February 8, 2007

ACTION ALERT

Sudan Divestment Bill Should Be Scheduled for a Hearing!

Background:

Representative GiaQuinta has introduced HB1484 (and Reps. Pierce, Noe, Crawford and Porter have also signed on). This language is based off the Task Force model of targeted divestment from Sudan. HB1484 has been referred to the House Committee on Interstate and International Cooperation, but the Committee Chair, Earl Harris, has yet to schedule the hearing, which is the first step to this legislation moving forward. Next week is the last week for Committee hearings.

Hoosier United Methodists please e-mail or call the legislators listed below – the goal of our advocacy at this point is to secure a hearing date and time next week for this bill. This legislation was supported by resolutions in both the North Indiana Annual Conference session and the South Indiana Annual Conference session in June 2006.

Call or Email Rep. Earl Harris, Committee Chair:

800-382-9841; h2@in.gov

“As a citizen of Indiana, I am concerned that Indiana’s money is helping fund the genocide in Sudan. I am writing to ask you to schedule a hearing for the Sudan Divestment bill (HB1484), which has been assigned to your Interstate and International Cooperation Committee. This bill will help ensure that Indiana is not funding genocide.”

Call or Email Speaker Bauer:

800-382-9841; H6@in.gov

“Dear Mr. Speaker: Please have Rep. Earl Harris hear House Bill 1484, the targeted Sudan divestment bill. I also encourage you to do what’s necessary to see that this bill successfully passes through the Indiana House of Representatives.”

Call or Email the legislators listed as co-authors of this bill:

Call 800-382-9841 and ask to speak to the legislator’s Legislative Assistant, or send an Email:

“Thank you for signing on to House Bill 1484 (Sudan Divestment) and for your leadership in working to combat the genocide unfolding in Darfur. As you know, this bill will help ensure that the state of Indiana is not helping to fund this genocide. I understand that next week (of Feb. 12) is the last week of Committee hearings. Please continue to work on behalf of this bill and encourage Rep. Earl Harris to schedule a hearing.”

• Rep. GiaQuinta: h80@in.gov
• Rep. Pierce: h61@in.gov
• Rep. Noe: h87@in.gov
• Rep. Crawford: h98@in.gov
• Rep. Porter: h96@in.gov

Call or Email your State Representative:

800-382-9841; www.in.gov 

“As a citizen of Indiana, I am concerned that Indiana’s money is helping fund the genocide in Sudan. House Bill 1484 will help ensure that this is NOT the case. Please encourage Rep. Earl Harris to schedule a hearing for this bill next week. I also encourage you to sign on to this bill as a co-author.”

Sample E-mail to Rep. Harris:

Dear Representative Harris:

I am writing to encourage you to schedule a hearing for House Bill 1484, dealing with the targeted divestment from Sudan, in your Interstate and International Cooperation Committee. The bill has bipartisan support and is co-authored by Reps. GiaQuinta, Noe, Pierce, Crawford, and Porter. This bill will help ensure that Indiana taxpayers are not funding genocide. This “targeted divestment” legislation focuses only on foreign companies that have a business relationship with the Sudanese government, impart minimal benefit to the country’s underprivileged, and have failed to respond to attempts at shareholder engagement. Additionally, the legislation contains safeguards that project the state’s pension funds and allow them to maintain their prudent investor responsibilities.

This is the first time in history that a massacre has been officially declared a genocide while the atrocities are still ongoing. An estimated 400,000 have been killed and 2.5 million are displaced since the conflict erupted in February 2003. Rape is being systematically employed as a weapon in this genocide. Despite a May 2006 peace treaty, the government-sponsored violence in Darfur has actually worsened. In August 2006, UN Undersecretary Jan Egeland stated, "It's going from real bad to catastrophic in Darfur."

Churches, synagogues, student and community groups throughout our state want to see the state of Indiana make a powerful statement and take action against genocide. Additionally, there are more than 200 Darfurians living in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Given the Sudanese government’s historical sensitivity to economic pressure and the ongoing genocide in Darfur, I urge you to schedule a hearing for this critical legislation. By doing so, you will be playing a critical role in helping the growing number of citizens take action for Darfur.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

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