>From: "Susan Murray" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: "Susan Murray" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: ACTION ALERT RE: THE CIVIL UNION BILL
>
> ACTION ALERT!!! March 9, 2000
>
>Dear Supporter of Civil Rights for Gay and Lesbian Vermonters:
>
>YOU CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE WITH ONE PHONE CALL RIGHT AWAY!!
>
>The Vermont House of Representatives plans to vote on H.847, An Act
Relating to Civil Unions, next week* possibly as early as Tuesday, March
14. This bill will give gay couples the same protections and
responsibilities that married couples currently have under Vermont law.
Although the bill falls short of our goal of full inclusion in the marriage
statutes, the compromise bill would be an important step toward equal
rights for gay and lesbian citizens. For that reason, we support the bill
WITHOUT AMENDMENTS!
>
>We are writing you because your legislator may be persuaded to vote for
the bill, but at this point is not firmly committed to voting for H. 847
without amendments. PLEASE, DON'T DELAY. CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
RIGHT AWAY to urge him/her to vote for H.847 as drafted by the House
Judiciary Committee. The names and addresses of the undecided
representatives is listed at the end of this email.
>
> IT WILL BE A CLOSE VOTE in the House of Representatives, so it is vital
that you and any other constituents you know who support civil rights for
gay and lesbian citizens contact your legislators right away. Please, find
your representative (we have listed the towns each represents) and make the
call right away. PLEASE, PLEASE, CALL BEFORE THE END OF THIS WEEKEND!!
Also, if you live in a town with more than one representative, such as
Colchester or Burlington, please call all of the representatives listed
from your town!!
>
>Your personal story is always the best. If you need guidance, here are
some points to make:
>
>(1) Gay and lesbian Vermonters live throughout this State, working hard
at their jobs, participating in the community, and caring for their
families. They are your neighbors, and they deserve to be treated fairly
under the laws.
>
>(2) Under present law same-sex partners cannot get important legal
protections such as automatic inheritance rights, participation in medical
decision making if the other is incapacitated, the right to bury each
others' bodily remains, the ability to own property in a way that is secure
from each others' creditors, the right to take unpaid leave from work to
take care of one another in the event of serious illness, and access to
legal protections and ongoing support if they break up. This is true no
matter how long they have been together, and no matter how committed they
are to one another.
>
>(3) It makes no sense to expand the scope of the bill to include brothers
and sisters in the same category as committed life partners of the
same-sex. Blood relatives already have many of the legal protections that
flow from being legally-recognized family, and other protections and
responsibilities* such as the requirement that they obtain a license to
join together and go to the divorce court if they break apart* simply make
no sense when applied to blood relatives.
>
>(4) The bill expressly acknowledges that Vermont's marriage statutes are
for one man and one woman. Extra amendments repeating that fact are
mean-spirited and unnecessary.
>
>Here is the list of undecided Representatives; thanks for calling!! (And
feel free to email me with the results of the call
>
>BILL ASWAD Burlington 862-2067
>SUSAN WHEELER Burlington 864-6776
>
>MICHAEL FLAHERTY South Burlington 864-5251
>FRANK MAZUR South Burlington 658-3975, 658-3975 fax
>
>KEN ATKINS Winooski 655-1280
>
>RENE BLANCHARD Essex 878-4310; 257-5487 fax
>MARY ANN PARIZO Essex (including Essex Jct.) 878-3859
>
>HANK SCHAEFER Colchester 658-4776, 658-3731 fax
>MALCOLM SEVERANCE Colchester 878-2067
>
>DORAN METZGER Milton 893-6059
>MARILYN RIVERO Milton 893-4643
>
>STEPHANIE BOURDEAU Hyde Park, Wolcott 888-4344
>
>DICK MARRON Stowe, Morristown253-9011(h), 253-595(w)
>
>JIM COLVIN Bennington 442-3157
>MARY MORRISSEY Bennington 442-2092
>
>LARRY MOLLOY Arlington, Sandgate, 375-2300, 375-6474 w
>
>WALT FREED Dorset, Peru, Winhall, Danby 362-75(h),446-3466(w)
>
>DAVID ROGERS Castleton, Fair Haven, West Haven 468-0083 (h),
273-3000 (w)
>
>TOM COSTELLO Brattleboro 254-4340 (h), 257-5533(w),
> 257-4289 (fax)
>
>JOHN FOLLETT Springfield 885-5312, 885-5305 fax
>
>BILL FYFE Newport 334-2172
>
>BRUCE HYDE Fayston, Granville, Waitsfield, Warren 496-2322(w), 496-7012(h)
>
>KATHY KEENAN St. Albans (City and Town) 524-5013(h), 524-1037(w)
>
>BOB KINSEY Craftsbury, Barton, Glover, Albany, Sheffield, Westmore,
Wheelock 755-6134
>
>RALPH LEHMAN Hartford 295-2858
>
>ED PAQUIN Fairfax, Fletcher 849-6535
>
>PAUL POIRIER Barre 476-7870 h, 223-5235 w
>
>BOB RUSTEN Halifax, Searsburg, Whitingham, Wilmington 368-7490
>
>KAREN STEELE Waterbury, Duxbury, Huntington
>244-7557, 244-1700 (fax)
>
>RUTH TOWNE Berlin, Barre Town 223-2075
>
>ALAN WEISS Northfield, Moretown, Roxbury 485-8081
>
>BILL WISELL Bristol 453-2557
>
>JACK ANDERSON Woodstock, Reading 457-2398 (home and fax)
>
>Susan M. Murray
>Langrock, Sperry & Wool, LLP
>P.O. Drawer 351
>Middlebury, VT 05753
>(802) 388-6356
>(802) 388-6149 fax
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
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