What’s going on in the Delaware legislature? Those guys love to make laws, let’s check up on what they’re up to. The 4/27/15 Edition

“National Crime Victims’ Week?”, Rich Collins doesn’t want to embarrass?, Laws trying to prevent Common Core? Lots of questions

Student Data Privacy Act

This is a little confusing as it seems to be a series of laws about to be proposed that would protect…well we must assume student data privacy.

Rumors run rampant that the abomination known as Common Core (which Jeb Bush loves just to note) allows for extensive compilation of student home data, including such as religion and whether there are guns in the home.

I’m thinking lawmakers are geared up for this in advance of the massive protest over Common Core as the Delaware state legislature continues to sneak it upon us.

This bill will enable school districts, schools, teachers, and school staff to collect and use student data for appropriate educational purposes while ensuring that the student data is kept safe and the privacy of students and their parents and guardians is protected

A Bill to Punish Stolen Valor for Purposes of Enrichment
False valor act-HB80-sponsored by Rep Rich Collins, Class A misdemeanor and fine of $1K.

Seems newly elected Rich Collins is out and about making a name for himself. Except one strange “no-vote” that he wouldn’t embarrass his colleagues, more on this later.

For now Collins has introduced a bill that would punish “stolen valor” but not just anybody who pretends to be a soldier or any kind, past or present. For those pretenders, shame and disdain would be their punishment.

Collins’ bill would punish anyone applying for any benefit by pretending to be a military member, former or current.

Now obviously a faker could not just walk into the veterans’ administration and ask for a pension. They have records for this sort of thing.

As I am to understand, anyone using fake ID to obtain any kind of benefit….say a place to sleep for free, food offered to veterans, that sort of thing….would suffer a misdemeanor and a $1,000 fine.

Proposal-A committee to review state government expenses

Now here’s an idea whose time has come. For they tell you every year that they need more money and it seems the government never has to do what those of us living out here in la-la land where we carry this country on our backs must do from time to time.: CUT EXPENSES!

I’m quite sure no such committee will ever be formed despite the good intentions of the bipartisan group. Cutting government expenses means that someone’s brother-in-law might have to be cut, that a treasured contributor might go unrewarded.

My colleagues — State Representatives Lyndon Yearick and Danny Short — are proposing the formation of the Delaware Efficiency and Cost Containment Committee.  Consisting of a bipartisan group of top state officials, this committee would be charged with investigating cost-reduction strategies.

Additionally, the panel would be required to solicit public input and deliver recommendations in December.

Tax Intercept Bill

I am at a total loss why the Delaware state legislation will not pass this bill.

A bill sponsored by State House Minority Leader Danny Short, R-Seaford, could potentially reap millions of dollars in back taxes owed to Delaware’s school districts and county governments.

State Reps. Paul Baumbach, D-Newark & John Viola, D-Newark; and Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, are also prime sponsors of the bipartisan measure.

House Bill 85 would allow delinquent school taxes and county property taxes to be collected through a mechanism known as “tax intercept.”   The practice allows for state income tax refunds due to individuals owing taxes to be diverted to satisfy those debts.

This bill is still in committee and I am to understand that it hasn’t passed in two tries prior.

I can only assume that many of those state legislators must owe a lot of property tax because why should those people owing property tax get a tax refund from Delaware. A state tax refund is only what an individual overpaid to the state over the prior year. WELL THEY SHOULD HAVE PAID THEIR PROPERTY TAXES WITH THAT MONEY SO TAKE IT BACK FOR GOD’S SAKE!

Sussex Tech

House Bill 100, as amended, would reduce Sussex Tech’s enrollment from 1,545 to 1,250 students over three years.  It would also impose a modest two-year temporary tax increase to help the school meet expenses.   The hike will result in the average homeowner paying a total of about $20 more.

The tax rate resets to its current level in July 2017.

I’ve talked and read all sorts of information on this Sussex Tech bill, from those who loved the school from which their children graduated to those who despise the place to those who just don’t understand that school’s system.

I have concluded, with my open ears and reasonable mind, that the people running Sussex Tech don’t have a clue how to control their school.

Now I understand that Sussex county has grown almost geometrically over these past several years and so Sussex Tech has admitted proportionally more students. I don’t quite understand who approves this sort of thing and even more, I understand that the Sussex Tech executives plan on building a big school extension and again it’s not clear on whose say-so.

So a couple of the local guys have drafted a bill that would haul in Sussex Tech spending and give the school a limit on admittances.

There will be a cap put on the property tax hike after three years when, it is supposed, the out-of-control spending will have been funded and died down.

What’s intriguing about this bill is Dan Gaffney’s report that Rich Collins was a “no-vote” on this issue, stating that he did not want to embarrass his fellow legislators.

I am going to contact Collins on this for an expansion of his actions and words.

Parent Opt-Out bill

This is another bill causing some local uproar in that the idea is that if parents can refuse to allow their children to be tested by a test they did not approve they could opt-out.

This is an attempt by parents of children who will be burdened and made stupid by Common Core, an attempt to allow parents to pull their children out.

I am to understand this bill will be coming out soon and phone calls should be made to legislators that they pass the thing.

Other intriguing legislative goings-on

HCR22 will be making this week “national crime victims week”. What’s the benefit of this?

HR10 was passed last week to urge all Delawareans that they should celebrate Earth Day.

HB97 allows those approved by DNREC to kill deer with a handgun instead of a rifle if they are killing to reduce deer overpopulation.

I am not making this up.

SB65

The Joint Sunset Committee recommended in 2014 that the Board of Funeral Services (the Board) and the Division of Professional Regulation (the Division) review Chapter 24, Title 31 of the Delaware Code and submit in 2015 proposed legislation to bring the law up to date with current funeral services standards and practices. This Act is the result of the Board and Division’s review and submission.

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NEXT : Some interviews….some tidbits.