<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote">Hi all,<br><br><div style="word-wrap:break-word"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">After a successful lobbying campaign a couple of weeks ago, Illinois State Senator Ira Silverstein’s unconstitutional bill to punish universities and academics that participate in professional associations that adopt resolutions boycotting Israel or Israeli higher education institutions has been re-assigned from the Higher Education Committee to the <b>Judiciary Committee</b>. A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at which the bill may be considered is scheduled for this <b>Wednesday afternoon, March 19, at 3pm</b>.</span></p>
<div style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span><br></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Before Wednesday afternoon, we ask you to help with two things:</span></p>
<div style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span><br></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">1.</span><span style="line-height:normal"><b> CALL SENATORS ON THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE NOW AND STATE YOUR OPPOSITION TO THE BILL.</b></span></p>
<p><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><b>1) MAKE A CALL NOW to state your opposition to SB 3017 (talking points below)</b>!</span></p><ul><li><b>If your State Senator is on the Judiciary Committee, then we need you to call your Senator.</b> You can check to see if your Senator is on the Judiciary Committee, and find the phone number for their Springfield office, here: <a href="https://glr.starcafecrm.org/sites/glr.starcafecrm.org/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=17359&qid=787713" target="_blank">http://www.ilga.gov/senate/<u></u>committees/members.asp?<u></u>CommitteeID=1248</a><ul>
<li><p>Click on the legislator’s name to find the phone number for their Springfield office.</p></li><li><p>For “talking points,” see below.</p></li><li><p>If you don’t know who your State Senator is, go to this link and type your address to find out: <a href="https://glr.starcafecrm.org/sites/glr.starcafecrm.org/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=17360&qid=787713" target="_blank">http://www.elections.il.gov/<u></u>districtlocator/addressfinder.<u></u>aspx</a></p>
</li></ul></li><li><b>if your Senator is <i>not</i> on the Judiciary Committee</b>, then we need you to call the chair of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Kwame Raoul (D- Hyde Park). CALL <b><a href="tel:%28217%29%20782-5338" value="+12177825338" target="_blank">(217) 782-5338</a></b>. For “talking points,” see below.</li>
</ul><div><p><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><b>2) HELP SPREAD THE WORD:</b></span><br> </p><ul><li>Share this message as widely and as quickly as you can! <b>Especially if your Senator is on the Judiciary Committee</b>, we need you to help spread the word in your Senate district.</li>
<li>Try to get this information to people throughout the state - it important that this be a state-wide effort.</li></ul></div><div> <br></div><p><b>TALKING POINTS - TELL STATE SENATORS:</b><br><br>I am calling to oppose the Judiciary Committee Amendment to Senate Bill 3017 that seeks to punish certain constitutionally protected political speech in Illinois.<br>
<br>This amendment proposes that the legislature defund an Illinois state university which provides funds for membership, travel or lodging for any employee to attend activities of an academic entity which has issued a public resolution or statement supporting boycotting a country which is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) or higher education institutions in that country.</p>
<ul><li>This bill is unconstitutional because the Supreme Court has ruled that boycotts are protected First Amendment activities.</li><li>The State cannot deny funding to universities because certain legislators don’t like the views that faculty and staff are expressing through protected First Amendment activities like boycotts.</li>
<li>Legislative intrusion in academic decision-making undermines academics’ abilities to associate and exchange views with their colleagues.</li><li>It is fiscally irresponsible and unconstitutional to condition funding for the Illinois university system on the university’s censorship of academic associations’ political viewpoints.</li>
</ul><p><b>Thank you for taking action! Our organized response can help prevent this legislation from moving forward. Let’s keep up the pressure! </b> </p><div style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span><br>
</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">2. <b>Generating “witness slips” for testimony at the hearing in opposition to the bill.</b> Our focus for this action is leaders and more engaged activists. There is a simple online form where interested parties can register as witnesses for the hearing in opposition to the bill. To register your opposition in writing, submit as a “Record Of Appearance Only,” which means that you don't have to attend the hearing, but your opposition will be officially recorded. Our friends at the Illinois ACLU say that generating many such witness slips in opposition is an effective tactic to demonstrate opposition to legislators. <b>We urge you to individually encourage leaders and engaged activists to submit this form.</b> It’s actually pretty simple and should just take a few minutes, but might be daunting to someone who has never heard of “witness slips” before.</span></p>
<div style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span><br></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">The link is here:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><a href="http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/79303?committeeHearingId=11620&LegislationId=79303&SCommittees3%2F21%2F2014-page=1&committeeid=0&chamber=S&nodays=7&_=1394831006091&GridCurrentCommittees-page=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/79303?committeeHearingId=11620&LegislationId=79303&SCommittees3%2F21%2F2014-page=1&committeeid=0&chamber=S&nodays=7&_=1394831006091&GridCurrentCommittees-page=1</span></a></p>
<div style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span><br></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Here are some brief instructions for filling out the form:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">I. Identification – Enter your information; fax number is not required but if you don’t include a fax number you must clear this field completely.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">II. Representation – Fill in if you are representing an organization</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">III. Position – Click on the button next to “Opponent”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">IV. Testimony – Click on the box next to “Record of Appearance Only” if you don't plan on testifying in person.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">- Type the Captcha Code in the box.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">- Click Next to “I Agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:13.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">- Click on “Create Slip.”</span></p></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><span><font color="#888888">
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<div><font face="times new roman,serif"><i><b><font color="#ff0000">Students</font> for Justice in <font color="#009900">Palestine</font> </b></i></font></div>
<div><font face="times new roman,serif"><i><b>University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</b></i></font></div>
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