For supporters of the Initiative to End to Prison Slavery in New Jersey:
The templates shown below are for your use in reaching out to relevant legislators, or to faith groups or other reform-oriented organizations*, to either
1- thank current sponsors of ACR125/SCR135 for their support, or
2- urge currently uncommitted or undecided legislators to add their support by becoming co-sponsors of the ACR125 or SCR135, or
3 – urge legislative leaders—whether leadership of relevant committees, or the leadership of the Assembly or Senate itself—to bring ACR125 or SCR135 to a hearing and then to a full vote in the Assembly or Senate, or
4 – recruit another group or organization to join this initiative of outreach and advocacy.
*Please note: these templates may be adapted to serve as emails, letters, or texts to use for a phone conversation.
Thank you for your interest and for your willingness to participate!
1 – To thank the sponsors of resolutions ACR 125 or SCR135:
Current Assembly Sponsors:
Asw. Angela McKnight [email protected] (District 31)
Asw. Britnee Timberlake [email protected] (District 34)
Asw. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson [email protected] (District 15)
Asw. Shanique Speight [email protected] (District 29)
Current Senate Sponsors:
Sen. Brian P. Stack [email protected] (District 33)
Sen. Shirley Turner [email protected] (District 15)
Sen. Andrew Zwicker [email protected] (District 16)
My name is _____ . I live in _____. I wanted to thank you for your support of (Assembly Continuing Resolution 125) or (Senate Continuing Resolution 135). These Resolutions would allow New Jersey voters to pass a long overdue amendment to our state constitution that would prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude with no exceptions. I am calling/writing to express my appreciation for your leadership on this morally important issue.
2 – To urge legislators* currently uncommitted or undecided on their support for ACR125 and/or SCR135 to support it by becoming co-sponsors.
My name is _____. I live in _____. I am calling/writing to urge you to come a co-sponsor of ACR125/SCR 135 which would allow New Jersey voters to amend our state constitution to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude in this state, even for those convicted of a crime. This amendment would respond to the morally-unacceptable loophole in the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow slavery and involuntary servitude to be used as punishment. Seven other states, including states such as Alabama, Nebraska, and Colorado, have now eliminated this loophole from their own state constitutions. It is time for New Jersey to join these states! Please add your support so that this amendment can be placed on the ballot for the November 2024 election. We ask that you become a co-sponsor of this important and necessary initiative.
*To find your legislators’ names, phone numbers, and link to email forms, please go to the NJ Legislature’s website and go to the “Legislative Roster” page there:
https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-roster
3 – To urge the relevant committee chairpersons, or the Assembly Speaker (Coughlin) or Senate President (Scutari) to expedite a committee hearing and then a floor vote on Assembly Concurrent Resolution 125 or Senate Concurrent Resolution 135.
For ACR125: Chair, Assembly State & Local Government Committee:
Asm. Anthony Verrelli – [email protected] (District 15)
For SCR135: Chair, Senate State Government Committee:
Sen. James Beach – [email protected] (District 6)
For Assembly Speaker: Asm. Craig Coughlin – [email protected] (District 19)
For Senate President: Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari – [email protected] (District 22)
My name is _____. I live in _____. I am calling/writing to urge you to bring ACR125 (or SCR135) to a hearing in the Assembly State Government Committee (or the Senate State Government Committee) as soon as possible. These important Resolutions would allow New Jersey voters to pass a long overdue amendment to our state constitution that would at last prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude in this state with no exceptions. Seven other states, including states such as Alabama, Nebraska, Utah, and Colorado have now voted to unequivocally prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude. It is time for New Jersey to join these states! Please use your leadership so that this amendment can be placed on the ballot for the November 2024 election.
4 – To recruit another group or organization to join this initiative of outreach and advocacy.
My name is _____. I live in _____. I am calling/writing to enlist your aid and support for our group’s initiative to get the NJ State Legislature to put a constitutional amendment before NJ voters to explicitly forbid using the U.S. 13th Amendment’s “exception” (written back in 1865) which indirectly enables slavery and involuntary servitude to continue even to this day, for those convicted of a crime. It is necessary to ban this morally unacceptable practice, with no exceptions. Seven other states, including states such as Alabama, Nebraska, Utah, and Colorado have recently voted to unequivocally prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude in their states. It is time for New Jersey to join them! Please consult our website for further information and to give us your contact information: https://abolishprisonslaverynj.com/