HD37 Dems: Fwd: Good news on HB 1274 (death penalty repeal) -- still need calls to key senators

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "STUART BARBARA BRANN" <pypprsrb@msn.com>
Subject: Fw: Good news on HB 1274 (death penalty repeal) -- still need calls to key senators

Dear Folks, Just sending this along to let you know we have had some positive effect, but that a bit more effort is needed to assure success.

Forward !

Stu

PCP 140

----- Original Message -----

From: Bobby Clark, Executive Director

To: stuart brann

Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 4:32 PM

Subject: Good news on HB 1274 (death penalty repeal) -- still need calls to key senators

stuart,

I wanted to share some good news on HB 1274 (the bill to repeal the death penalty and fund a cold case team). I also want to encourage you to keep making calls to the key state senators listed below. I've also included their email addresses so that you can send an email if their voice mail fills up.

The good news is that HB 1274 was passed out of the State Affairs Committee yesterday. Now there's just one more committee hurdle before this bill can move on to a full vote in the Senate.

That hurdle will be tomorrow (Friday), when the bill will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. This bill will actually save the state money because death penalty cases are far more expensive than cases not involving the death penalty. But the vote could still be very close in the Appropriations Committee.

The three key Senators below may decide whether or not HB 1274 moves on for a full vote in the Senate. Will you take just a few minutes to call each of these Senators and urge them to support HB 1274? We've included talking points below that you can use when you make your calls.

I can't stress enough what a difference your phone calls to these three Senators right now will make. Thanks in advance for speaking out:

Senator Paula Sandoval: (303) 866-4862
paula.sandoval.senate@state.co.us

Senator Maryanne "Moe" Keller: (303) 866-4856
moe.keller.senate@state.co.us

Senator Mary Hodge: (303) 866-4855
mary.hodge.senate@state.co.us

When you call, please be direct but polite. And please feel free to share this information with your friends and invite them to call as well.

Thanks for taking action. We can pass HB 1274, but it's going to take all of us pushing hard to get it done.

Sincerely,
Bobby Clark

Talking Points:

Capital punishment costs more than sentencing a prisoner to life without parole. The most comprehensive death penalty study in the country found that North Carolina spent $2.16 million more per execution over the costs of sentencing and incarcerating murderers for life.
In a state like Colorado with so few executions (only 1 since 1976), and only 2 people sentenced to death, it is staggeringly expensive and inefficient to maintain death row. It's estimated that Colorado spends over $4 million every year on the death penalty.
HB 1274 would use the savings from repealing the death penalty to fully fund a "cold case" team that would investigate more than 1400 unsolved murders in Colorado.
The United States is one of the top five executioners in the world. Other countries include China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.The criminal justice system makes mistakes: Since 1972, 130 innocent people have been released from death row in the United States.
The death penalty is racially biased and punishes the poor: Most defendants cannot afford adequate representation. Those who kill white people are far more likely to get the death penalty than those who kill black people.