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RELEASES |
June 18, 2007
Snow Falls on the Blogosphere
Today Senator John Snow announces the launch
of his online blog at http://www.senatorsnow.com/blog.html
“The reason for the blog is to provide more timely information
for people back in the district,” said Snow. “The 50th
Senate District is closer to 5 other State capitals than our own
and sometimes it’s hard for people in the far west to get
up to date information about what is happening in Raleigh. I hope
that this new web technology will be able to add a new and dynamic
feature to my online office,” Snow continued.
A blog is an interactive website where people can provide information,
news or commentary on a subject matter of their choosing. In
addition people can provide comment on Senator Snow’s postings
on the blog. The blog can act as a forum for people from across
the
district to have an ongoing and interactive conversation about
issues being discussed in Raleigh.
“I hope that this will be a new and helpful way for people
from across our district to come together and both read and talk
about new ideas that affect our public policy,” said Snow.
Senator Snow is the first member of the Senate to have a blog
and one of the first members of the General Assembly to use this
new online communication tool.
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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.”
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Release Number 2 May 12,
2006
Snow introduces
plan to strengthen private property
rights Eminent domain laws must allow
more protection for property owners
Raleigh
– Sen. John Snow introduced legislation today in the North Carolina
Senate to strengthen property owners’ protections against the use of
eminent domain by local governments.
Snow’s proposal explicitly prohibits local
governments from using eminent domain to seize private property for
economic development purposes.
“Owning a home is part of the American dream, and
people work hard to make that dream come true,” Snow said. “Local
governments should not be in the business of bulldozing people’s
homes to make way for a new shopping mall or fast food
stand.”
The Bill of Rights and the North Carolina
Constitution both guarantee that North Carolinians cannot be
deprived of their property without due process of law, and that
private property cannot be taken for a public purpose without just
compensation.
But last summer the US Supreme Court ruled that
economic development qualifies as a “public purpose,” meaning that
it would not be a violation of the US Constitution for local
governments to condemn and acquire property for what they view as
economic development.
“I have heard from hundreds of people throughout my
Senate district who fear that their homes or businesses could be
taken away from them for economic development reasons and they
demand eminent domain reform,” Snow said. “While North Carolina’s
laws currently do not allow local governments to take property for
this purpose, we need to strengthen those laws and make it crystal
clear to everyone that the rights of private citizens will come
first.” |
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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. |
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