Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action

On Friday, February 22, 2013, State Representative Jessica Farrar (D-Houston) filed House Bill 1703, which calls for repeal of the Texas death penalty. The bill will be referred to the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, where we aim to secure a full hearing.

What’s next?

1. Please call or email Rep. Farrar to thank her for her leadership on this issue and for filing HB 1703. Email her at Jessica.farrar@house.state.tx.us or call her Capitol office at 512-463-0620.

2. Please join us at the State Capitol on Tuesday, March 19^th for the TCADP Lobby Day! Training and instructions for the day will take place from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. We will work with you in advance to arrange visits with your legislators.

Sign up for the TCADP Lobby Day now!

Can’t join us in Austin? You can participate in Lobby Day from home!  Suggested actions, information on contacting your lawmakers, and an issue brief for HB 1703 are available here.

Meanwhile, our colleagues in Maryland are on the cusp of Senate vote on repealing the death penalty; their bill cleared an extremely difficult hurdle on February 21, when the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee vote 6-5 in favor of abolishing the death penalty (this particular committee has blocked previous efforts).  The bill now heads to the Senate Floor, where it is being debated! There are now 26 senators who are either co-sponsoring the repeal bill or who have said in interviews that they plan to support it (in the Maryland Senate, 24 votes are required to pass a bill).  It has 68 co-sponsors in the House of Delegates!