Orange County 2021 Legislative Package

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3 JUSTICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT 8) Racial Equity in Criminal Justice — Support the recommendations of the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC), and specifically legislation to legalize the possession and use of marijuana and permit licensed businesses to engage in retail sales to adults, and this decriminalization will in turn broaden the agricultural economy and jobs as well as enhance revenue for governments with taxes, licenses, and other associated revenues that can be utilized to address opioid and other drug-related problems and other needs; 9) Abolish State Death Penalty — Support legislation to abolish the State of North Carolina's death penalty; 10)Bail Reform — Support legislation to develop and fund a plan to help reduce unnecessary arrests by expanding the use of citations or summons, replace money bail with non-financial, least restrictive conditions, restrict detention to the small number of people for whom no condition or combination of conditions can reasonably assure appearance in court and public safety, and reduce disparity within the pretrial justice system. Currently, indigent or poor people charged with crimes are often unable to get out of jail prior to trial because of their inability to pay; 11)Legislative Study on Educational Requirements for Law Enforcement Officers — Support legislation to establish a legislative study commission to review the current educational curriculum for law enforcement officers and make recommendations regarding potential modifications/additions. The overarching purpose of curriculum revision would be to instill in future LEOs some depth of understanding of the complex nature of the society they will serve. Potential topics for consideration include sociology, American history and literature, psychology, philosophy, and conflict resolution. In addition to members of the Senate and House, members should include a diverse array of experts in law enforcement and criminal justice education; also in higher education, specialists in the humanities/social science subject matter listed above; 12)County Jail System/Housing State Inmates Reimbursement — Support legislation to protect the fiscal viability of the county jail system by reinstating reimbursement for state inmates housed in county jails sentenced to 90 days or less; 13)Concealed Weapons in Parks —Seek legislation re-authorizing counties to fully regulate the carrying of concealed weapons on county-owned playgrounds and in county-owned parklands and authorize counties to prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons on county and county funded college/university campuses, in addition to playgrounds; 14)Court Funding — Support increased state funding for NC courts, including reinstating funding for drug treatment court;