By Joseph Edelen

DOVER — The House of Representatives unanimously voted to override Gov. John Carney's veto of House Bill 282 on Wednesday, which now gives the Senate a chance to repeat the procedure to enact the measure into law.

The legislation – which would shift membership and leadership of the State Employee Benefits Committee – was vetoed by the term-limited governor Tuesday, as he cited concerns the bill would impede the committee’s efficiency, fail to reign in health care costs and remove valuable expertise on the body.

It is the first successful veto override to occur in either chamber of the General Assembly in 47 years, when both chambers voted to override Gov. Pierre S. du Pont's veto of the 1978 fiscal year supplemental state budget on July 6, 1977.

The proposal centers on instilling transparency and accountability on the State Employee Benefits Committee, lead sponsor Rep. Paul Baumbach, D-Newark, told his colleagues Wednesday.

The Newark Democrat underscored the diligent work of the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee - which he was a vice-chair of - for developing legislative recommendations for the next steps in addressing retiree health care in Delaware.

Rep. Baumbach also said he disagreed with many statements included in Gov. Carney's veto statement; specifically, House Bill 282's role in tackling the rising cost of health care in the state, and appointed retirees on the body, who the governor contended would, "have every incentive to oppose any proposal that might negatively impact their personal interests."

"What it is intended to do is to prevent that nightmare we went through from happening again, and it does that very well through two mechanisms: accountability and transparency," Rep. Baumbach said in reference to the state’s 2022 attempted implementation of a Medicare Advantage plan for retiree coverage, which was later halted by Delaware Superior Court.

"I think that can easily be felt as insulting to those who have served on the SEBC and those who will serve on the SEBC in the future... In stark contrast to what the governor has said in the statement, is the result of adding transparency and accountability."

During consideration of the override vote, Rep. Bryan Shupe, R-Milford echoed his support for House Bill 282, citing the need for retirees to have seat at the table. He also noted that over the last four years, state spending has increased 30%, resulting in this year’s $6.1 billion budget.

Under the bill, the State Employee Benefits Committee’s governor-appointed retiree would be replaced with two legislatively appointed pensioners. The Department of Human Resources secretary would be removed as a co-chair, with the Office of Management and Budget director becoming the chair.

Further, the vice chair would become an annually elected position. It also removes the controller general as a voting member, which Rep. Baumbach said was a suggestion mutually agreed upon by that office.

Additional aspects of the bill involve mandating public comment by the State Employee Benefits Committee before altering plans and ensuring outreach efforts by the Human Resources secretary about possible changes.

With the veto being overridden by the House, House Bill 282 now heads to back the Senate just over two months since it unanimously passed the chamber May 22.

Since veto overrides require three-fifths support, the legislation would need 13 yes votes in the chamber to pass and become law.

If a vote to override the veto is introduced in the Senate, it will likely take place Thursday or Sunday, which is the final day of the legislative session.