Tell your senator: protect civil rights in state budget

Act Now

Recently passed by the state House of Representatives, the proposed state budget is in good shape (relatively speaking) when it comes to civil rights and liberties – and now it's headed to the state Senate.

It contains both critical public notifications for immigration checkpoints, as well as a new tracking system to enhance our bail system, and addresses concerns around knowing who is on bail and who is not. The House also removed a dangerous proposal that would have expanded policing and surveillance at our northern border, and they took out a significant portion that would have been used to expand incarceration in the Granite State.

We're watching closely to ensure that civil rights protections stay in, and that those that harm them stay out of the budget process – which is why your senator needs to hear from you today that you're doing the same.

Email your state senator now and ask them to support civil rights in the state budget!

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Your State Senator

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Subject

As your constituent, I urge you to protect civil rights in the state budget in four key ways: by supporting immigration checkpoint notifications and the real time bail tracking system, and by opposing any attempts to add back in to HB 2 the funds for expanding policing and surveillance at our northern border and funding for a new men's prison without first studying the future needs for incarceration bed space in New Hampshire.

Message Body

The pieces to support are important: while these checkpoints have been sold to the public as focused on immigration enforcement, history has taught us what this is really about - using immigration as an excuse to do an end run around the New Hampshire Constitution. In fact, a few years back a New Hampshire court found these checkpoints are used to circumvent the New Hampshire Constitution to go after Granite Staters for low-level drug possession.

And the real-time bail tracking system would be an important addition to our bail system. Under the funding proposal, instead of needless incarceration, the state would create a real-time bail tracking system so bail commissioners and judges know if someone before them seeking bail is on release for another alleged offense. That way, the court can make an informed decision based on the facts in a specific case, instead of the one-size-fits-all needless incarceration approach championed by law enforcement.

I am also asking you to oppose putting in two items that were rightfully taken out of the state budget. The House correctly removed a $1.4 million appropriation to establish a "Northern Border Alliance Program." The stated goal is to address an increase in unauthorized border crossings, but according to the Department of Safety's own records there is no data to support that such crossings are even happening, let alone increasing.

Please oppose putting any additional funding in the budget for the construction of a new men's prison. Since 2014, New Hampshire's prison population has declined by 35 percent and crime has decreased by over 31 percent, showing that we can safely reduce our reliance on incarceration. While there are serious and horrific physical conditions of confinement that need separate and immediate action we must not allow this to serve as justification for the construction of a possibly up to half-a-billion-dollar facility without a clear understanding of the future of incarceration in NH, including how we can continue to reduce our need for incarceration while increasing community safety.

Thank you, and please vote to protect civil rights in this year's state budget.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Tell your senator: protect civil rights in state budget

Act Now

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