Dear OTSE Supporter,In the last month, FOUR pieces of legislation were introduced in Ohio’s General Assembly that would reform or entirely do away with capital punishment in our state (keep reading for more on each bill). With your help, we’ve taken the message to Ohioans—legislators and activists alike—that 2015 is the Year of Reform! You may have noticed this e-mail looks a little different than OTSE’s regular messages. That’s because last year we started the OTSE Action Fund, a sister entity to Ohioans to Stop Executions. OTSE Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) that has no limits on lobbying for death penalty reform and repeal. The lobby day in April was just the beginning of efforts to ensure our cause is well-positioned for success in the legislative process. And we need your help, today, to make sure lobbying efforts are supported. The Action Fund was created to leave nothing to chance. Please help ensure we have the financial backing to get the job done at the Statehouse. Please make a contribution to the OTSE Action Fund today. Here are the four bills:
We will continue to have a presence around the state letting Ohioans know the importance of pursuing reform now! Come see us in Cincinnati on May 26 to learn more and get involved. The resources you invest in the OTSE Action Fund make the direct outreach to legislators possible. The message to legislators is simple: your constituents want these reforms. Keep these lobbying efforts going strong by chipping in today! There are 11 executions scheduled for 2016 and 5 scheduled for 2017. There is no doubt passing legislation will save lives. Don’t think we can wait; together we must slow down and stop the machinery of death now! Let's work together,
PS: %%FIRSTNAME(Hey)%%, we appreciate your support and invite you to consider making a monthly commitment to the Action Fund through the sustainer program. Remember, since the Action Fund lobbies, contributions are not tax-deductible. |
Introduced by Senators Bill Seitz and Sandra Williams, the bill requires: retention of a copy of the original trial file; no page limit on petitions for post-conviction relief or in appeals of denials; access to depositions and subpoenas during discovery for post-conviction relief; and specifically stated reasons why a judge either denied or granted each claim in a hearing for post-conviction relief. 
Introduced by Senator Charleta Tavares, this bill would enact a Racial Justice Act, which would work to eliminate the inequities in the administration of the death penalty when it comes to ethnic and racial minorities in the state of Ohio. 
Introduced by Senator Edna Brown, this piece of legislation would repeal capital punishment in Ohio completely. 