More terrible bills are making their way through Committee hearings this week. Your job, should you choose to accept it (again), is to register your support or opposition of these bills.
First up, reinstating the death penalty in New Hampshire. On May 30th, 2019, NH became the last New England state and the 21st state to abolish the death penalty. That repeal is not retroactive and there remains one person on death row, Michael Addison, convicted of murdering police officer Michael Briggs in Manchester in 2006.
Fun facts: NH hasn’t executed anyone since 1939 and has the lowest homicide rate in the nation.
Fun fact: Studies have shown that capital punishment is more costly to implement rather than a life imprisonment sentence, roughly $1.1 million versus $6-700,000 for life imprisonment.
The Republicans are repealing all manner of state revenue. Where do they think they’re going to get the money to legally kill people?
Anyway . . .
On Wed., Jan. 14th, the House Criminal Justice Committee will have a public hearing for the following bills:
- HB1749, reinstating the death penalty for murder offenses.
- HB1413, reinstituting the death penalty in cases of capital murder
- HB1737, relative to reinstating the death penalty for certain offenses against minors under 13 years of age
Click on the bill number to see who the sponsors are and more information about the bill itself.
The other bill will be heard in the same committee the next day Thurs., Jan. 15th.
- HB1730, making all offenses against minors involving sexual penetration or contact felony-level offenses punishable by death
To register your opposition to these four bills, click here and follow the prompts.
On Fri., Jan. 16th, 10:00am, the House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on HB1651. This bill establishes sexual assault orders of protection when they fear for their safety and updates certain rights for sexual assault survivors.
Currently, survivors of sexual assault may not be able to access civil domestic violence or stalking orders if they are not in a relationship with the offender, or their experiences don't rise to the level of stalking. This helps ensure these protections extend to all sexual assault survivors in NH, regardless of their relationship to the offender.
HB1651 strengthens survivors' right. This bill will require survivors be informed about the status and location of their rape kit and how long it will be stored. This gives survivors more control over their kit by being able to track its location through the system. This bill also fixes a shortfall in current law by ensuring rape kits are preserved for either the full statute of limitations or 20 years, whichever is longer. This protects access to evidence, especially for child survivors.
To register your support of this bill, click here and as before follow the prompts.
HB1740 completely repeals and rewrites NH's domestic violence statute, RSA 173-B. This bill would significantly restrict access to civil protection, increase danger for victims, and undermine decades of evidence-based domestic violence policy in NH. It will cut funding for crisis centers and survivor services, making it harder to get a protective order by requiring there be criminal charges before someone can get protection. This will create more court delays, costs, and barriers for victims, undermining victim privacy and emergency protections when danger is highest.
To register your opposition to these dangerous bills, click here and again, follow the prompts.
Thank you again for taking the time to participate in our democracy!