Our First Amendment rights are still under attack, Friend.



Since the passage of Ohio Senate Bill 33 last session, protesting pipelines, fracking wells, power plants, and other “critical infrastructure sites” became much harder. Now, among a suite of four similar bills, House Bill 109 was introduced to infringe on our First Amendment rights even further. Ohio Citizen Action strongly opposes this ill-conceived and unnecessary legislation.



HB 109 (Rep. Cindy Abrams-R) <[link removed]>, the so-called Ohio Law and Order Act, degrades the ability of Ohioans to peacefully protest and even creates higher fines and prison time for individuals involved in and organizations supporting a protest where action is subjectively deemed a “riot.” 



In addition, the legislation allows peace officers to bring civil suits against people participating in a "riot." As you might know, 93% of protests <[link removed]> across the country from May 2020 to August 2020 were neither violent nor destructive, and there have been no fatalities in Ohio.



The goal of HB 109 is not protection, but suppression







Bottom line: Ohio Citizen Action supports the peoples’ right to peacefully assemble and speak  for or against pressing issues in our state. HB 109 unnecessarily interferes with the protest process in Ohio, and must be stopped.



Opponent testimony on HB 109 was held Thursday, June 24. It was added to the committee's agenda Tuesday evening, with a 9:00 am Wednesday deadline for all testimony. We find it ironic but not surprising that the Ohio legislature scheduled an opponent hearing for an anti-protest bill with so little notice. Clearly they aren't interested in legitimate protest of this bill, either.Regardless, numerous opponents to HB 109 spoke out and worked to protect our free speech in Ohio.



As of now, it is unclear how or when HB 109 will move forward, but the legislature is certainly working to pile bills into committee before they recess on June 30. Our representatives NEED to hear from you as soon and as often as possible.







We need you to voice your opposition to HB 109 today! Call your state representative. You can find your representative's phone number here <[link removed]>or call 1-800-282-0253 to get their number. Urge them to vote against the chilling of our free speech: NO on HB 109!



Thanks for speaking out,



Ohio Citizen Action





<mailto:[email protected]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]>



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Ohio Citizen Action - 1511 Brookpark Rd, Cleveland, OH 44109, United States

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