ACTION ALERT! House Bill 711 up for vote! Contact your Representative today!
Posted on: 02.06.12
House Bill 711 will be voted on by the Georgia House of Representatives TOMORROW, February 7 when they convene at 10 a.m. Please contact your Representative and urge them to vote YES on House Bill 711!
House Bill 711 will give prosecutors more tools to hold batterers accountable, while also protecting the communications between domestic violence and sexual assault program advocates and the victims they serve.
When calling your Representative’s office, say:
- Hello, my name is ________, and I am a constituent living in ____(city or town)___.
- House Bill 711 is going to be introduced on the House floor on February 7.
- I am calling to urge Representative ________ to vote YES on House Bill 711, which eliminates the spousal privilege in domestic violence criminal cases and which provides for confidential communications between advocates at Georgia’s domestic violence and sexual assault centers and the victims they serve.
If time permits, you may also make the following points:
- House Bill 711 will
- Enhance the ability of prosecutors to hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable.
- Protect the confidential relationship between advocates and victims. This information, such as advocate testimony and release of records, is often sought solely to discredit these victims of crime.
- Brings Georgia’s law into the mainstream. The vast majority of other states already have enacted similar statutes, including the southeastern states of Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida.
To find the name and contact information for your Representative, visit http://gcadv.org/what-we-do/public-policy/find-your-state-legislators/
For more detailed information about this bill, please visit http://gcadv.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/HB-711-talking-points.pdf. You can also read the bill at http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20112012/HB/711
Thank you for reaching out to your legislator on this important issue!
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