|
Hearings for Equality
It's crunch time - the deadline to hold hearings on our legislation is fast approaching, and we need your help to ensure that our legislation gets the fair hearing it deserves! Let your legislators here from you - and join MERI for a lobby day any Wednesday (except April 16th) at the State House to talk to them in person.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Equality Legislation Deserves a Hearing!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
It's that time of year again - spring is trying to bloom, and equal rights legislation sits before the General Assembly.
Three pieces of legislation that would help protect families in our communities run the risk of dying without a hearing. This legislation would protect families facing illness, infirmity and death; provide couples whose relationships have failed with the remedy of the divorce courts; and grant all loving, committed couples the freedom to marry. Please advocate for these bills to get the hearings they so rightly deserve.
I urge you to support legislation that would give all loving, committed families the freedom to protect themselves. Please help ensure that the Compassion for All Families Act(H 7711 and S 2737), equal divorce legislation (H 7939 and S 2713), and the freedom to marry (H 7839 and S 2204) get the hearings they deserve this year. Please speak to the leadership and Judiciary chairs and ask them to schedule hearings on these three bills.
Sincerely,
|
Campaign Launched:
April 07, 2008
|
Equality, Justice, the Freedom to Marry
All Rhode Island families deserve access to equal protections under the law. But if the legislature doesn't act soon, MERI's legislative platform runs the risk of dying without a vote, without a hearing, without ever seeing the light of day.
Please contact your legislators today to let them know they cannot ignore the importance of this legislation to same-sex couples and their families in our communities:
1. Compassion for All Families Act, which would give domestic partners the spousal benefits of family medical leave, nursing home visitation, and funeral planning. H 7711 (McCauley, Providence); S 2737 (Goodwin, Providence)
2. "Equal Divorce": would allow same-sex couples married outside of Rhode Island to divorce in Rhode Island courts. H 7939 (Fox, Providence); S 2713 (Connors, Cumberland/Lincoln)
3. Equal Marriage: would allow all Rhode Island couples the equal freedom to marry. H 7839 (Handy, Cranston) and S 2204 (Perry, Providence)
|
