Action Alert: NC Against Domestic Violence

URGENT ACTION ALERT

The NC Senate has passed their version of the state budget and funding for domestic violence priorities is NOT INCLUDED.
The House budget does include funding for domestic violence programs and for House Bill 44.
We need you to act now to ensure that domestic violence is included in the final budget.
Members of the Senate and House are meeting in conference TODAY to work out a final budget.
We need your help to ensure that the priority items on NCCADV’s 2008 Legislative Agenda receive funding.
* * * * * *
Please contact the legislators listed at the end of this e-mail TODAY and ask them to include the following priorities in the final budget. The members especially need to hear from you if you live in their district.
You can click on the name to send an e-mail or call the switchboard in Raleigh at 919.733.4111 and ask to speak with the legislator. Please leave a message if you reach the legislative assistant.

1. Please include funding for local domestic violence programs.
v Approximately 90 domestic violence programs in the state provide crisis intervention services for all 100 counties, including shelter, crisis counseling, court advocacy and support groups.
v At least 501 women, children, and men have been murdered as a result of domestic violence in NC from January 1, 2002 – June 4, 2008, according to information collected by the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
v NC ranks 11th in the nation for the number of per capita homicides committed by men against women in our state in 2005, according to the Violence Policy Center.
v Local domestic violence programs responded to over 119,000 crisis line calls and served over 47,000 victims in person in FY 2006, including 5,550 children who received shelter services, according to the CFW/DVC.
v Over 1,100 victims were denied shelter at local domestic violence programs in FY 2006 because of a lack of capacity, according to the CFW/DVC.

2. Please include funds for House Bill 44.
Summary: HB 44 strengthens the enforcement of protective orders by reducing the number of prior convictions required from 3 to 1 to charge an offender with a Class H felony for violation of a protective order.
v Violation of a domestic violence protective order is a serious crime and is a red flag to the court system that the offender may commit a homicide.
v If we expect offenders to obey domestic violence protective orders, violations must be strictly enforced with meaningful consequences.

v An offender who violates a domestic violence protective order not only offends the victim, but also offends the court by violating the judge's order.

v 83 women, men, and children were murdered in NC because of domestic violence in 2007.

v HB 44 will save lives.


Senate Conferees
Sen. Linda Garrou, Co-Chair (Forsyth)
Sen. Charles W. Albertson, Co-Chair (Duplin, Lenoir, Sampson)
Sen. Charlie Smith Dannelly, Co-Chair (Mecklenburg)
Sen. Bob Atwater (Chatham, Durham, Lee)
Sen. Doug Berger (Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren)
Sen. Stan Bingham (Davidson, Guilford)
Sen. Julia Boseman (New Hanover)
Sen. Daniel G. Clodfelter (Mecklenburg)
Sen. Janet Cowell (Wake)
Sen. Walter H. Dalton (Cleveland, Rutherford)
Sen. Katie G. Dorsett (Guilford)
Sen. Tony Foriest (Alamance, Caswell)
Sen. Steve Goss (Alexander, Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes)
Sen. Malcolm Graham (Mecklenburg)
Sen. Kay R. Hagan (Guilford)
Sen. Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. (Cabarrus, Iredell)
Sen. David W. Hoyle (Gaston)
Sen. Ed Jones (Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Northampton, Perquimans)
Sen. John H. Kerr III (Greene, Pitt, Wayne)
Sen. Eleanor Kinnaird (Orange, Person)
Sen. Vernon Malone (Wake)
Sen. Floyd B. McKissick, Jr. (Durham)
Sen. Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. (Buncombe)
Sen. William R. Purcell (Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly)
Sen. Joe Sam Queen (Avery, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey)
Sen. Tony Rand (Bladen, Cumberland)
Sen. Larry Shaw (Cumberland)
Sen. John Snow (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania)
Sen. R. C. Soles, Jr. (Brunswick, Columbus, Pender)
Sen. Richard Stevens (Wake)
Sen. A. B. Swindell (Nash, Wilson)
Sen. David F. Weinstein (Hoke, Robeson)

House Conferees
Chairs:
Representative Michaux, Co-Chair (Durham)
Representative Adams, Co-Chair (Guilford)
Representative M. Alexander, Co-Chair (Mecklenburg)
Representative Crawford, Co-Chair (Granville, Vance)
Representative Haire, Co-Chair (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain)
Representative Jeffus, Co-Chair (Guilford)
Representative Tolson, Co-Chair (Edgecombe, Wilson)
Representative Yongue, Co-Chair (Hoke, Robeson, Scotland)
Representative Holliman, Co-Chair (Davidson)
Representative Owens, Co-Chair (Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank, Tyrrell)
Representative McLawhorn (Pitt)

Subcommittee on Justice and Public Safety:
Representative Bordsen (Alamance)
Representative Love (Harnett, Lee)
Representative Goodwin (Montgomery, Richmond)
Representative Kiser (Lincoln)
Representative Mobley (Bertie, Gates, Hertford, Perquimans)
Representative Spear (Chowan, Dare, Hyde, Washington)
Representative Sutton (Robeson)
Representative R. Warren (Alexander, Catawba)
Representative Ray (Iredell)

Thank you for your help!

If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact Beth Froehling at bfroehling@nccadv.org or 1.888.232.9124.