The State Assembly will vote TODAY on three sensible bills designed to prevent suicide as well as a wetland bill that would do more harm than good.  Your call or email to your Assembly Representative will make a difference. The Assembly Calendar for Thursday, November 7, 2019 includes:

AB 527, AB 528 and AB 531 are the suicide prevention bills. AB 527 provides for grants to organizations or municipalities for educational resources and training of staff at firearm retailers or ranges on how ot avoid selling or renting a firearm to someone who may be considering suicide. AB 528 provides grants to support peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs in high schools. AB 531 requires that student ID cards include contact information for suicide prevention hotlines. Tell your Assembly Representative to vote YES on AB 527, AB 528 and AB 531.

AB 190 / SB 169 is a complex bill that does not deliver the wetland protection that it promises. The legislation correctly ensures that mitigation of wetland disturbance is undertaken as near to the impacted wetland as possible, and it establishes financial assurance requirements for construction of mitigation projects. Although the League supports these goals, we find that this bill does not encourage the intergovernmental coordination that is needed needed for such projects, nor does it tie mitigation credits to actual progress. Early release of credits without adequate progress would “cheapen” the value of mitigation credits. Although this bill enjoys limited support from industry groups, we believe the legislation would do more harm than good. Tell your Assembly Representative to vote NO on AB 190 and SB 169.

Contact your State Assembly Representative now if you agree with the League on any of these bills. You can find your Representative by typing your address into the “Who Are My Legislators?” field on the state legislature’s home page or by calling the Legislative Hotline. In Madison, dial 266-9960. Toll-free, call 1-800-362-9472.