Subject: ACTION ALERT: Illinois
From: James Yorton <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 09:23:27 -0500 (CDT)

[ submitted by Tim Pierce <[email-masked]> ]

		    ** PLEASE FORWARD **
		  ** Expires: April 25 **

	 author: Tim Pierce <[email-masked]>

SB 1773 is the Illinois "anti-recognition" bill.  It would
prevent legitimate same-sex marriages performed outside the
state from being recognized in Illinois.

SUMMARY: SB 1773 has been accelerated, and has suddenly been
  scheduled for Executive Committee hearing on Wednesday,
  April 24.  Call Republican members of the Executive
  Committee and tell them that this mean-spirited bill has
  no place in Illinois.  Non-residents of Illinois, please
  see the bottom of this message for instructions.

Following the strong showing in opposition of SB 1773 by gay
lobbyists on April 17, Illinois Republicans have changed
their tactics.  SB 1773 is now being rushed through the
House as quickly as possible.  On April 18, immediately
after the "No on SB 1773" lobby day, the bill was passed out
of Rules Committee and is scheduled for hearing before the
Executive Committee on Wednesday, April 24 at 9 a.m.

We need immediate action to demonstrate strong and
continuing opposition to this hateful bill.  Last week
Governor Jim Edgar and Speaker Lee Daniels received 10,000
petitions in opposition of SB 1773, and the House of
Representatives was deluged with more than a hundred
activists from around the state demanding that the bill be
stopped.  In response, twenty House Republicans sent a
letter to Speaker Daniels asking him to hold the bill.
Moderate Republicans see this bill as ultimately harmful to
their party, and the religious-political extremists behind
this legislation in the first place are increasing the
pressure.  WE CANNOT LET THEM WIN.  WE MUST KEEP UP OUR
MOMENTUM.

Illinois citizens: please call the following Republican
members of the Executive Committee.  Points to raise:

  * This bill is mean-spirited and divisive.  It does not support the
    values of Illinois citizens, and has no place in Illinois law.

  * The Illinois Christian Coalition "Religious Rights
    Watch" newsletter reports that Senator Fitzgerald
    introduced this bill "at the request" of the Christian
    Coalition.  Ask whether you are being represented in the
    legislature by your democratically elected
    representative, or by religious-political extremists
    with an anti-gay agenda.

Republicans on the Executive Committee:

  Name			Telephone		District Phone
  -----------------     --------------          --------------
  Ron Stephens:		(217) 782-8060		(618) 632-0373	(chair)
  Verna Clayton:	(217) 782-1664		(847) 520-3555	(vice-chair)
  Robert Biggins:	(217) 782-6578		(708) 941-1278
  Jack Kubik:		(217) 782-5821		(708) 442-0149
  Carole Pankau:	(217) 782-8158		(708) 582-0390
  Dan Rutherford:	(217) 782-7776		(815) 842-3632
  Kay Wojcik:		(217) 782-0827		(708) 529-0461

(Note: Kay Wojcik's district telephone number may actually
be in the new 847 area code.)

It is better to call Springfield offices (area code 217),
but if the line is busy or money is short, call the district
phone instead.

The following Democratic representatives also serve on the
Executive Committee.  These would also be good to contact,
especially if you live in one of their districts, but it is
much more critical right now to focus on the Republican
committee members.

  Miguel Santiago	(217) 782-0480		(312) 486-9779
  Jay Hoffman		(217) 782-0515		(618) 345-2176
  Rod Blagojevich	(217) 782-5971		(312) 772-0362
  Constance Howard	(217) 782-6476		(312) 783-8800

NON-RESIDENTS OF ILLINOIS: please do not call at this
  point.  We still hope to be able to stop the bill before
  it goes to the floor for a full vote before the house, and
  input from outside the state would make that more
  difficult.

  HOWEVER, if you are itching for action, please feel free
  to prepare a short letter for Governor Jim Edgar, and have
  it ready to go at a moment's notice.  If the bill gets
  through the house, we will need to pull out all the stops
  in order to prevent it from being signed.  The main point
  to focus on is that the bill is simply a mean-spirited
  piece of legislation that is not really about public
  policy, and is a cheap political move that will ultimately
  be harmful to the Republican party.

---
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