Tag: Delaware Budget
Delaware’s Budget Mess
Today’s News Journal takes a look at the hard part of the budget – reducing pension and Medicaid costs.
A Preview Of Next Year’s Legislative Battles
Speaker Bob Gilligan spoke to the Progressive Democrats of Delaware last night to preview next year’s legislative battles. There are really two big issues we’ll see next year: the budget and the 2010 election. Budget Gilligan told us that they expect at least a $300M-$400M budget gap next year (that’s before the additional job losses […]
Cathcart Wants It Both Ways
Dick Cathcart is really pissing me off. Today, he published an opinion piece in The News Journal that tries to rewrite recent history.
He [Bryon Short] and just about 100 percent of his Democratic colleagues voted in favor of the package, whereas just about every member of the House Republicans voted against the tax and fee hikes.
Guess what? The Republicans could have scuttled every one of the tax and fee hikes. Every. Single. One.
Sanity From the Federal Bench
When I discussed legalizing sports betting with Governor Markell a few months ago I asked what the chances were that we would be legally allowed to do it. He told me that they had submitted the question to the State Supreme Court for review. That report came back with some positive results for the administration, suggesting that it would be legal by the state constitution.
Breaking: Appeals Court Denies Delaware’s Appeal
This just in from the News Journal: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit today denied Delaware’s petition for a hearing on its bid to offer sports betting on the outcome of fewer than three National Football League games. A three-judge panel of the appeals court in Philadelphia ruled last month that Delaware’s […]
Kowalko on TV Tonight
This evening, WHYY debuts their new Delaware-oriented news magazine “First”. This is apparently a replacement for their daily “news no one watches.” On the debut episode, John Kowalko is featured to discuss the state budget mess (past, present and future). Tune in at 10:00 to see what’s happening in Delaware and get some insight from […]
Let’s Take a Look at the Ledger
I got an email from Dave Burris this morning with the press release from the Caesar Rodney Institute telling me about their newest tool. Delaware Spends is an online tool (with cool web 2.0 features) that will help make it easier to see where money is going. Essentially is is an online checkbook ledger with […]
Live Blogging the House – Vol. 3
Liberalgeek and I are now listening to the debate on HB 290, the budget bill. Right now they are praising the hard work of putting together the budget. OMB Visalli testifying. Rep. Marshall: why not 2.5% cut for judges? Case law says that judges are exempt by law, based on DE Constitution. Why no cut […]
What to Expect From Delaware Liberal Tonight
This is the last day of the legislative session in Dover. Unstable Isotope and I (at a minimum) will be in attendance and passing along reports. Many of our reports will be available via Twitter (@liberalgeek and @UnstableIsotope), Nemski and DelawareDem will be monitoring the tweets. El Somnambulo will be listening to the audio stream […]
Kowalko Suits Up For Battle
John Kowalko has been fighting tooth and nail with the Governor (against the across-the-board pay cuts) and against the Republicans that don’t think that we should increase a single tax (even a small tax on alcohol and a larger one on cigarettes). But now, it’s crunch time. By midnight Tuesday they need to have a […]
Pushing The Issue: HB253
John Kowalko chairs the Joint Sunset Committee and he’s trying to challenge the Delaware Way from that vantage point. Case in point: HB253 (restructuring the Victims Compensation Board). From the presser: House Bill 253 is identical to Senate Bill 144, which was developed by and sponsored by the members of the Joint Sunset Committee, a […]
AFSCME Urges Members to Boycott Walgreens? Maybe
A source told me that AFSCME Council 81 which represents State of Delaware employees, is urging its members to boycott Walgreens in the wake of the announcement that Walgreens is pulling out of the States Medicaid program. So I called Michael Begatto Council 81’s Executive Director and to confirm the story and get a comment. […]
Secret Government in Session in Dover
Nancy Cook and the Joint Finance Committee began its budget markup yesterday, free, for hopefully the last time, from the disinfectant of sunshine. Virtually all of it took place behind closed doors, according to the News-Journal’s J. L. Miller. Allegedly an ‘Orientation’ session, as if 12 veteran legislators with decades of JFC experience required any […]
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