General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., Jan. 26, 2012

Wednesday’s session illuminated precisely why properly-functioning committees are essential to the legislative process. Or not, depending on the committee and/or your point of view. Here are arguments for either side:

The House Education Committee tabled legislation that would raise the mandatory age of school attendance from 16 to 18 years of age.  It doesn’t mean that HB 244 (Heffernan) is a bad bill or an untenable bill, far from it. It just means that, during the course of committee deliberations, issues arose that would assuredly require modification of the existing legislation. And that’s precisely what Rep. Heffernan said she would do. I’d especially like to thank those who weighed in on this topic as a response to yesterday’s article. I, too, like Rep. Heffernan. I like her a lot. But HB 244 wasn’t yet ready for prime time, and the committee process helped to identify issues that will need to be addressed.

Can’t say that I much like Monsignor Greg Lavelle. However, the House Administration Committee on a partisan vote, defeated attempts to bring HB 176 to the floor. The members of House leadership who opposed the bill, Speaker Gilligan, Majority Leader Schwartzkopf, and Majority Whip Longhurst, carried water for one gondoliero, Anthony DeLuca, at whom this bill was primarily, but not exclusively, aimed. Of course, none of this would be even necessary had the Attorney General simply authorized the release of the records that this bill would make public in the first place. So, in a perverse way, the House Administration Committee also served its purpose: burying a bill that would have subjected fellow Democrats to the disinfectant of sunshine. Pete Schwartzkopf didn’t even try to spin the vote otherwise:

“I’m not going to sit here and vote for a bill that will single certain individuals out,” said Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach.

Certain Democratic individuals. Double-dippers all.

Here’s the entire session report from Wednesday.  Kudos to both the House and Senate for including bills released from committee on the report. In previous years, that information was not made available until after the houses had convened on Thursday and ‘changed the legislative day’. The public is well-served by this improvement. The Senate also released the names of those nominees who will now be considered for appointment by the full Senate.  I did not see Elaine Manlove’s name among them, although, for the second consecutive week, she had been scheduled for consideration by the Senate Executive Committee. Again, I wouldn’t read anything into it.

The key event today will not take place in Legislative Hall, but in Room 112 of the Tatnall Building at 1 p.m. That is when and where Gov. Markell will release his proposed FY ’13 Operating/Capital Improvements Budget for the State.The Joint Finance Committee will consider this framework when budget hearings commence next week. I wonder whether there will be any ‘non-starters’, like cuts in aid to the medically-indigent, in this year’s proposal.

Today’s Senate agenda includes two bills almost certain to be worked today so that they can be sent to the Governor. HB 250(Schwartzkopf) makes technical, and only technical changes, to redistricting. Timely passage will enable the Departments of Elections to complete their work…if they’re working at all. HB 136(Jaques)…well, you read it and you’ll know why the ‘honorables’ are not gonna let this bill gather dust. I could muster up a credible logical argument against it, but why bother?

The Senate is also scheduled to consider SB 163(Marshall), which would raise the state’s minimum wage in two annual 50 cent increments to $8.25/hr. by 2014. Could be an interesting roll call. D’s Venables, Bunting and even Katz could conceivably be no’s. R’s Connor and Cloutier could be ayes, if they show up. I think the bill will pass with about 13 yes votes.

The House will consider HB 222(Jaques), a good bill apparently about to be watered down by an employer-friendly amendment. As I wrote yesterday:

“…an amendment, which would significantly slow down the release of the names of the employers, has been filed, no doubt to ensure passage. The amendment “clarifies that the Department of Labor would not post the name of any employer that has violated the Workplace Fraud Act until all appeals had been pursued and/or forfeited.” That, of course, could take years. And the employer, of course, could agree to a fine without acknowledging guilt. And the public, of course, would not know that these employers were ripping off employees by classifying them as ‘independent contractors’.

Call it news management or censorship. That’s what this amendment effectively engages in. Speaking of which, that’s not the only proposed ‘censorship’ being sought via legislation. The terminally-worthless State Auditor Tom Wagner somehow got this excrement-in-bill-form out of committee yesterday. This News-Journal article brings back some not-so-fond memories of the mutually-assured coverup between Wagner and his pal Dick Cathcart, formerly a bag man at Delaware State University. An early nominee for Worst Bill of the Year, and the likely favorite for “Worst Bill of the Year Introduced By a Generally Good Legislator”. There is already at least one more great nominee, but I’m getting ahead of myself…

Rep. Mike Barbieri’s common sense approach to school incidents will be considered. Look for some no votes from the troglodytes. I’ll be back to name names. They will be familiar names. For you completists out there, here is the entire House agenda for today.

Well, that’s what floats my gondola today. For those of you who lost relatives in the recent Venetian flooding, may I offer my sincere gondolences.