epilog language.  But that would bypass touchy-feely brochure fluff. Someone, please prove me wrong. HB 235 (Longhurst), the 'Delaware Competes Act', allegedly 'reforms Delaware’s business tax code to incentivize job creation and investment in Delaware, to make Delaware’s tax structure more competitive with other states, and to support small businesses by making tax compliance less burdensome. The principal change in the Act is to remove disincentives for companies to create Delaware jobs and invest in Delaware property that currently exists in how income is apportioned to Delaware for purposes of the corporate income tax'.  In other words, tweaking the formula to remove inequities that create disincentives to job creation.  Fine.  Here's what they didn't tell you.  This is not some revenue-neutral tweaking.  Nope. There is a fiscal note attached to this bill, and here are the projected costs to the state's coffers: Fiscal Year 2017             $ 8,200,000 Fiscal Year 2018             $17,600,000 Fiscal Year 2019             $22,900,000 So, let's be honest here.  It's yet another sop to business with not even a projection as to how many jobs will be created due to the removal of alleged disincentives.  And this is annual revenue loss. 
Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., Jan. 12, 2016.

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., Jan. 12, 2016.

My outlook for January: Real interesting real fast. Just like today's Al Show will be. The second session of the 148th General Assembly kicks off today.  Since it's not a new General Assembly, everything that was in place on July 1 remains in place today.  It's gonna be a wild and wooly month.  You can look forward to: 1. Votes on overriding the veto of HB 50-the 'opt-out' bill. The bill passed both houses with veto-proof majorities.  The House vote was overwhelming, 36-3, so it should get through the House in comfortable fashion. The final Senate vote was 15-6, so that is the chamber where Markell might be able to flip a couple of senators.  I will be especially interested to see whether her run for Lieutenant Governor might play into Sen. Bethany Hall-Long switching sides.  I'd like to point out that HB 50 has already had a key impact.  The decision by the Department of Education to cancel the 'Smarter Balanced' test for juniors in favor of the SAT would almost certainly not have been made without the catalyst of HB 50.  In fact, you may recall that Sen. Bryan Townsend introduced and passed an amendment extending the opt-out provision to high school juniors.  That amendment is no longer necessary, for the best of reasons. More inside...
A State of the Union to Remember

A State of the Union to Remember

I was essentially beyond words when Christy told me. Braeden’s been to the White House twice before, when he won in 2013 and when he was asked back to speak at the Kids’ State Dinner winners in 2014, and both trips were humbling and amazing, but this one is something else. To be asked to sit in a room with Congress, the Supreme Court justices, most of the president’s cabinet, and listen to one of the most important speeches the president can deliver, to be interviewed and featured by Time Magazine, to have your bio posted on the White House website, I don’t even know what to say. I couldn’t be more proud of Braeden and the ideas he’s come up with, the way he’s implemented them, and how he’s stuck with it for the last 3 years.
Delaware Political Weekly: Jan. 1-7, 2016

Delaware Political Weekly: Jan. 1-7, 2016

Hey, it's an ELECTION YEAR! Try to contain your enthusiasm. At least we've got some new news to share. But first, let's see where we stand regarding already-filed candidates. Karen Hartley-Nagle Primaries Chris Bullock for NCC President. While Bullock hasn't filed, we know he's running. How do we know? Because we (or, to be accurate, I) have received content-free e-mails from Bullock in his capacity as NCC Prez throughout 2015. Touchy-feely crap. I think his campaign is paying for them, but I'm not sure.  Perennial candidate Hartley-Nagle could pose a challenge, especially if she is part of an unofficial anti-Gordon ticket.
2015: The Good. The Bad. The Ridiculous.

2015: The Good. The Bad. The Ridiculous.

Because this list is generally a critical review of the year's events, I've decided not to place Beau Biden's death or Joe's flirtation with running for President on the lists.  Who is to say how one should react under such circumstances? And how does one rank a death? Answer to both questions: I don't know. So, I won't do it. We start as always, with the list with the fewest nominees: The Good.  Because, let's face it, on balance, this was not a good year for Delaware.  Much closer to an annus horribilis, or whatever Queen Elizabeth calls it. Wherever possible, I've linked to an article that provides context.

Colin Bonini: Tax Cheat

Let's see. He takes taxpayers' money for Sunset Committee meetings he doesn't attend.  He has never voted for a state budget. He lied about having a Master's Degree he never came close to completing. It turns out he didn't pay his taxes either.  Had three separate  federal tax liens filed against him. Over $28K owed (Other documents available upon request).  At what point does this reach a critical mass of fraudulence? You know, with a record like that, there's only one elective body where he'd feel right at home: Wilmington City Council.
Pay Per Pupil?

Pay Per Pupil?

Imagine if we paid for other government services on a per use basis. Fire companies. They can’t douse your burning home until you pay them. Paramedics can’t begin to administer emergency medical care until your form of payment clears. Police can’t come take your car accident report until they verify your credit card transaction goes through. They can’t investigate your home invasion until you remit payment. The 911 phone system. “The fee for this service is $2.99 per minute for the first minute, and $1.99 per minute thereafter, please enter your 16-digit credit or debit card number followed by the pound sign”. Transportation. I take Route 40 to work sometimes. Sometimes I take 896. Imagine if they set up EZ Pass sensors at every point where a secondary road connected.
Watching Mayor Williams Get Played By His Own “Take Credit for These Ideas” Strategy

Watching Mayor Williams Get Played By His Own “Take Credit for These Ideas” Strategy

I've been following the news from my Holiday Location and it is looking like Mayor Dennis Williams is being hung by his own “We’re Not Going to Let This Commission Take Credit for These Ideas” strategy in his effort to push back against having to live with the accountability (and potentially some consequences) that would come with a grant being provided by the Joint Finance Committee to help the City pay for foot patrols. You'll recall that the Williams Administration's response to the Wilmington Public Safety Strategies Commission report was to claim that they had already implemented most of the recommendations made -- with the help of the VRN folks, not the Governor. There is wide skepticism about this claim that they've implemented most of those recommendations -- especially from me -- and the JFC looking to send the Police Foundation back into the WPD to check on progress is an excellent accountability measure. And if I am Mayor Dennis Williams with a re-election hanging in the balance because he is widely seen as utterly ineffective in managing the crime problem (in spite of campaign promises) -- it would be Good News all the way around if one of the Commission's consultants could say that progress is actually being made as promised.
All Education Eyes on January

All Education Eyes on January

During the last 10 months, the public had opportunities to contribute their thoughts, ideas, feedback, and criticisms of the plan or any part thereof. Public comment ran the gamut from helpful feedback to downright racist criticism. In my observation, the comments that tended to align closer to the racist end of the spectrum were elicited when meetings were held in suburban locations. The more supportive comments, while also showing in the suburbs, really came to the forefront in the meetings’ city locations.