Leadership of the Maryland General Assembly is moving HB814/SB744, the FOX45 child criminalization bill, legislation that takes Maryland back to being ranked as one of the worst human rights violators of children in the entire United States. The Senate version of the bill, SB744, is being heard in the House Judiciary Committee this Tuesday, 3/26.

The bill increases the number of children involved with the justice system and reduces opportunities for out-of-court services, diversion, and restorative practices that make communities safer while helping children – it means more arrests for kids 10-12 years old, more cases forwarded to the State’s Attorney office for prosecution, more kids in pre court detention for minor offenses, kids on probation for longer periods of time. This is unacceptable.

We’re calling the leadership of the House with a simple message: follow the facts, not fear. Listen to decades of evidence and best practices, and stand by the youth justice-centric legislation passed just two years ago. HB814/SB744 must be struck entirely, except for the portion of the bill that establishes a commission to address challenges in the juvenile justice system.

Please sign up for only ONE 10 minute slot and make all your calls during that timeframe. If you are not able to make a call in one of the remaining empty timeslots, please call using the script below whenever you can -- but, if possible, prioritize filling an empty timeslot. If you participated in the last phone zap, please participate in this one too; all calls are valuable! Read below for additional instructions.

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INSTRUCTIONS

Use the phone numbers and script below as a guide, but feel free to share any personal reasons for why you support youth justice and/or oppose the FOX45 child criminalization bill. If someone from the office does not pick up, please leave a message.

We ask that you sign up for a timeslot and make four calls: to House Speaker Adrienne Jones, Judiciary Chair Luke Clippinger, Majority Leader David Moon, and Majority Whip Jazz Lewis.

House Speaker Adrienne Jones: 410-841-3800
Delegate Luke Clippinger, Chair of Judiciary Committee: 410-841-3488
Delegate David Moon, Majority Leader: 410-841-3474
Delegate Jazz Lewis, Majority Whip: 410-841-3691

You can also look up the information for your District electeds here if you would like to call your Senator and/or Delegates.

After you make your calls, please fill out this JUFJ form. This will help us know if you talked to staff or left a voicemail, and any other important information from your call.

Remember to thank the staff you talk to - they work hard and have fielded a lot of our calls!

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CALL SCRIPT

Please note that legislators' staff has told constituents that it sounds like they are reading from a script. We want you to be aware that this is a possible response you may receive, that you should feel free to personalize the script below, and that the most important thing is to use your voice and make a call, regardless of whether you use the script or your own words!

Script for Speaker Jones

My name is ___ and I live in District ___. I’m calling to express my disappointment and frustration on SB744/HB814, a bill that incarcerates children who are charged with minor offenses before court and subjects more children to the system. We know that this bill will disproportionately impact and harm Black and brown children, and will not make communities safer. While I appreciate some of the changes made to SB744, the amended bill still contains many harmful provisions. All people should be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness – especially children. Please use your leadership position to strike the bill, except for the creation of a commission. I oppose SB744/HB814 unless it is significantly amended to only establish a commission and study.

Script for Delegates Clippinger, Moon, and Lewis

My name is ___ and I live in District ___. I’m calling to express my disappointment and frustration on SB744/HB814, a bill that incarcerates children who are charged with minor offenses before court and subjects more children to the system. We know that this bill will disproportionately impact and harm Black and brown children, and will not make communities safer. All people should be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness – especially children. I urge you to use your leadership position to oppose SB744/HB814 unless it is amended to only a commission and study, and urge you to speak to your colleagues about this bill. I oppose SB744/HB814 unless it is significantly amended.