dec 7 sen. daniel newsletter
DESCRIPTION
NC Cistrict 44 NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
Burke DISTRICT 44 Caldwell
Dear Friends,
Last week the General Assembly discussed two important
issues facing North Carolinians. On Monday the Senate approved
reforms to the Racial Justice Act, a law allowing convicted
murderers and child rapists on death row to more easily appeal their
sentences using statistics that allegedly show racial bias. These
reforms will ensure that death row inmates cannot unjustifiably
appeal their sentences and be released back into the community. It
will preserve justice for more than 100 North Carolina families
whose loved ones’ innocent lives were brutally taken. As many
legislators and district attorneys have predicted, the law has been
severely abused. Nearly every death row inmate has filed a Racial
Justice Act appeal, including criminals who are the same race as
their victims and most members of their juries.
The reforms to the Racial Justice Act do not prevent
convicted criminals from appealing their sentence on the grounds of
racial bias – they simply clarify that state courts must use the
standards set by the U.S. Supreme Court, ensuring murderers cannot
manipulate statistics or use arbitrary data to avoid justice. The
previous Racial Justice Act was an ill-conceived law that has turned
out to have very little to do with race or justice. To be candid, it was
designed by liberals as an underhanded way to eliminate the death
penalty in North Carolina. I support the reforms to the act, and hope
that the Governor will sign it into law.
One of the problems that has been identified with the Racial
Justice Act is that successful appeals are supposed to reduce the
defendant’s sentence from death to life in prison without parole. But
according to the General Assembly’s nonpartisan legal staff, a
person who committed first degree murder before Oct. 1, 1994 –
before the life without parole sentence was provided for by NC law –
could be eligible for release after 20 years in prison based on the
Supreme Court’s decision in State v. Connor.
Continued on Page 2
CONTACT INFORMATION: Senator Warren T. Daniel Legislative Office Bldg., Room 411 300 N. Salisbury St. Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 Email: [email protected] Phone: 919-715-7823 Fax: 919-754-3265 District Office of Sen. Warren Daniel 348 Harper Avenue NW Lenoir, NC 28645 Email: [email protected] Phone: 828-754-9335 Fax 828-754-9335 (Please call before faxing)
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(For pictures, more news, resources)
DECEMBER ISSUE #1
LAWS THAT GO INTO EFFECT THIS MONTH
HB 215 Unborn Victims of Violence Act/Ethan’s Law: An act to create criminal offenses for acts that cause death or injury of an unborn child or are committed against a pregnant woman.
HB 427 Run and You’re Done: An act to provide for the seizure, forfeiture, and sale of motor vehicles used by defendants in felony cases involving speeding to elude arrest.
HB 650 Castle Doctrine: An act to expand the right to own, possess, or carry a firearm in the home, vehicle, and workplace, among others.
HB 49 Laura’s Law: An act to increase the punishment for DWI offenders with three or more aggravating factors, to authorize the court to require continuous alcohol monitoring for certain offenders, and to increase the court costs for DWI offenders.
DECEMBER 07, 2011
Mrs. Lydia Daniel, wife of Senator
Daniel, standing on the bank at the
Sea of Galilee in Israel.
DECEMBER 07, 2011
Burke DISTRICT 44 Caldwell
State v. Connor ruled it unconstitutional to impose a sentence
of life without parole if the crime was committed before passage of
the life without parole statute. Those who committed first degree
murder between Oct. 1, 1994 and Dec. 1, 1998 could also be eligible
for release after 25 years.
The Senate also met this week to discuss the rising gas prices
and North Carolina’s high gas tax. Like many of my colleagues in
the legislature, I believe our current gas tax is too high. But instead
of merely placing a cap on the gas tax for future legislatures to
remove, I believe that we need to restructure the way the tax code
currently funds our transportation needs. The Senate Appropriations
Committee leadership is currently working on a comprehensive plan
to cut the gas tax when we make changes to the budget during the
May 2012 short session. The purpose of the short session is to make
budget adjustments, and the gas tax is a top priority. There is simply
not sufficient time during a two-day session to discuss making
significant changes to the $6.4 billion transportation budget. The
short session will provide enough time to deliberate on this issue and
responsibly restructure the transportation funding process.
Once again, I thank you for your input into the policy-
making process in North Carolina. I appreciate your questions,
comments and concerns. My work in Raleigh would be impossible
without your help. If you would like to hear more about my trip or
see any pictures please contact me or my office staff, as I am glad to
share. I hope you have a great week and be sure to look out for our
final newsletter of the year as we reflect upon and celebrate the
Christmas holiday and the New Year!
Best Regards,
The Senate is looking for Pages for the upcoming Legislative Session in May. The Senate Page Program is an
excellent opportunity for you to participate in the lawmaking process. You can see how bills are introduced,
discussed in committee meetings, and voted on by the Senate and House members before being delivered to the
Governor's desk for his signature. It's an exciting adventure you will remember for the rest of your life. Write or call
the office if you or your child are interested. Check the link below for additional information regarding the program.
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/senate/pages/howtoapply.html
PAGES NEEDED!!!
Senator Daniel’s Pilgrimage to Israel In November my family and I were privileged to travel to the Holy Land with a tour group from our church that was led by my pastor. Like most of us who are accustomed to the safety and security of the U.S., I was initially apprehensive about the prospects of flying 12 hours across the world to travel in a country that is in a constant state of heightened alert. But after a day of adjusting to the seven-hour time difference, it was apparent that the Israelis are diligent about maintaining security in their country, and that (much like America) there is little risk to travelers who mind their surroundings and travel in safe areas during daylight hours. I can’t begin to convey how deeply moving it is to see sites that Jesus saw and to walk down streets paved with stones on which He walked. From a shepherds’ cave in Bethlehem to the Sea of Galilee, from to the Upper Room in Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane, from the house of Caiaphas, to Golgotha and the empty tomb, it was a wonderful trip that gives much greater meaning to the scriptures and to Bible stories that I have heard from my childhood. There are many tourist destinations about which one would say, “Now that I’ve seen it, I don’t feel a need to return,” (i.e., “been there, done that”) but I knew by the second day of our travels that the Holy Land was a place to which I would someday like to return. It was the journey of a lifetime, and I hope that many of you who are reading this will someday be blessed with the opportunity to go there.
(See Photos on Page 3)
Page 2
The
Church of the Nativity
Mediterranean Sea
at Caesarea Philippi
On the Sea of Galilee
In front of a model of the Old City
at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem The Garden Tomb
(Gordon’s Tomb)