February 23, 2007 Legislative Update

 

Please contact members of the House Health and Welfare Committee and urge them to oppose House Bill 225! 

HB 225 makes it a criminal act to coerce a pregnant woman to have an abortion.  The ACLU believes that no one should be coerced into have an abortion or having a baby.  In order to really protect pregnant women, the legislature should put resources into ensuring that women who are victims of abuse can get the help they need.  Instead, this proposal interferes with private health decisions and does nothing to protect pregnant women. 

The full text of the bill can be found at http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/H0225.html.  Please email the members of the House Health and Welfare Committee and urge them to oppose HB 225 at the hearing to take place Monday, February 26.  You can find the email address for each committee member by going to the following link: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactbycommitteeaction.cfm.

 

Contact your Senator and urge them to support House Joint Memorial 3 and reject the Real ID Act!

The Real ID Act was passed by Congress in May 2005 without a single hearing in the Senate.  Under the Real ID Act, states have until May 2008 to implement the new identification system, which amounts to a national ID card.  States, including Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming, are already mobilizing to address the myriad problems presented by Real ID.   

Rep. Phil Hart (Athol) introduced HJM 3 to send a message to Congress that the State of Idaho opposed Real ID.  HJM 3 passed the House floor unanimously last week and is not on its way to the Senate.  Please contact your senators and urge them to support HJM 3 and oppose the Real ID Act and the implementation of a national ID system.

If you are unsure of who your senator is, follow this link to find out: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactbydistrict.cfm.