May 12, 2008 4:23 PM
Tuesday is the vote on IR 1105. All supporters of immigrant rights should turn out for the final discussion of the bill in the Suffolk legislature tomorrow, Tuesday. Get there before 9am to be sure to get a seat. The earlier you arrive the better. If you can get there by 8:15, all the better.
Make sure you sign a card in the lobby signing you up to speak for 3 minutes during the "public portion" of the meeting. Do not sign-up for the "public hearing", it is the "public portion" card you want to sign.
The legislature is located at
725 Veterans Memorial Highway
William H. Rogers Building, North County Complex
Smithtown, NY 11787
which is in an area often referred to as being in Hauppauge.
There is a last minute attempt going on by Legislator Cooper to try and come up with a compromise that would lead to the tabling of the bill. There is fear that the compromise might be almost as bad as the original bill, but, as this is being written, we just don't know the dimensions of a compromise.
The important thing now, as legislative offices begin to close for the night, is for us to all turn out tomorrow. Come early if you can. If you can't come at 8:30am, come at 10am. The hearing is likely to continue into the early afternoon as well, so come at 2pm if you can't come in the morning.
There is some good news. Legislators are reporting an uptick in calls and e-mails against the bill. This is coupled with a promise by several Asian-American groups to speak out against a bill which will impact their communites hard.
Legislature's Telephone: (631) 853-4070
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