SB 33, the Ohio version of the ALEC template 'Critical Infrastructure Protection Act', was passed in the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee last week, and we expect it to go to the floor of the general assembly for a house vote, possibly this week!
About 40 demonstrators stood in the hall outside of the hearing room after the vote, and raised our voices for about 45 minutes.
Among the crowd, several activists with Columbus Community Bill of Rights were present, as were Ohio Community Rights Network activists and many others from around the state.
We don't exactly know when the session will be held when SB 33 will be voted on by the house, but we need as many people as we can get to be ready to line the hall leading to the hearing room, so that our representatives have no question about what Ohio residents think about this horrendous stifling of our free speech and democracy as they enter the assembly chamber.
It appears that the house rules and reference committee will probably be sending the bill to the floor to be voted on either Wednesday or Thursday (Feb. 3rd or 4th).
When we find out, we will let everyone who is interested know through email communication.
PLEASE, if you have time this week, and want to do whatever you can to stop this bill from increasing criminalization of peaceful protesting in Ohio, consider joining us.
If you want to remain informed, reply to Greg Pace, gpace67@gmail.com, and we will be sure to keep you in the loop.
Let's get 100 or more concerned citizens to the statehouse to stop this egregious threat to our rights to free speech and democratic freedom in the state.
Please call representatives this week and let them know that we do not want SB 33 to reach the floor, and especially that if it does, we want them to vote against the bill.
Attached to this email is a spreadsheet with contact info for them.
Please call YOUR representative, and the ones highlighted in yellow on the sheet.
They are members of
the house rules committee.
Here is a poster from 'Organize Ohio' with suggestions for talking points:
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