The Law of Parties Bill Approved by House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence

The Law of Parties bill today passed the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence.

HB 2267 in the Texas Legislature would prohibit the state from seeking the death penalty for people in Law of Parties cases, which is a law that allows non-killers to be sentenced to death for the actions of another person. Kenneth Foster was sentenced to death under the Law of Parties before his death sentence was commuted to life in 2007 by Governor Perry.

Rep Hodge's bill was approved in the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence on April 21. It now goes to the Calendars Committee.

Scott Cobb recorded this video of Rep Hodge talking about HB 2267 about an hour after the bill was approved in committee.

We have a lot of work to do to get the bill passed by Calendars and through the entire House, but today's approval was a major victory. The victory was made possible by the efforts of many people, including Rep Hodge, Rep Dutton, their staffs, and the many people who attended the Lobby Day Against the Death Penalty on March 24 to visit legislators in person or called or emailed legislators urging them to pass the bill.

Special thanks go to all the family members of people on death row under the Law of Parties who came to Lobby Day or who testified in committee for the bill. This victory belongs to you!


Rep Terri Hodge on Committee Approval of Law of Parties Bill from Scott Cobb on Vimeo.

Contact members of the Texas House Committee on Calendars

Urge Them to Send HB 2267 to the Floor of the House for a Vote.
HB 2267 Would Prohibit Death Sentences Under the Law of Parties.

Sample Message (change it to your own words) “Hello, I am calling to urge Representative X to vote in the Calendars Committee to send HB 2267, the Law of Parties bill, to the floor of the House for a vote. HB 2267 would require separate trials for co-defendants in capital trials and would prohibit the state from seeking the death penalty for people who do not kill anyone but are convicted under the Law of Parties. I do not believe it is fair to sentence someone to death, like Kenneth Foster was, if they did not kill anyone. Thank you”.

The Law of Parties allows people who "should have anticipated" a murder to receive the death penalty for the actions of another person who killed someone. A person sentenced to death under the Law of Parties has not killed anyone. They are accomplices or co-conspirators of one felony, such as robbery, during which another person killed someone.

Please contact your own state representative and at least some of the committee members on the list below. You can find out who your own representative is at: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us

Members of the House Committee on Calendars

Rep. Brian McCall (Chair) Plano Republican
Email form for McCall: http://tinyurl.com/BrianMcCall
Room 1W.11, Capitol Bld.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0594 Phone
(512) 474-7512 Fax

Rep. Eddie Lucio III Democrat Cameron County
Email form for Lucio http://tinyurl.com/EddieLucioIII
Room EXT E1.318
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0606 Phone
(512) 463-0660 Fax

Rep. Norma Chavez El Paso Democrat
Email form for Chavez http://tinyurl.com/NormaChavez
Room CAP GN.8
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0622 Phone
(512) 478-6755 (Fax)

Rep. Garnet Coleman Houston Democrat
Email form for Coleman http://tinyurl.com/GarnetColeman
Room GW.17, Capitol Building
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0524 Phone
(512) 463-1260 Fax

Rep. Byron Cook Navarro County Republican
Email form for Cook http://tinyurl.com/ByronCook
Room EXT E2.410
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0730 Phone
(512) 463-2506 Fax

Rep. Brandon Creighton Conroe Republican
Email form for Creighton http://tinyurl.com/BrandonCreighton
Room EXT E1.412
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0726 Phone
(512) 463-8428 Fax


Rep. Charlie Geren Tarrant County Republican
Email address: charlie.geren@house.state.tx.us
Room E2.308, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0610 Phone
(512) 463-8310 Fax

Rep. Jim Keffer (Eastland) Republican
Email form for Keffer http://tinyurl.com/JimKeffer
Room E2.418, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0656 Phone
(512) 478-8805 Fax

Rep. Lois W. Kohlkorst (Brenham) Republican
Email form for Kohlkorst http://tinyurl.com/LoisKohlkorst
Room E2.318, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0600 Phone
(512) 463-5240 Fax

Rep. Edmund Kuempel Seguin Republican
Email form for Kuempel http://tinyurl.com/EdmundKuempel
Room CAP 3N.06
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0602 Phone
(512) 480-0391 Fax

Rep. Jim McReynolds Lufkin Democrat
Email form for McReynolds http://tinyurl.com/JimMcReynolds
Room CAP 1W.3
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0490 Phone
(512) 463-9059 Fax

Rep. Allen Ritter Jefferson County Democrat
Email form for Ritter http://preview.tinyurl.com/AllenRitter
Room E2.406, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0706 Phone
(512) 463-1861 Fax

Rep. Burt R. Solomons Denton County Republican
Email form for Solomons http://tinyurl.com/BurtSolomons
Room E1.420, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0478 Phone
(512) 463-2089 Fax