Today, the House of Representatives passed S 1789 the Fair Sentencing Act with bi-partisan support and the bill now goes to President Obama for his signature. This important reform to the unfair and unnecessary crack cocaine sentencing law reduces the disparity between sentencing for drug crimes involving crack cocaine versus powder cocaine. Until now, possessing or dealing five grams of crack cocaine—the weight of two pennies—resulted in the same five-year mandatory minimum sentence as dealing 500 grams of powder cocaine.

Cross posting from the Blog of Rights:

Towards the end of a marathon session that lasted almost 20 hours, the North Carolina House and Senate reached an agreement on HB 1403 Collect DNA Sample on Arrest and both chambers passed the measure early this morning. HB 1403 creates an end-run around the Fourth Amendment and flies in the face of the presumption of innocence by allowing law enforcement to take DNA from all individuals arrested, but not convicted of many felonies and some misdemeanors without a warrant.

In a vote of 46-1, with only Senator Eleanor Kinnaird voting against the proposal, the NC Senate passed HB 1403 Collect DNA Sample on Arrest this afternoon. Senator Kinnaird spoke eloquently against the bill and in favor of "protecting the constitution." The Senate did make changes to the bill so it must return to the House for a concurrence vote in which the House can either approve or disapprove the Senate version. HB 1403 is expected to be in the House for the concurrence vote tomorrow, July 9th.

In a vote of 92-23, the NC House of Representatives passed HB 1403 Collect DNA Sample on Arrest this afternoon. The bill creates an end-run around the Fourth Amendment, allowing law enforcement to take DNA without a warrant from anyone arrested for certain felonies and misdemeanors. Despite compelling comments about the privacy concerns raised and concerns that the state cannot pay the tab for the proposal, it passed overwhelmingly.

The proposal that would allow law enforcement to take DNA on arrest for many crimes without a warrant or probable cause is headed to the NCGA House floor. HB 1403 Collect DNA on Arrest passed it's final committee and is scheduled to be heard on the House floor tomorrow, July 6th.

Call your House Representative today and ask them to oppose this bill on the floor! Contact your House Rep using the NCGA website.

HB 1403 Collect DNA on Arrest moved forward yesterday, July 1 when it passed the NC House Finance Committee. This bill allows DNA to be taken on arrest without probable cause or a warrant to support the search. There were objections to the bill. Some Representatives were concerned that there was no current fiscal note which meant it was unclear whether the state could cover the cost of the new initiative. Others objected to the threat the bill poses to the constitutional rights of North Carolinians.

The bill allowing parents of students with disabilities to prevent their child from being subject to corporal punishment is scheduled to be heard in the NCGA Senate Education Committee tomorrow, June 30th at 10. Currently neither parents nor students have the right to prevent the student from being subject to corporal punishment. This bill will change that as well as requiring important reporting from school districts on their use of corporal punishment to the State Department of Public Instruction.

The N.C. House of Representatives passed HB 1682 Corporal Punishment and Children with Disabilities by a vote of 113-0 on June 10th. Should this bill pass the Senate as well, parents of students with disabilities will have the right to prevent their child from being struck at school. Currently there is no North Carolina law that affords parents or students the ability to remove themselves from being subject to corporal punishment.

HB 1682, which allows parents of students with disabilities to prevent their children from being subject to corporal punishment, was passed unanimously by the House Judiciary II Committee today. The bill also requires that school districts report the race or ethnicity, grade level, the number of students with disabilities subject to corporal punishment, and the reason for the administration of corporal punishment to the Department of Public Instruction annually.