McConnell Calls on House to Lift Drought on Reform
Filed Under Caucus, Top News, McConnell
Columbia, SC – After members of the House Judiciary Committee moved to adjourn debate on the DNA database bill and a bill dealing with Sentencing Reform, President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell called on the House of Representatives to spend some time working on those reform issues in order to save South Carolina lives.
Senator McConnell said, “The Senate passed a series of reform bills that were designed to make every day a safer one for South Carolina families. Unfortunately, the House has consistently delayed consideration of these crime-fighting bills. I hope that the citizens of South Carolina will call their Representatives and say enough is enough. That it is time for the House to debate and pass these bills to make our state safer. As our state works out of a water drought, we don’t need to deal with a drought of reform.”
The Senate has passed several bills designed to make South Carolina safer. These bills include the South Carolina Teacher Protection Act, the DNA database bill, and a bill to reconstitute the Sentencing Reform Commission. “Sadly, these bills languish with other Senate reform bills like English only and a constitutional convention on illegal immigration.”
Senator McConnell explained the importance of each of these components in the war on crime and justice. “We cannot expect our teachers to teach if they have to be afraid of injury or lawsuit in the performance of their duties. The Teacher Protection Act allows teachers to do their jobs without looking over their shoulder. Another major issue is that law Enforcement has said that the DNA bill is the most important thing our state can do to fight crime especially crime against women and children. Finally, the Sentencing Guideline Reform is designed to allow for alternative sentencing for minor crimes so that the state will have the room to hold those who commit violent crimes for a very long time.”
Finally, Senator McConnell stated, “We need to backup the police, not hinder them and we need to protect law abiding school teachers. I cannot imagine anything more pressing than the safety of our people.”
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