House Bill 1277 increases the penalty for providing
alcohol to minors. Violations will increase from the
current penalty of community service to the
revocation of the the violator's driver's license for
one year. The law applies to adults who provide alcohol
to minors AND it also applies to minors who provide
alcohol to other minors. Special drivers
privileges are subject to a Judge's approval for driving
strictly to work and to school (college). We added a
provision to make sure parents will not receive
insurance charges for the license revocation. This is
all about taking away the privilege to drive in North
Carolina from people who carelessly provide alcohol to
our children.
Auto Theft Penalites Expanded and Increased (Click
this link to read the bill)
Today, thieves are towing cars to facilities (called
"Chop Shops") that disassemble stolen vehicles and
others are selling the stolen automobiles in
pieces. House Bill 1354 expands the definition of
auto theft to target thieves who actively
participate in the auto theft process, such as
towing a car to a chop shop or distributing stolen
parts from a chop shop. Today, these thieves can
only be charged with simple possession of stolen
property. This law increases the penalty for these
acts as if the thief was caught red handed stealing
the car and they will be subject to greatly
increased penalties. It will also apply to the
property owner if it can be proven that the property
owner knew an illegal chop shop was in operation.
With this legislation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg law
enforcement agencies will be better able to shut
down an estimated 10 chop shops that operate in our
area and this will help reduce the growing rate of
auto theft across the State.
