Release Number 4 July 14, 2010

Senator Snow Votes for DNA Legislation
New Law Will Solve Cold Cases, Prevent Violent Crimes

Raleigh — Senator John Snow voted for legislation giving law enforcement new tools to fight crime by collecting DNA samples from individuals arrested for violent felonies. The measure, which received final passage Saturday, was approved by a bipartisan 44-1 margin in the Senate and was sent to the Governor to be signed into law.

Under the legislation (H 1403), local law enforcement agencies will take DNA samples from individuals arrested for most violent felonies, burglaries, and sexual offenses. DNA samples collected by cheek swab will be analyzed by the SBI and then uploaded to the state and national DNA databases. The samples will be run against DNA taken from unsolved crimes to look for matches, and stored to compare against evidence collected from crime scenes. If the person is not convicted or the case is dismissed, the sample would be removed. Estimates show 100 cases could be solved in the first year.

Senator Snow, a former judge, said, “We will keep working to get dangerous criminals off the streets and prevent future violent crimes. DNA is the 21st Century fingerprint and this new law will allow the state to fight crime with high-tech identification tools.”

Release Number 3 May 25, 2006

Senate OKs teacher pay raises, mental health funds
Snow says budget is responsible plan to help families, small business

Raleigh – Teachers would get an 8 percent pay raise, the state would strengthen its job creation and disaster response efforts, and working families and small businesses would see tax relief and under the proposed budget approved Wednesday by the State Senate.

The Senate budget also makes unprecedented investments in education and mental health programs, caps the gas tax to help business and families cope with rising fuel prices, and raises the minimum wage to $6.15, a dollar more than its current level.

“This is a responsible budget that moves our state forward by growing our economy, improving education, and helping North Carolina’s families,” said Sen. John Snow.

The budget dedicates about 58 percent of the state’s resources to education, including an average 8 percent pay raise for teachers, $90 million in ABC bonuses for schools that meet academic goals, and increased financial aid for college students. The budget also dedicates lottery proceeds to reduced class sizes and prekindergarten programs.

The Senate’s budget, which was approved Wednesday with bipartisan support, also:
• Provides mental-health and substance-abuse programs with more than $105 million in new funding, including money to replace federal budget cuts and bonds to update the state’s mental hospitals.
• Strengthens economic growth with a tax reduction for more than 30,000 small business owners, $10 million for the “One NC” business-recruitment fund that has generated more than 18,000 jobs since 2001, and replenishing the Highway Trust Fund to improve the state’s roads and highway infrastructure.
• Improves children’s health with $14 million in new funding for Smart Start, funds to employ 90 school nurses, and funds to expand vaccinations for young children.
• Makes families more secure with electronic monitoring of the state’s most serious sex offenders, 90 new assistant district attorneys to the court system to reduce case backlogs, and a new emergency fund to improve the state’s disaster readiness and response.
• Protects the environment by implementing coastal habitat protection, improving water quality and protecting another 2,000 acres of state parkland.
• Continues fiscal responsibility by falling under the governor’s spending cap, setting aside more than $500 million in reserve funds, and improving oversight and accountability in the use of state funds.

“North Carolina is ranked as one of the nation’s most fiscally responsible states, and this budget continues our commitment to responsible budgeting while setting the right priorities to help our state move forward,” Snow said.

Release Number 1 May 9, 2006

General Assembly begins 2006 session Tuesday
Education, jobs, healthcare among top priorities, Snow says

Raleigh — North Carolina must do more to help working families by improving education, strengthening the economy, and making healthcare more affordable, Sen. John Snow said Tuesday as lawmakers began the 2006 legislative session.

With lawmakers anticipating a significant budget surplus for the first time in years, Snow said the General Assembly must continue the discipline that has earned North Carolina a ranking of fourth in the nation for fiscal integrity.

“We need to continue to be fiscally responsible and keep our state moving forward,” Snow said. “That means investing in important priorities like education and job creation, saving money in case of a hurricane, flooding, or economic downturn, and providing targeted tax relief for the hard-working families in our state.”

Snow said his biggest budget priorities would include:
• Raising teacher pay, reducing class sizes and increasing college scholarships;
• Protecting lottery education revenues and the Highway Trust Fund;
• Providing healthcare for children and assistance for senior citizens;
• Funding key economic-growth efforts such as community college job-training programs;
• Setting aside funds for the Rainy Day Fund and disaster preparedness; and
• Offering targeted tax relief to help consumers and businesses.

In addition to passing a balanced budget, Snow said lawmakers must help working families by helping small businesses afford healthcare for their employees, raising the minimum wage, protecting private property rights, and addressing skyrocketing energy prices. Tighter drivers’ license rules and better disaster response plans will improve public safety and security, he added.

Snow also pledged to work to make the lottery’s Public School Building Capital Fund equation fairer for counties that choose to keep their property taxes low. A comprehensive ethics and lobbying reform package also is needed to restore confidence in government, he said.

“ North Carolinians deserve a government that is responsive to their needs and responsible with their tax dollars,” Snow said. “But they also deserve an ethical government that is working for them, and not for special interests. I will work to make sure that North Carolinians have the type of government they can trust to lead our state forward.”