Gov. Roy Cooper issues a state of emergency and North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said extra prescriptions will be allowed. | Gov. Roy Cooper/Facebook
Gov. Roy Cooper issues a state of emergency and North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said extra prescriptions will be allowed. | Gov. Roy Cooper/Facebook
House Rep. Jerry Carter (R-Reidsville) wants Gov. Roy Cooper to sign a bill that would reform sentencing in the state.
"The General Assembly unanimously reformed mandatory minimum sentences in a bill that 'promotes rehabilitation of nonviolent offenders...could reduce mass incarceration in North Carolina'," Carter said in a Facebook post on June 18. "We urge the Governor to follow the President's lead and sign the First Step Act."
The First Step Act was approved in June. It overturns a portion of the state's mandatory minimum sentencing statute and reduces mass incarceration in the state, The Center Square reported.
The bill allows judges to make the decision on if a defendant being charged with a low-level drug offense should be sentenced under the habitual offender guidelines and allows those who are sentenced for trafficking or conspiracy to commit trafficking to ask for a shorter term, The Center Square reported. It also allows the Department of Information Technology to study criminal justice data that is collected.
House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) and Cooper recently launched task forces to delve into racial injustices and police reform after the national protests that have been going on since May, The Center Square reported.
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