To car pool from Columbia, meet at 1:15 p.m., in front of Brady Commons, University campus on Rollins across from Recreational complex, and then at 1:30 p.m. from the parking lot of the Eastgate IGA on East Broadway. Call Jeff at 449-4585 for more information.
SB-192, sponsored by Sen. John Schneider (D-Florissant; 751-4106), would prohibit capital punishment for someone convicted of first-degree murder who is found to be mentally retarded.
Please contact the following state Senators on the Judiciary Committee, asking them to allow a thorough hearing of the bill and to support its timely passage out of committee—with the endorsement "Do Pass" so SB 192 can be considered for passage by the full Senate. The committee members and their phone numbers are:
Chairman: Sen. David Klarich, (R) Dist. 26, Clayton (573) 751-1073.
Vice-Chair: Sen. Sarah Steelman, (R) Dist.16, Rolla (573) 751-4068
Sen. John Schnieder (again also the bill's sponsor), (D) Dist. 14, Florissant (573) 751-4106
Sen. Harold Caskey, (D) Dist. 31, Butler (573) 751-4116
Sen. Paula Carter, (D) Dist. 5, St. Louis (573) 751-6500
Sen. Michael Gibbons, (R) Dist. 15, Kirkwood (573) 751-2853
Sen. Harry Wiggins, (D) Dist. 10, Kansas City (573) 751-2788
Sen. Anita Yeckel, (R) Dist. 1, St. Louis, (573) 751-2887
HB 265, sponsored by Rep. Craig Hosmer (D-Springfield; 751-9474), would prohibit death sentencing of mentally-retarded offenders.
Rep. Bill Boucher (D-Kansas City) (751-7335) will be introducing a bill (co-sponsored/co-signed by about a dozen legislators, including Rep. Vicky Riback-Wilson and Rep. Tim Harlan, both Columbia Democrats) to also halt death sentencing of mentally-retarded individuals
House Bill HB-68, sponsored by Rep. Chris Liese (D-Maryland Heights; 573-751-1832), would impose a two-year moratorium on executions while a commission studies various issues of the death penalty, including arbitrari-ness, racism, possible innocence and the income of those condemned.
Senate Bill SB-55, sponsored by Sen. Mary Bland (D-Kansas City; 573-751-2770), would also impose a moratorium on executions and establish a study commission.
Rep. Riback Wilson (751-1169), in addition will be introducing a bill to abolish the death penalty. Neither bill had been assigned a number at the time of this writing.
*Please contact the above-mentioned legislators via their Capitol offices by phone or writing them c/o the Missouri State House or Senate, Jefferson City 65102. Thank them for sponsoring the legislation. And urge your representative and senator to support the bills. Stay tuned for information on upcoming committee hearings for the bills.
*To be part of an e-mail/phone alert system, please contact Jeff at 573-449-4585 or e-mail jstack@coin.org.