Toolkit: State and Local Resolutions Opposing the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

Toolkit: State and Local Resolutions Opposing the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

February 22, 2012

States, cities, and towns across the country have been considering resolutions or legislation opposing Sections 1021 and 1022 of the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the dangerous provisions that would authorize the president — and all future presidents — to order the military to pick up and imprison people captured far from any battlefield without charging them or putting them on trial.
And you can get involved! The ACLU has drafted a model state and local bill that you can encourage your city council and/or local legislator to adopt.
Our toolkit includes:

• The model legislation
• Talking points
• Tips on how to pass a community resolution
• A guide on how to organize an in-district meeting with your elected officials

Download the toolkit »
Our model legislation does several things:

1. It sends a message from the legislative body to Congress that Sections 1021 and 1022 of the NDAA should be repealed.
2. It prohibits state/local employees from aiding the federal armed forces in any investigation, arrest, detention, or trial of any person within the United States under the NDAA.
3. It sends a message from the legislative body to Congress that the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) should expire at the end of the war in Afghanistan so that the government cannot continue to use the AUMF as justification for its claims that war is everywhere and anywhere and that the president can order the American military to imprison without charge or trial people picked up far from any battlefield.

More information on Section 1021 and 1022 of the NDAA can be found at www.aclu.org/NDAA.