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RELEASES |
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.”
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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:
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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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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 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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(919) 733 5875
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16 West Jones Street,
Room 2111 Raleigh, NC 27601
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105 Van Horn Street Murphy,
NC 28906
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