General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: June 21, 2018
A mixed bag yesterday. The good? State employees will now be entitled to 12 weeks of family leave for the birth or adoption of a child. The neutral? The Budget Bill passed the Senate. Yes, Colin Bonini was the only no. The bad: A constitutional amendment designed to put an end to onerous bail and the incarceration of non-adjudicated defendants fell short of its 2/3 majority requirement. The puzzling? SB 236, which provides bonuses for state employees and pensioners, was not worked, although it was supposed to be considered. Why not? Oh, and one of Delaware’s sleaziest, Vince D’Anna, was approved for a spot on the Industrial Accident Board.
Here’s yesterday’s Session Activity Report.
Notable bills on today’s House Agenda:
*HB 90 (Bentz): “…establishes in-person early voting for the State of Delaware. Registered voters will be allowed to vote in-person for at least 10 days prior to an election, up to and including the Saturday and Sunday immediately prior to the election at locations determined by the Commissioner.”
*HB 400 (Viola): “…provides for election day registration for presidential primary, primary, special, and general elections whereas currently the deadline is the fourth Saturday prior to the date of the election.”
*HB 442 (Heffernan): “…expands the Juvenile Civil Citation Program to provide law enforcement officers with the discretion to refer any first-time juvenile offender engaged in any misdemeanor-level behavior to the civil citation program, where the juvenile can be required to participate in counseling, treatment, community service, or any other appropriate intervention. A juvenile who successfully completes the requirements of the civil citation program will not have an arrest or prosecution indicated on their record.”
Notable bills on today’s Senate Agenda:
*SB 224 (Henry): “…increases the aggregate amount of Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credits that can be approved in any 1 fiscal year from $500,000 to $1 million.”
(1) Expresses the General Assembly’s and Governor’s opposition to the 2019-2024 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program (“Draft Proposed Program”). (2) Requests the Department of Justice review the Draft Proposed Program, and any other actions taken by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior targeted at approving an oil and gas leasing program, and take any appropriate legal steps to prevent the sale of oil and gas leases off the coast of the State of Delaware. (3) Directs the Department and the Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board to enforce compliance with the Coastal Zone Act. (4) Directs the Department to review Delaware law to ensure these laws properly reflect Delaware’s environmental policy objectives for purposes of their use in the consistency review process under the Coastal Zone Management Act. (5) Directs the Department to report to the Chair of the Senate Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee and the Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee any legislative changes that are identified as necessary.
*SB 200 (Lopez): “… prohibits drilling for oil or natural gas in Delaware’s coastal zone and territorial waters and precludes DNREC from issuing any permits in connection with the development of offshore drilling infrastructure, whether proposed for Delaware territorial waters or waters outside of the State. ”
*HB 165 (Baumbach): “…permits wine producers holding a valid license within this State or another state to obtain a license and ship wine directly to Delaware consumers so long as it is done through a common carrier with a carrier permit.” Bill passed the House, 25-13, so it’s not a certainty that the bill will get through the Senate. There is no legitimate reason to block this bill, but you never know how much money someone like the Trones might throw around.
Sorry for the abbreviated roundup. Work beckons.
HB 165, interesting! Would put an end , to some extent, to the unlimited power of the distributers in this state. Something I, and many others, have yearned to see for decades now.
So far, the Senate hasn’t acted on the wine bill. Maybe the Trones are throwing around some campaign checks….
12 weeks for all state employees is insane. I’m actually ok with women getting 12 weeks, with recovery, breastfeeding, etc… But men, 12 weeks? yeah, one maybe two weeks max.