March 7, 2007.

We need your help and we don’t have much time.  I just heard this afternoon that SB 306 An Act to Eliminate the Death Penalty has been scheduled for a hearing Friday, March 9th at 8:00 am.  Normally the hearing process requires a notice of at least 72 hours before the hearing to allow people to prepare for the hearings, as well as get those who are outside of Helena the opportunity to appear.  This is less than 48 hours.

I would expect it is their intent to kill the bill in Committee quickly so no one will have to face the floor debate and have to justify their votes.  They want to do this in as quiet a fashion as possible with as little public input as possible. 

This bill passed the Senate and needs to pass the House in order to become law.  This is the furthest a death penalty abolition bill has come.  We need to get it through the House and send it to the Governor.  

We need your support on this issue and we need it now!!!!!!

Please write an email, make a call, and/or write a letter to every member of this committee.  Tell them that this issue deserves to be debated on the House Floor and ask them to vote for the bill so the House committee as a whole can debate it.

AND:

Please contact your friends and ask them to contact the committee members.
Please announce this plea at Mass tomorrow morning, at your committee meetings and prayer groups.
And most important:  please keep this in prayer.   

Listed below are the names, hometowns, and email addresses of the committee members.      

HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Diane, Rice (R) – Chair, Harrison, drice@3rivers.net
Ron Stoker (R) - Vice Chair, Darby, stoker@montana.com
Dave Gallik (D) - Vice Chair, Helena, gallik@intch.com
Douglas Cordier (D) Columbia Falls, bede@digisys.net
Robyn Driscoll (D) Billings, rdriscoll@peoplepc.com
Bob Ebinger (D) Livingstone, buffalojump@ycsi.net
George Everett (R) Kalispell, ixoye777@centurytel.net
Julie French (D) Scobey, julfrench71@yahoo.com
Rick Jore (C) Ronan, rickjore@hotmail.com
Krayton Kerns (R) Laurel, krayton@kraytonkerns.org
Roger Koopman (R) Bozeman, kppeman@imt.net
Deborah Kottel (D) Great Falls, debkottelhd20@hotmail.com
Tom McGillvray (R) Billings, tmcgillvray@bresnan.net
Jesse O'Hara (R) Great Falls, (no email)
Ken Peterson (R) Billings, kenneth59@bresnan.net
Holly Raser (D) Missoula, repraser98@bresnan.net
John Ward (R) Helena, hd84ward@wmconnect.com

Legislative Messages: 1-406-444-4800

House of Representatives mailing address:

Representative name
PO Box 200400
Helena, Mt 59620-0400
Fax 1-406-444-4825

get the PDF file here.