Return of the Mack: Voting Rights is Back!

Our Voting Rights bill (HB 265) infamously failed to pass the House of Representatives last week because several supporters had gone home for the day. To get the bill reconsidered (for the 2nd time), we needed someone who voted against it last week to make a motion to reconsider. A few jaws dropped when that person was Rep. Sherman Mack, chairman of the criminal justice committee. Rep. Mack has been a major hurdle for many criminal justice reforms. This does not mean he will champion the bill, or vote for it, but it does get us a re-vote on Thursday! Please call your Representatives TODAY and ask them to vote YES on HB 265!
 
With only a few weeks left in the legislative session, lets recap a few things happening that you may have missed. Also, be sure to check out which bills are moving on VOTE’s Bill Tracker.
Contact VOTE to find out more.
 
Final stops on the way to the Governor:

• One of our flagship bills (HB 394) would strengthen the mentorship program specifically for veterans inside prison. This bill was originally conceived by vets locked up in Angola, and VOTE has been proud to work with them to get this going;
• Two bills would push back two key pieces of last year’s Justice Reinvestment package: the “Ability to Pay” hearings regarding oppressive Fines and Fees(HB 622) and the suspension of child support payments while people are incarcerated (HB 576) won’t go into effect until 2019. The goal here, for some, is to save these items rather than let other legislation repeal them before even going into effect (see more on that below);
• We shouldn’t need a law that says a person must be released within 72 hours of arrest if they aren’t brought before a judge, but we are on the verge of getting one. In this situation (HB 293), it will be on sheriffs to release someone who isn’t brought to court, and it remains to be seen if this works out;
• In 2010, the legislature created a pilot program in Lafourche that allowed the Sheriff to use home confinement and electronic monitoring on people accused of non-violent crimes. The law required a report to be submitted that compared outcomes to people who were incarcerated, among other things. Although we cannot find the report, we are curious as the next about the outcomes, and why people accused of non-violent crimes are even being held in home confinement or held without bail in jail. HB 705 eliminates the “pilot” authority of the pretrial home confinement, further normalizing various fees, electronic monitoring, and forced programming, when someone is still presumed innocent.  

 
Getting Closer:
Bills passing one chamber (House or Senate), and then another committee, and now on the floor of the other chamber. It is always important to follow the amendments to bills, as they can ultimately pass an entirely different law than was proposed a month ago.

• Unanimous Jury. It looks like Louisiana has a chance to leave Oregon as the only state where one only needs to be “kinda-sorta guilty.” SB 243 would put a constitutional amendment to the voters, asking if they want to keep a law that allows 10-2 verdicts, and making it so easy to lead the globe in imprisonment. Or get rid of it and join the Free World. On May 11th, this bill needs 70 of the House members to vote for it (and Friday is often a lightly attended session);
• While the chance to visit an imprisoned family member who is hospitalizedis increased (SB 49), the penalties on contraband in prison are soon to go incredibly high (despite most contraband coming in through prison employees, we know who will feel the brunt of it) HB 749;

 
Bills focused on incarcerated women are moving through the system:

• Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act (SB 558) would provide feminine hygiene products, and reduce inappropriate situations between male prison guards and the women they hold power over;
• The Women’s Incarceration Task Force (HCR 27) would study the particular issue and create recommendations for how to improve the outcomes for women and girls who are put into prisons (House Floor vote today);
• On the Senate Floor, and final step, is a bill that would create community-based sentences for people, charged with non-violent crimes, who are the primary caretakers of a child (HB 264).

 
VOTE has been fighting for years to create parole opportunities for people since the beginnings of the organization, when a group of civic-minded men confined for long periods in Angola (some confined until death) worked with legislators to create the “20/45 Law.” While the state amended that law to not apply to most people serving virtual death sentences, this year a “30/50 Law” seemed poised to allow people with 30 years served, over 50 years old, could see the parole board. Legislators wanted to pull the most serious crimes out from eligibility, despite the fact that one typically needs to have committed a serious crime (often as a teenager) to be over 50 years old in prison with no end in sight. Similarly, the chance to amend armed robbery sentences and end the virtual death sentences, failed to pass. The writing is on the wall, for now. Like everything else VOTE and our allies do: we will be back.
 
Follow our Bill Tracker, our social media, and our e-newsletter to stay engaged!