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.

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.”

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.”