Public Safety: Meth Lab Prevention Act & Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Act

Perhaps Walter’s best qualification for office is that he is a parent. He understands the trepidation all parents have as we slowly loosen the reigns on our children and let them out into the world. Inevitably, we can’t always be there for them, but that doesn’t satiate our concerns or our need to protect.

There are overt and hidden dangers we must navigate as parents, especially in today’s internet age where predators and bad influences converge under the cover of anonymity. As our children grow and become more independent we want to know that our laws are protecting them. We are accountable, but society needs to be accountable as well – Walter Dalton is putting accountability into our laws.

Walter passed the Meth Lab Prevention Act in July of 2006 to crackdown on the production and distribution of meth. In July of this year he submitted legislation that will increase penalties for sex offenders and make it a felony for sex offenders to access social networking web sites like Myspace and Facebook where they prey on children. Here are the highlights of these initiatives and his additional work on public safety issues:

 

Meth Lab Prevention Act

• The Meth Act requires any pseudoephedrine product (Sudafed) to be sold behind a pharmacy counter. Pseudoephedrine is the main ingredient for producing meth.
• Must be 18 years or older to purchase a pseudoephedrine product without a prescription.
• Pharmacies and retailers must keep a record of pseudoephedrine purchases including name and address of customer.

Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Act

• Bans the use of social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook by sexual offenders. Violation is a felony.
• Increases penalties for sexual exploitation of a minor.
• Prohibits sexual offenders from concealing their identity by seeking a legal name change.

Public Safety Champion

• Fought to increase funding for law enforcement officers and agencies.
• Co-sponsored the bill to implement North Carolina DNA database and to use a GPS tracker system to monitor sex offenders.
• Supported tighter restrictions for the issuance of driver’s licenses and verification of citizenship for all state employees.