We are SO CLOSE to abolishing the death penalty in Washington. Senate Bill 6052 was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee and is currently in the Rules Committee. This is the farthest that any abolishment bill ever introduced has gotten in the legislature. This is all thanks to you. Your calls, emails, letters, tweets, etc. have made it clear that voters have had enough of this draconian sentence.

We’re close, but not there yet. Please consider acting on the three easy requests below and urging your lawmakers to support this important legislation. The bill must be voted out the House by Friday, March 2 by 5pm in order to pass.

1. Email your representatives and ask them to support SB 6052 on the floor. To find your representatives’ email address, you can find it here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder. 

   “Dear Representative, 

   Please vote “yes” to support SB 6052, a bill to repeal the death penalty. Ending the death penalty is an important issue for me. The death penalty has failed Washington. It is very costly, is not applied fairly, and fails either to provide swift and certain justice or to deter crime. Instead of trying to fix an unfixable system, the legislature should repeal the death penalty. The default sentence for first-degree aggravated murder is already life without the possibility of parole, and this would remain even with the passage of Senate Bill 6052. Please vote for SB 6052 and end the death penalty in Washington.” 

2. Email House Democratic Leadership and ask them to bring SB 6052 to a vote. (Please note: We’re asking that only constituents in the 43^rd LD contact Speaker Chopp. A specific email to the Speaker is below.) 

   House Democratic Leadership
   Pat Sullivan, Majority Leader, Pat.Sullivan@leg.wa.gov
   Eric Pettigrew, Majority Caucus Chair, Eric.Pettigrew@leg.wa.gov
   John Lovick, Speaker Pro Tempore, John.Lovick@leg.wa.gov
   Tina Orwall, Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore, Tina.Orwall@leg.wa.gov
   Marcus Riccelli, Majority Whip, Marcus.Riccelli@leg.wa.gov
   Gael Tarleton, Majority Floor Leader, Gael.Tarleton@leg.wa.gov
   Larry Springer, Deputy Majority Leader, Larry.Springer@leg.wa.gov
   Lillian Ortiz-Self, Majority Caucus Vice Chair, Lillian.Ortiz-Self@leg.wa.gov
   Steve Bergquist, Deputy Majority Floor Leader, Steve.Bergquist@leg.wa.gov
   Monica Stonier, Deputy Majority Whip, Monica.Stonier@leg.wa.gov
   Mike Chapman, Assistant Majority Whip, Mike.Chapman@leg.wa.gov
   Joan McBride, Assistant Majority Whip, Joan.McBride@leg.wa.gov
   Easy copy and paste: Pat.Sullivan@leg.wa.gov; Eric.Pettigrew@leg.wa.gov; John.Lovick@leg.wa.gov; Tina.Orwall@leg.wa.gov; Marcus.Riccelli@leg.wa.gov; Gael.Tarleton@leg.wa.gov; Larry.Springer@leg.wa.gov; Lillian.Ortiz-Self@leg.wa.gov; Steve.Bergquist@leg.wa.gov; Monica.Stonier@leg.wa.gov; Mike.Chapman@leg.wa.gov; Mike.Chapman@leg.wa.gov; Joan.McBride@leg.wa.gov“Dear House Democratic Leadership,

   Please bring SB 6052 to a floor vote. It’s time that we end the death penalty in Washington. It is very costly, is not applied fairly, and fails either to provide swift and certain justice or to deter crime. Instead of trying to fix an unfixable system, the legislature should repeal the death penalty. Please vote “yes” on SB 6052.”

    

3. If you are in the 43^rd LD, please contact Speaker Chopp to ask him to bring SB 6052 to a vote. (At this time, we are not asking constituents outside of the 43^rd LD to contact the Speaker.) 

   Frank Chopp, Speaker of the House, Frank.Chopp@leg.wa.gov 

   “Dear Speaker Chopp, 

   Thank you for supporting death penalty repeal. I am a constituent in the 43^rd Legislative District. I’m writing to today to ask you to bring SB 6052 to the floor for a vote. Ending capital punishment is an important issue for me and my community. The death penalty has failed Washington. It is very costly, is not applied fairly, and fails either to provide swift and certain justice or to deter crime. Instead of trying to fix an unfixable system, the legislature should repeal the death penalty. The default sentence for first-degree aggravated murder is already life without the possibility of parole, and this would remain even with the passage of Senate Bill 6052. SB 6052 has bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, and I ask that you bring it to the floor for a vote. It’s time for Washington to end the death penalty. Thank you for your consideration.”

Please let Christie Hedman know if you have any questions at 206-623-4321 or hedman@defensenet.org.

Thank you for your help!