To say that the national conversation over the brutal murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail system has had a ripple effect at all levels of government would be an understatement.
Here in Charlotte, for instance, following public outcry even among some Democrats, the Democrat-controlled City Council is already making moves to increase and broaden security on the light rail. Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate are also putting forth legislation dealing with, among other things, strengthening transit crime reporting and oversight.
There will also be a House Judiciary Committee - Oversight Subcommittee field hearing in Charlotte next Monday to talk about victims of violent crime, and to shine a harsh spotlight on soft-on-crime policies and repeat offenders. All of this, of course, will help further inform the public ahead of future bills introduced in response to the horrific crime.
Perhaps most importantly in the immediate aftermath of her murder, however, is what the North Carolina General Assembly, which is controlled by Republicans, is doing.
This week, both the House and Senate passed HB 307, titled "Iryna's Law," in honor of Zarutska. It's a bill that seeks to address some of the issues that many believe allowed her alleged killer, 34-year-old homeless man and repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr., to roam free:
[The bill] tightens pretrial conditions for the release of violent offenders, eliminates cashless bail, establishes a new protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the criminal justice system, and sets a firmer timeline for appeal in death penalty cases.
The bill creates a new category of “violent offenses” requiring GPS monitoring, house arrest, or secured bond for those accused, and adds committing a capital felony on public transportation to the list of aggravating factors that can make a defendant eligible for the death penalty.
Though there was significant bipartisan support for the bill on the House side in the Tuesday vote, including among Charlotte-area Democrats, there were also a fair amount of hurt feelings reports filed by other Democrats over issues like the terms Republicans used to describe Brown ahead of the vote.
Other Democrats complained about the death penalty provisions in the bill and how they were allegedly cruel and inhumane.
"Restarting the death penalty and you and I and the rest of the state of North Carolina having these people executed in our name, I don't know that you want to go there. I'm going to be a no," Rep. Pricey Harrison (D) proclaimed.
Clearly fed up, NC House Majority leader Brenden Jones just went off on Morey, Harrison, and some of his "no" colleagues on the left in an emotional moment, referencing his children, noting how he had watched the full video of what happened to Zarutska, and correctly pointing out that no one in that room would want what happened to her happening to their loved ones:
The Senate passed the bill on Monday, but no Democrats voted for it, claiming that the addition of an amendment by Senate President Phil Berger on restarting the death penalty and looking into alternative methods to lethal injections was a dealbreaker. Rather than vote on the bill, some of them simply walked out:
Just another day in North Carolina politics.
The bill now heads to Democrat Gov. Josh Stein's desk. It's unclear whether he'll sign it, veto it, or ignore it, which effectively would make it law, but if he vetoes it, it is likely to be overridden.
Editor's Note: President Trump isn't going to allow lawlessness to reign in America. We will not have a repeat of 2020's "Summer of Love."
Please help RedState continue to report on the president's crackdown on crime and expose the truth about the woke left trying to destroy our great country. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.