BUDGET INCLUDES FOXX AMMENDMENT TO PROTECT RESCUE WORKERS

Meth Manufacturers Would Receive Strict Penalties When Lab Explosions Harm
Firefighters, Police

Meth offenders would receive an additional five years in prison if their
labs harm emergency service personnel, thanks to an amendment to the state
budget introduced by Sen. Virginia Foxx, R-Watauga. The North Carolina
Senate approved the budget yesterday.

Foxx was inspired to toughen the law after receiving a plea from the mother
of a former Deep Gap volunteer firefighter who nearly died while fighting a
blaze at a meth lab.

The five-term state Senator and Congressional candidate said that she is
pleased that her amendment could be included in the state budget. "This is
the very least we can do for our firefighters, police officers and EMS
workers who risk their lives for their communities on a daily basis," she said.

Foxx, whose Senate district has been plagued by methamphetamine, has made
it a mission to stop the proliferation of the drug. Last month, she also
co-sponsored a bill to increase criminal penalties for those who
distribute, manufacture and possess meth.