Legislative Update

[<lharris@womensagenda.org>]

STATUS ON LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN!  
(1)   Drug Sentencing Reform & Prison Moratorium Bill- Sen. Tate will
introduce the "omnibus" bill by today and it will be assigned to the Senate
Judiciary Committee.  Sen. Tate will request that the first hearing happen
sometime the week of February 12th and we will plan a big press conference a
few days before then.   You'll get much more info on this bill shortly.
(2)  Racial Profiling Data Collection Bill Update (HB 1114)  ACTION ALERT!
CPC Legislative Action Alert:  January 26, 2001

STOP  RACIAL  PROFILING  IN  COLORADO
Racial Profiling Data Collection Bill up for first committee hearing 1/30 at
1:30p.m. in the House Civil Justice & Judiciary Committee (room
0112-basement of capitol).  

BACKGROUND
Many people of color in Colorado and across the U.S. have experienced racial
profiling by law enforcement officers.  This profiling often takes the form
of traffic stops that harass innocent people of color drivers because they
fit a misguided, and racist, criminal "profile".

Colorado Progressive Coalition's Campaign to Stop Racial Profiling began
with a summer 2000 community surveying project and the publication of a
report, Racial Profiling in Denver:  Survey Responses and Real Life
Experiences in Denver's Cole Neighborhood.  This report attracted a great
deal of attention and agreement--as well as denials from law enforcement
agencies.

COLORADO HOUSE BILL 1114 INTRODUCED
State Representative Peter Groff (D-Denver), a friend of CPC, has decided to
sponsor legislation to address racial profiling in Colorado.  His bill,
House Bill 1114, will require all local and county law enforcement agencies
(serving 25,000 or more people) and the Colorado State Patrol to collect
data on traffic stops that they make.  This data must include the race,
gender, and age of the person stopped and what enforcement action, if any,
was taken.  Rep. Groff's bill will also set up a toll-free hotline for
people to call the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if they believe that
they have experienced racial profiling.

MAKE A CALL TODAY-COMMITTEE VOTE ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30
House Bill 1114 has been assigned to the House Civil Justice and Judiciary
Committee and will have its first committee hearing on Tuesday, January 30
at 1:30 P.M..  CPC is asking you to make a call (or calls) to members of
this committee to ask them to vote "Yes" on HB 1114.  Also, if you are able,
please attend the committee hearing in State Capitol room 0112.

WHY COLORADO LEGISLATORS SHOULD VOTE "YES"
From civil rights leaders to John Ashcroft, most people agree that racial
profiling is wrong and that it violates the civil rights of too many people,
mostly people of color who are men and young.  This bill is a simple one and
would only require that law enforcement agencies collect information on
their stops and release this information to the public.  This data may give
statistical proof, as many civil rights supporters suspect, that racial
profiling does exist in Colorado.  This will help our state to address law
enforcement practices with people of color and could begin to build trust
between police and communities.

MAKE A CALL (OR CALLS) TODAY!  VOTE YES ON HB 1114!
The committee will vote on HB 1114 on Tuesday, January 30.  It will be a
difficult vote and your calls could make the difference!  Call the committee
member nearest to you or call all of them.

Civil Justice and Judiciary Committee Members (call 800.811.7647 if outside
the Metro area)

Rep. Shawn Mitchell (R-Broomfield/Adams County; Chair)		303.866.4667
Rep. Don Lee (R-Littleton/Jefferson County; Vice-Chair)		303.866.2939
Rep. Bob Bacon (D-Fort Collins)					303.866.2917
Rep. Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood)					303.866.2923
Rep. Cheri Jahn (D-Wheat Ridge/Jefferson County)			303.866.5522
Rep. Steve Johnson (R-Fort Collins/Larimer County)			303.866.2907
Rep. Alice Madden (D-Boulder)					303.866.2915
Rep. Jim Snook (R-Alamosa/San Luis Valley)			303.866.2963
Rep. Joe Stengel (R-Littleton/Arapahoe, Jefferson Counties)		303.866.2953

THANK YOU!
Thank you for your commitment to civil rights in Colorado.  For more
information on HB 1114 or the Campaign to Stop Racial Profiling, contact the
Colorado Progressive Coalition at 303.866.0908 or coprogressive@aol.com.


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