By Marla Dalrymple
Contributing Writer

Sen. John Snow

“I introduce bills important to the people in my legislation,” Snow said, who is currently sponsoring 219 pieces of legislation and is the primary sponsor on 67 bills.

Issues of primary importance to Snow include protecting children from sexual predators and passing the mental health insurance bill.

Sen. Snow said he feels healthcare should be available to all U.S. citizens.

“We’ll have to have something at the national level, but we stand ready to do something,” he said. He continues to support Project Care, a project of the Senior Tarheel Legislature, which allows respite care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Snow introduced legislation this year requiring school buses to use bio-fuels as well as legislation preventing people who make their own fuel from having to pay a road tax. In order to produce ethanol for fuel, people must apply for a permit from the ABC board. “It’s absurd and a blockage to us trying to move ahead,” Snow said. “People are trying to use bio-fuels. We need to get off of foreign oil and do that.”

The senator reports working on the development of a sales-tax-free day for energyefficient appliances. “It’s hard to get Americans to conserve,” he told the gathered crowd. Senate Bill 3 is based upon using sustainable energy, and according to Snow, it was really hard to pass. In Transylvania County, however, a revolutionary project is being undertaken that will be the largest solar energy farm in the United States with 250 acres of solar plates. “This is progress,” he said.

For campaign and election reform, Snow voted in favor of same-day and new voter registration. He also supported matching funds for campaigns funded by individuals to provide the opportunity to combat slander if used against them in a campaign. He supported changing the minimum age of execution to 18 and a law requiring all discovered information to be turned over to the district attorney in a murder investigation. “This will help keep the innocent from being wrongly convicted,” Snow said.

Locally, Snow said that a set of flashing traffic lights has been supplied at Cartoogechaye School through the use of discretionary funds. “The money is there,” said Snow. “If you don’t ask for it, you don’t get it.”

The senator also said he would like to work toward developing an educational video for youth that addresses risky behaviors such as speeding, drunk driving, using methamphetamines and playing the choking game. Prepared through UNC-TV and with the help of the Department of Public Instruction, the video would also utilize the knowledge of psychologists to deter kids from these dangerous activities.

Snow says he has a plan to take the video proposal to the schools and also plans on sharing the video with parents.

“We can’t afford to have children doing stuff like this when we have the opportunity to stop it,” he said. Snow said he is also working to change the juvenile age from 16 to 18 in North Carolina, which will affect how early kids can legally drop out of school.

Snow said that, along with having worked to increase Teaching Fellow Scholarships, he will ask for funding to support the Teacher Cadet Program that gives young people interested in teaching the opportunity to teach during the summer months.

In regard to water quality, the senator says he has helped to establish conservation areas at old watersheds.

“We’re trying to do something in North Carolina to protect our water,” said Snow. He also reiterated that there are a lot of things citizens can do to “save a little water without hurting anybody. We’ve got to start planning our future. We’re destroying our land here in North Carolina and developing property at a rate that will take your breath away.”

To learn more about the goals and legislation of Sen. John Snow, visit his Web site at www.senatorsnow.com.