General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., April 25, 2018

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on April 25, 2018

At least one gun-related bill is heading to the Governor’s office following a unanimous vote for it in the Senate.  This bill, which creates emergency protocols to remove deadly weapons from those deemed a threat to themselves and others. While I understand that there may be some concerns from the ACLU that could require litigation, the passage of this bill was the result of solid legislative elbow grease. Great job by Rep. Bentz and those who worked so hard on this issue.

HB 170, which gives yet more incentives to ‘angel investors’, got a complete makeover in the Senate.  This amendment completely rewrites the bill, and is marginally better than the original.  It ‘(creates)  a 6-month holding period before tax credits can be claimed by investors, adds a description of qualified expenditures, and ensures that qualified investment dollars are spent in Delaware to spur job growth’.  It doesn’t address the central question of ‘Just how much trickle-down needs to trickle down before the 1% will deign to part with a pittance of their ill-gotten gains’, though.  Bill already unanimously passed in the House, so you know what’s coming.

Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.

Two gun bills will be considered in House committees today. No, not the gun bills, which have apparently been placed in the Witless Protection Program by the Clueless Cabal of Schwartzkopf, McBride, and their PAL Val.  For you mathematicians, the appropriate formula is 3 times zero=zero. 

But, I digress. Temporarily.  HB 366 (Lynn)  ‘revises the crime of “unlawfully permitting a child access to a firearm,” an existing class A misdemeanor under Delaware law. The offense is renamed “unsafe storage of a firearm” to place emphasis on firearm safety and proper storage. Under the revised statute, a crime is committed when a person intentionally or recklessly stores or leaves a loaded firearm where a minor or other person prohibited by law, or “unauthorized person,” can access the firearm, and the unauthorized person obtains the firearm’.  On today’s House Judiciary Committee agenda.

HB 343 (Hudson) ‘prohibits a person named on the federal terrorist watchlist from purchasing, owning, possessing or controlling a deadly weapon or ammunition for a firearm within the State’. House Administration Committee.

Other House Committee highlights:

HB 360 (Keeley), to be considered in today’s Labor Committee:

…seeks to offer broader protections for Delaware workers against sexual harassment than those found at the federal level by defining sexual harassment as an unlawful employment practice and clarifying the definition of employee to include state employees, persons providing services pursuant to a contract, or unpaid interns. This bill also includes a requirement that the Department of Labor create an information sheet pertaining to sexual harassment that employers must distribute to employees. Employers having more than 50 employees must provide sexual harassment training to their supervisory employees six months after they assume the supervisory role, and the training must be conducted every two years.

HB 354 (Osienski) brings Delaware’s equal accommodations law into conformity with the Americans With Disabilities Act.  Business Lapdog Committee.

HB 342 (Mitchell) strengthens sanctions on motor vehicle dealerships that violate state law. Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee.

The fate of direct shipments of wine to consumers lies in the hands of, that’s right, Pete ‘n PAL.  In other words, the merits of the Baumbach-sponsored bill will have nothing to do with its disposition. Administration Committee.

This is the Delaware state song performed by someone on disability leave from a skating rink:

You can read the lyrics here. OK, you’re saying, ‘Fascinating, El Som, but what’s the point?’  The point is that one of Delaware’s least distinguished legislators is sponsoring a bill to make the lyrics ‘gender-neutral’ and hence, and I quote, ‘more relevant to future generations of Delawareans‘.  Might I respectfully suggest that changing the phrase ‘loyal son’ to ‘loyal one’, and changing the phrase ‘his pillow’ to ‘a pillow’ cannot possibly make this song more relevant? Hey, I wouldn’t write about this stuff if Dover dunderheads didn’t give me the chance. Thanks, Dover dunderheads.

While New Jersey prepares to legalize the sale of marijuana, Speaker Pete doodles in the margins.  HB 374 ‘adds glaucoma, chronic debilitating migraines, pediatric autism spectrum disorder, pediatric sensory processing disorder to the list of debilitating medical conditions which may qualify a person…to be eligible for the use of medical marijuana in accordance with the terms of the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act’. House Health & Human Development Committee.

Senate Committee Highlights:

 Real good bipartisan legislation dealing with those released from prison. SB 171 (Henry) ‘requires the Department of Correction to provide individuals who are being released from the custody of the Department of Correction (“DOC”), after 6 months of incarceration following conviction, with a Delaware Personal Credential Card (“Personal Credential”). An individual may present the Personal Credential to receive one free certified copy of the individual’s birth certificate and one identification card or driver’s license’.  This addresses the problems that those leaving the corrections system experience in obtaining identification documents. Corrections & Public Safety Committee.

Uh-oh, kids, looks like Harris McDowell might once again be running interference for the electric and natural gas utilities. SS1/SB 80  ‘allows for the implementation of an interim rate mechanism already in existence for water utilities in an effort to reduce volatility and the costs to electric and natural gas customers’.  Until otherwise disabused of the notion, I will assume that ‘interim rate mechanism’ means ‘interim rate increase’.  I will also assume that consumers are not the driving force behind this legislation. Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee.

SB 169 (Poore) prohibits sexual relations in a detention facility between law enforcement personnel and those in custody.  Judicial & Community Affairs Committee.

Yet another rearranging of those deck chairs in service to the casino, excuse me, video lottery industry.  Sen. Bushweller’s valedictory to the racino executives  creates a new formula for the paying of extortion to these unsavory citizens. This one might work.  Finance Committee.

We’ve already addressed the so-called ‘Angel Investors Act’ in this tome, but there’s also another bill from Rep. Ramone on today’s Senate Agenda. Yep, the KHN No-Succession Act, a bill that is only now viable due to Ms. Nagle’s ineptitude.  Simply allow me to point out that the amended bill permits a governor, who perhaps would not be from New Castle County and would perhaps not be from the same political party as the departing County Executive, to appoint the successor, who would then be eligible to run for the office.

That’s it. As you were.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  1. Jason330 says:

    “unsafe storage of a firearm” sounds like something the NRA/Delaware Sportsman could get behind. I’m not holding my breath.

  2. mouse says:

    What happened to that Frank guy and his Delaware Right site?