Alert: Another ICE Ban Hearing April 9th and Anti-Trans Bills April 10th at the State House

ICE Ban Bill

Note: If you gave testimony for the Senate Committee hearing last week, you can use the same testimony for the House Committee hearing this week!

Bill Number: H7968

Summary: This bill will end ICE contracts in RI and effectively eliminate immigration detention in our state.

Our position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status: Scheduled for committee hearing (House)

Resources: Check out AMOR’s H7968 Testimony Toolkit for background information and guidance on submitting testimony.

How to Submit Written Testimony:

• Submit testimony by: Tuesday, April 9, 3:00pm

• Write a short statement, 1-3 paragraphs, explaining why you support the bill, including your name, the bill number (H7968), and your viewpoint (FOR)

• Email written testimony to: [email protected]

How to Give In-Person Testimony:

• Attend the House Committee on State Government & Elections meeting on Tuesday, April 9 at the Rise of the House (around 4:00pm) in Room 101 at the State House

• Be prepared to share a brief statement about why you support the bill, including your name, the bill number (H7968), and your viewpoint (FOR)

Anti-Trans House Bills from Last Week, Rescheduled for April 10th

Bill Numbers:

• H7781, “Parents’ Bill of Rights”

• H7727, “Biological Identity” in Women’s Sports

Summary:

• H7781: This boilerplate bill delineates an expansive list of “parents’ rights” that gives parents substantial overreach and veto control over their children’s health, education, school experience, and governmental data collection. Specifically called out are sexual and health education, immunization, and religious education. Additionally, these types of laws have been used through the US to create safety risks for LGBTQ students; this bill would make it possible for school employees to face disciplinary action if they encourage a child to withhold information from a parent, even if it’s for the safety or well-being of that child.

• H7727: This bill would categorize athletes by their sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity in organized sports.

Our position: AGAINST / IN OPPOSITION

How to Submit Written Testimony:

• Submit testimony by: Tuesday, April 9th, 4:00pm

• For each bill, write a short statement, 1-3 paragraphs, explaining why you oppose the bill, including your name, the bill number (H7781, H7727), and your viewpoint (AGAINST)

• Email written testimony to: [email protected]

How to Give In-Person Testimony:

• Attend the House Education Committee meeting, Wednesday, April 10, at 4:00pm in the House Lounge at the State House

• Be prepared to share brief statements about why you oppose each bill, including your name, the bill numbers (H7781, H7727), and your viewpoint (AGAINST)

Reminders for Legislative Advocacy

• Be aware that written testimony submitted to any committee is considered public and will be posted to and accessible on the General Assembly website.

• All times and locations given below are accurate as of the writing of this newsletter, but the RI Legislature is prone to changing time and locations of hearings with little notice. If you want to give in-person testimony for a bill, go to this Bill Lookup Page to double check the bill status and meeting information before you go. Put the bill number (no H, no S) in the Bills input field and hit Enter for the most up to date information.

• Rise of the House or the Senate is when the full House or Senate finishes meeting together and breaks into separate committee meetings.

• For in-person testimony, when you arrive and/or during the meeting, you will receive instructions on when and how you can give testimony. Don’t be afraid to poke someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and ask.