From: ACTION ALERT Moderator Subject: ACTION ALERT: Indiana Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 21:58:09 -0600 (CST) [ submitted by LGBTFAIR@aol.com ] LGBT Fairness Indiana FREEDOM TO MARRY ACTION ALERT January 1997, #2 Anti-same-sex marriage legislation has been introduced into the Indiana legislature. This list is designed to be used for the next two weeks. Please complete approximately one of these actions each day. *** ACTIONS *** 1. Come to the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on SB 211. Come early. The room is small and our opponents have advertised this hearing to their members, so seats will be at a premium. Date: Wed., Jan. 29, 1997 Time: 9:00 a.m. Place: Indiana Statehouse, Room 125 (This is in the basement.) If you cannot attend, please call the chairperson. There is ostensibly an amendment being considered that has not been released for public scrutiny. Request that public comment be allowed at the meeting on any amendments in order to preserve public access to the legislative process. Call: Sen. Richard D. Bray (R-Martinsville) Indianapolis: 232-9400 or 232-9500 Deaf Line 232-0404 Toll Free: 1-800-382-9467 Deaf Line1-800-548-9517 2. Please write a letter to the editor of Rep. Vernon Smith district daily paper in support of Rep. Smiths decision to hold HB 1019 in his House Families, Children, and Human Affairs committee without a hearing. See the Talking Points below for areas to highlight in your letter. Write to: Editor The Post-Tribune 1065 Broadway St. Gary IN 46402 NOTE: Your county clerk or voter registrars office can give you the names of your Indiana legislators, as can the political party of your choice. Most public libraries can give you the names of your legislators if you know their district numbers. The district numbers are on the back of most Indiana voter registration cards. 2. Call your own Indiana State Senator. Leave a message saying Please vote NO on SB 211. Indianapolis: 232-9400 or 232-9500 Deaf Line 232-0404 Toll Free: 1-800-382-9467 Deaf Line 1-800-548-9517 If you are calling on a weekend, please contact your public library or LG BT Fairness Marla Stevens, beeper number 1-800-946-4646, PIN 110-3822, for home district contact information for your legislators. 3. Call your own Indiana State Representative. Leave a message saying Please vote NO on HB 1019 and SB 211. Indianapolis: 232-9600 or 232-9700 Deaf Line 232-0404 Toll Free: 1-800-382-9841 (R), 1-800-382-9842 (D) Deaf 1-800-548-9517 If you are calling on a weekend, please contact your public library or LGBT Fairness Marla Stevens, beeper number 1-800-946-4646, PIN 110-3822, for home district contact information for your legislators. 4. Send a small gift to Speaker of the House John Gregg. (Gift Suggestions: Cookies, fresh baked bread and butter or jam, cheese or sausage and crackers, a basket of fruit, a small teddy bear, a coffee mug, flowers, balloons, or a bottle of wine. Something with a love theme should be easy to find right now. Its the thought that counts, not the size or expense. Spkr. Gregg has a sweet tooth.) Attach a note thanking him for placing HB 1019, Voiding Same-Gender Marriages, in Rep. Vernon Smith92s Families, Children and Human Affairs Committee. If you have a personal story to tell about how the bill would affect you, please include it in your note. Even if you cant send a gift, please send the note. Send to: Rep. John R. Gregg Speaker of the House Indiana Statehouse Indianapolis IN 46204 5. Send a small gift to Rep. Vernon Smith, Chairperson of the House Families, Children, and Human Affairs Committee. (Please see gift suggestions above. Rep. Smith is known for his fashion sense and always sports trendy, colorful ties and matching pocket squares. He is also a deeply religious man.) Attach a note thanking him for shelving HB 1019, Voiding Same-Gender Marriages and for his expressed willingness to do the same with SB 211 should it reach the House. If you have a personal story to tell about how the bill would affect you, please include it in your note. Even if you cant send a gift, please send the note. Send to: Rep. Vernon G. Smith Indiana Statehouse Indianapolis IN 46204 6. Call Gov. Frank O'Bannon. Ask him to work to see that SB 211, Voiding Same-Gender Marriages, does not reach his desk and, if it does, for his veto. Telephone: 317-232-4567 7. Write a follow-up note to Gov. Frank O'Bannon. If you supported his gubernatorial campaign, please say so. Tell him why you oppose the bill, emphasizing that it will cost the state millions of dollars in legal expenses if passed. Remind him of the support he got from LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender) people and those friendly to LGBT equality and that being in a position to either sign or veto the bill would not be in his best interests. Ask him to instruct his legislative liaison to work seriously to kill SB 211 by asking Spkr. John Gregg to assign SB 211 to Rep. Smiths Families, Children, and Human Affairs Committee if it comes to the House. Tell him that Rep. Smith is willing to have SB 211 assigned to his committee and to thus deflect the heat from the rest of his caucus. Ask that he be given that chance. Ask for a progress report from the Governors staff about this issue. Write to: Gov. Frank O'Bannon Indiana Statehouse Indianapolis IN 46204 8. Call Rep. Jesse M. Villalpando (D-Griffith, Lake Co.), Chairperson of the House Judiciary Committee. If you are his constituent, say so and ask for a return call. If not a constituent, just leave a message. Ask that he deflect SB 211 from his committee to Rep. Smiths, who wants the bill assigned there. Ask that, if the bill is assigned to Judiciary, he shelve the bill without a hearing. Indianapolis: 232-9600 or 232-9700 Deaf Line 232-0404 Toll Free: 1-800-382-9842 (D) Deaf Line 1-800-548-9517 If you are calling on a weekend, please contact your public library or LGBT Fairness Marla Stevens, beeper number 1-800-946-4646, PIN 110-3822, for home district contact information for your legislators. 9. Call Spkr. John Gregg. If you are from Spkr. Greggs district, say so. Ask that, if the bill comes to the House, he assign SB 211 to Rep. Vernon Smiths Families, Children and Human Affairs Committee. Remind him that Rep. Smith wants to take the bill and that, as its House companion, HB 1019 , was already assigned there, it would be the most logical placement for SB 211. Indianapolis: 232-9628 (Direct Line) Deaf Line 232-0404 Toll Free: 1-800-382-9842 (D) Deaf Line 1-800-548-9517 This contact should be on a weekday only. 10. Call Rep. William Bill Bailey (D-Seymour), Chairperson of the House Public Policy Committee. If you are his constituent, say so and ask for a return call. If not a constituent, just leave a message. Ask that he deflect SB 211 from his committee to Rep. Smiths, who wants the bill assigned there. Ask that, if the bill is assigned to Public Policy, he shelve the bill without a hearing. Indianapolis: 232-9600 or 232-9700 Deaf Line 232-0404 Toll Free: 1-800-382-9842 (D) Deaf Line 1-800-548-9517 If you are calling on a weekend, please contact your public library or LGBT Fairness Marla Stevens, beeper number 1-800-946-4646, PIN 110-3822, for home district contact information for your legislators. 11. Send a small gift to Rep. Mark Kruzan (D-Bloomington), House Majority Floor Leader. (Please see suggestions in No. 4, above. Rep. Kruzan adores Indiana University memorabilia.) Attach a note thanking him for his tireless efforts to kill the current crop of bad marriage bills and for his years of legislative support for equal rights for LGBT people. If you cannot send a gift, please send a note anyway. Send to: Rep. Mark Kruzan House Majority Floor Leader Indiana Statehouse Indianapolis IN 46204 --- _____________________________________________________________________________ * ACTION-ALERT is a moderated mailing list. * * To subscribe to ACTION-ALERT, send mail to: majordomo@vector.casti.com * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: subscribe action-alert * * To unsubscribe to ACTION-ALERT, send mail to: majordomo@vector.casti.com * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: unsubscribe action-alert * * Words in the Subject: line are NOT processed! * _____________________________________________________________________________