147th DE General Assembly

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The Significance of June 30

June 30. It seems like an insignificant date year after year. For many, it simply means……

  • half of 2014 is already over!
  • summer is officially here!
  • Little League All-Stars are under way!
  • State 4-H camp is over until next year!
  • the DE State Fair is less than 20 days away!
  • the 4th of July holiday is just around the corner!

But in DE state government, it is significant. It’s the end of our state’s legislative session (no exclamation point). This means late nights for many state employees and legislators as they try to wrap another year’s budget and policy making. This will mark the end of the 147th General Assembly. It ran from January 2013 to present. Any bills left in limbo are forever gone. All legislation must be introduced as new in the next session, which will begin in January 2015.

This year’s session was plagued by low revenues, a proposed gas and water tax, e-cigarette laws, and another potential casino bailout. There wasn’t much room for anything else; therefore agriculture took a normal backseat. Here’s a roundup of ag-related legislation from this past session (click on the link for more info):

  • HB 385 w/ HA 1– Industrial Hemp
    • This is Rep. Dave Wilson’s bill to allow DDA and/or any higher education institution in DE to create and operate the pilot programs to study the growth, cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp. According to NCSL, 15 other states currently have laws allowing for hemp production. So far it has only passed the House. Time may run out.
  • SB 245 w/ SA 1 – Dangerous Dogs & Animal Fighting
    • I don’t really consider this an agricultural bill but it comes through on my RSS feed. It pertains to the treatment of animals when seized for criminal activity, etc. It passed the Senate and just came out of the House Health & Human Development Committee.
  • SB 201 w/ SA 1 – Humane Killing, Authority of DDA
    • This is an interesting bill but needed, in my opinion. It clarifies the duties of the newly established Office of Animal Welfare within Public Health to oversee “companion animal” programs as well as shelter standards, previously managed by DDA. It also updates DDA’s role to focus on poultry and livestock species. It passed both chambers and is awaiting the Governor’s signature.
  • HB 122 w/ HA 1, HA 2, & SA 2 – Amending Registration of Farm Vehicles
    • This bill requires farmers to register their farm vehicle with DMV and display an official “FV” tag, which replaces the former white, plastic Farm Vehicle Use tag. This stemmed from rampant illegal abuse of the white plastic tag. The new tag is only available through DMV. The cost is $10 with a signed affidavit, confirming that they meet requirements for being a farmer. For more specifics see this blog post from the DE Farm Bureau. I need to print this for Farmer Dan and my Grandfather. They love going to DMV (no exclamation point).
  • HB 150 w/HA 1, HA 2 – Raw Milk Bill
    • Sponsored by Rep. Outten (my district), this bill sought to legalize raw milk for public consumption within Delaware state lines even though the FDA  does not support. It was defeated in the House last June (2013). But a May 2014 House of Representatives e-newsletter highlighted this bill again, touting a “far more tightly focused bill” and stated it would be circulated for sponsorship soon. Haven’t heard anything since. There are some audio cuts on the House of Reps website.
  • HB 63 – Freedom to Farm 
    • Sad to see this bill sit on House Ready List for more than a year. Perhaps it got complicated because it was a constitutional amendment? Or no one advocated? I sent an email to the Secretary of Ag and my legislators in support. Maybe something bigger and better is planned for next session?

A few other semi-related ag bills:

  • HS 1 for HB 60 w/ HA 1, HA 2, HA 3 – Direct Shipment of Wine to DE Consumers (for those in the grape business)
  • SCR 64 – Establishing the DE Waterways Management and Financing Advisory Committee (for DE Watermen)

Keep in mind, the session isn’t over yet. Interesting things can happen in the wee hours of June 30 (no exclamation point).

 

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New Year, New Session, & New Ag Committee Assignments

Another election year has come and gone. It was a big one for our state legislature, as every seat was up for grabs due to the 10 year census and the redrawing of district lines. In addition, many long-time incumbents retired, including former Senator George Bunting (D) who was the long-time chair of the Senate Ag Committee. These changes have definitely altered the face of our legislature and I’m not referring to party affiliation but more so age. New leadership has been chosen in each chamber and committees assigned. Here’s a rundown, relative to Agriculture, of course.

The Senate: 13 Democrats, 8 Republicans

New Leadership:

  • President Pro Temp: Patricia Blevins (D)
  • Majority Leader: David McBride (D)
  • Majority Whip: Margaret Rode Henry (D)
  • Minority Leader: Gary Simpson (R)
  • Minority Whip: Gregory Lavelle (R)

Senate Ag Committee Members:

  • Bruce Ennis, Chair (D)
  • Bethany Hall-Long (D) (new to committee)
  • Robert Venables (R)
  • Gary Simpson (R)
  • Gerald Hocker (R) (newly elected; previously served in House) (new to committee)

The House: 27 Democrats, 14 Republicans

New Leadership:

  • Speaker of the House: Pete Schwartzkopf (D)
  • Majority Leader: Val Longhurst (D)
  • Majority Whip: John Viola
  • Minority Leader: Dan Short
  • Minority Whip: Deborah Hudson

House Ag Committee members:

  • John Atkins, Chair (D)
  • Quinn Johnson, Vice-Chair (D)
  • William Carson (D)
  • W. Charles “Trey” Paradee (D) (newly elected) (new to committee)
  • Rebecca Walker (D)
  • Micheal Mulrooney (D)
  • Dave Wilson (D)
  • Harvey Kenton (R)
  • William “Bobby” Outten (R)
  • Harold Peterman (R)
  • Jeffrey Spiegelman (R) (newly elected) (new to committee)

Important to note: The 147th General Session begins on January 8, 2013. The House Ag Committee plans to meet every Wednesday from 4-5:30 pm when in session. Other committees to watch, relative to ag, would be the Natural Resources committee. See a list of all House committees here. See a list of all Senate committees here.

Granted, I know Ag isn’t the most popular committee and in past years it hasn’t seen much legislation introduced but you never know what 2013 and this new session will bring. Plus there are many things going on federally that may impact state budgets and regs. I will say that I was hoping newly elected Sen. Ernie Lopez would be on the Senate Ag Committee; however, I’m happy he landed on the Education and Natural Resources committees. Better luck next time, I guess.

Here’s to 2013 and what this new session will bring………Happy New Session & New Year!