Going yard on Bromwell
The last day of the 90-day General Assembly session is hectic but there’s also some time between the fast-paced voting sessions and last-minute committee meetings to blow off steam — and play whiffle ball.
That’s what Del. Eric Bromwell and some others members of the county delegation (and others from around the state) were doing for a few minutes this afternoon in a small courtyard behind the Lowe House Office Building.
These games are not common during most of the session but the last day, known as Sine die (latin for without a day) takes on a life of it’s own. It’s a lot of hurry-up-and-wait as bills are voted on, reprinted and voted on again in an attempt to squeeze as many bills as possible through the process before the session expires.
By the time I got there, things were just wrapping up but not before Del. Justin Ross, a Prince George’s County Democrat, took Bromwell, who was pitching, deep, depositing the ball on the other side of a 6-foot iron fence that encloses the courtyard.
“Sometimes when you’re waiting for the print shop to print bills there’s nothing to do but blow off steam,” Bromwell said as he put his tie back on.
The House of Delegates and Senate go back into session at 5 p.m. They’ll be in and out till the end of session at midnight.