The Georgia Secretary of State's Office advises, "Georgia is recognized as a national leader in elections. It was the first state in the country to implement the trifecta of automatic voter registration, at least 16 days of early voting (which has been called the “gold standard”), and no-excuse absentee voting. Georgia continues to set records for voter turnout and election participation, seeing the largest increase in average turnout of any other state in the 2018 midterm election and record turnout in 2020, with over 1.3 million absentee by mail voters and over 3.6 million in-person voters utilizing Georgia’s new, secure, paper ballot voting system." Our goal should be to maintain and improve access, including consideration of a voting holiday. Yet, some State representatives are looking to reduce ability to apply for absentee ballots, reduce times and locations of absentee ballot boxes, limit early and weekend voting, and more. These changes are not to benefit Georgians who want and need a voting system that works for them, not for politicians. Please sign this petition as another tool to have your voice heard. In addition, we ask that you also call, email, fax, post, Tweet and write your representatives. https://www.legis.ga.gov/find-my-legislator #Poorpeoplescampaign #14Policypriorities

We have a right to clean air. In light of the recent fire at EMR, reports of air pollution, explosions and smells coming from the various industries in our community, hearing that GP Gypsum wants to increase their output extensively is extremely distressing and should be unconscionable considering we are designated as an Environmental Justice community. What does that designation mean if not that there is a dire need to reduce emissions and not allow them to increase? We love our community, and we need it to be healthy. Increasing emissions from any source in the neighborhood would be a huge step back and jeopardize public health in a City where childhood asthma rates are an alarming 33% (compared to 9% in NJ). We need the Department of Environmental Protection to protect our community from increased pollution and risk!

As tax-paying residents of Prince George’s County, we want our Board of Education to function in the interest of its parents, students, and community members.

Senator Cruz not only abandoned his constituents by flying off to Cancun while tens of thousands of us faced the dire, dangerous consequences of the devastating winter storm this February and then lied about it repeatedly, but more importantly, he participated in stalling the vote certification on January 6, thereby assisting the Capitol insurrectionists with their traitorous goal: to prevent President Biden’s legitimate election win to be certified so that Donald Trump could (theoretically) remain in power. Further, he has denied any responsibility for the devastating consequences of that deadly uprising. His disgraceful, selfish, callous, unprofessional, dishonest, mendacious behavior disqualify him from enjoying the visibility that his committee assignments offer him. Texas deserves better representation. America deserves better.

Representatives from ARC-SouthWest and South first were requested to stay at home until further notice. We were not offered to work from home, just like we have been doing since Covid started. This time, we were not offered any type of solution besides staying at home. On 2/22/21, we were ask to either use PTO or not get paid. There is a third option that upper management decided to ignore "reserved PTO" which is used for "emergencies". However, this option was never offered. This is hurtful, as an ARC employee I feel used. We have been working throughout Covid19 since March of 2020. We never complained about not getting hazardous pay or a raise. This is completely unfair and it should be illegal to steal PTO from employees. Upper management has been stepping all over us, as employee appreciation we got 1 canned water container from Rainwater... Why not using that money and give us at least a .5 raise? In the meantime we are opening 2 new clinics in Austin Texas. Please look into this, is not only ARC, other companies are following the steps of ARC. To top the cherry, most of our spouses are getting covered by "hazardous weather" and they get to keep their hard earned PTO. ARC needs to be brought to light and exposed their unfair treatment to their employees. I know we are not HEB but they should act better than this. Thank you for your time and consideration. Att: Really pissed off ARC employee

Democrats are in charge of the Senate -- and they’re vowing to use their majority to make cannabis legal.1 When Mitch McConnell was Senate Majority Leader any cannabis legalization bill was dead on arrival. But guess who’s not running the Senate anymore? Now we have a clear and urgent pathway to legalize cannabis and pass restorative justice reforms to address the millions of people harmed by the disastrous “War on Drugs.” Sign the petition: Tell Congress to repeal the cannabis ban and pass restorative justice reforms now! Back in November, along with electing President Joe Biden, every cannabis legalization or decriminalization initiative won at the ballot box.2 That’s a clear mandate. Of course, legalization is only part of the process. Right now, even though cannabis is legal in 15 states and DC, an estimated 40,000 people are still in jail for cannabis offenses.3 Democrats in Congress have been introducing bills to legalize cannabis and restore justice for low-level drug offenders for years. But Senator Mitch McConnell blocked cannabis legalization in the Senate. But McConnell no longer runs the Senate, and Democrats control Congress and the White House -- for now. If we want to see an end to the “War on Drugs,” then Democrats need to act now. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to repeal the cannabis ban and pass restorative justice reforms now! Sources: 1. CNBC, “Democratic senators will push to pass pot reform bill this year,” February 1, 2021. 2. Ibid. 3. Forbes, “With 40,000 Americans Incarcerated For Marijuana Offenses, The Cannabis Industry Needs To Step Up, Activists Said This Week,” June 26, 2020.

The process to hire a new Chief of Police for Prince George’s County must be fully transparent. As PG County residents we must be included in the hiring process in ways that go beyond a mere community survey. The role of the police chief is far too great and needs to be accountable to the members of the community with all police matters.

Power bills for some TX residents are now $10,000 and climbing because of a faulty grid system that was not properly maintained and regulated.

Floridians, your right to assemble and your freedom of speech are under attack. The HB1/SB484 Combating Public Disorder bill currently making its way through the Florida legislature is nothing more than a power grab by Governor Ron DeSantis. The right to assemble and the freedom of speech are both protected under the First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” If Congress cannot remove our rights, why does Governor Ron DeSantis think he can? It’s a power grab. It’s a dog whistle message intended to establish two separate paths of justice for Florida: Those with a badge or privilege will be allowed to use a gun or car to injure or kill a protestor with no liability. "This legislation would have legalized the murder of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville," Andrew Gillum tweeted, referring to the 2017 incident in which a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters during a Virginia "Unite the Right" rally. Those without a badge or privilege will not be afforded bail if they are arrested for peacefully protesting, and will see increased penalties and jail-time. “Peaceful protesters could be arrested and charged with a third-degree felony for ‘committing a riot’ even if they didn’t engage in any disorderly and violent conduct.” Dissent is patriotic. This nation was built upon dissent, as the injustices of the many required a new path forward. Dissent has always pushed this country forward toward progress. “This proposed legislation is completely unnecessary. There are already criminal laws — both state and federal — that address rioting, insurrection, treason, assault, and battery. In fact, if this legislation passes, it would have a chilling effect on exercising one’s right to to peaceably assemble.” Governor Ron DeSantis is afraid of accountability and progress and has chosen instead to silence dissent. This bill will further hinder police accountability and criminal justice reform, and serves only to embolden a military response to peaceful protesters. Reject the power grab by Governor Ron DeSantis by sending a message to Florida lawmakers that you oppose HB1/SB484 and reject his power grab by Governor Ron DeSantis. #DemandBetterFL Sources cited: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-anti-protest-bill-brigham-quince-20210216-5qiil6vzfbakbj244bw6v54fi4-story.html https://www.aclufl.org/en/written-testimony-oppose-hb-1-and-sb-484-anti-protest-bill https://www.newsweek.com/florida-governor-proposes-law-that-could-allow-drivers-run-over-mob-1533401 https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-op-com-desantis-anti-protest-bill-prosecutor-20210210-6n44w542xrdrlh6ujc67edille-story.html https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-op-com-schultz-florida-legislature-20210209-anbbizpjxbh4tok26jpxq4zkse-story.html

Intersections are dangerous when properly marked. The risk of fatalities and other injuries exponentially increases at unmarked and dangerous intersections like this one. With the exploding increase in traffic flow and pedestrian usage, upgrading this intersection is critical to preventing preventing fatalities in Nuckols Road. Other intersections in Forsyth County similar to the Habersham Trce / Nuckols Rd have been upgraded AFTER FATALITIES have occurred. As a resident of the community for over 12 years myself I have seen the exponential increase of traffic usage (both Residential and Commercial) on Nuckols Road, which runs right through center of our community. Nuckols Rd is a high traffic road that is abused by local car dealers, motorcycle riders, non-residents using it as a bypass road between Buford Dam and Highway 20, and has no ADA Complaint crosswalks for subdivision residents for Habersham At Lanier and Habersham On Lanier. Nuckols Rd is clearly marked an a posted 30 Mile Per Hour Rd, which is very rarely observed by drivers. We have seen and appreciate the significant road improvements that include repaving and a sidewalk that stretches down Nuckols Road from Buford Dam Rd to Highway 20. These road improvements alone have created more traffic because non-residents of Nuckols road communities utilize it as a high speed bypass road. This along with the number of disabled persons, ageing residents, motorcycle riders, increased commercial traffic, car dealer test drives, and overall residential growth have contributed to decreased safety within our community and required immediate resolution before something catastrophic happens. As a community, we do our diligence to maintain a productive relationship with local car dealerships and often request them to ask their employees to respect the speed limit and be aware of the pedestrian traffic as these drivers roll through our community. At the end of the day, our words and requests only fall on deaf ears. As more residents move into our community, and most recently with the Covid pandemic, the use of the newly installed sidewalks has blown up! Parents with children, People with Pets, Joggers, Walkers, Handicapped residents, and even our elderly community are more active than ever. Why is the speed deterrent requests for a 4 way stop, speed break, or at a minimum a MARKED pedestrian cross walk so important? Currently there is no safe ADA Compliant intersection crosswalk that crosses and connects both sides of the community. § 40-6-92. Crossing roadway elsewhere than at crosswalk: To cross the road as a pedestrian means jaywalking and moving traffic does not have to yield to pedestrians, creating a safety issue. § 40-6-72 - Stop signs and yield signs: Vehicles, including School busses entering the intersection from Habersham Trace must still yield right of way to oncoming traffic coming from a blind curve, even after they entered the intersection. There is no deterrent to encourage speeders to slow down or stop for our children in school buses. On both side of Habersham Trace there are handicapped children, handicapped adults, elderly and coming soon a person who is permanently bound to a motorized wheel chair. All of whom need access to a safe crossing point that can be enforced by the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office. Sheriff Freeman and his department are aware of the handicapped children in our community and are continually watching out to protect our most vulnerable residents. They are also aware of the issue of dangerous speeders abusing Nuckols Rd. FCSO officers are limited in their ability to stop speeders because of the minimum distance rule that is required to use a laser to ticket them. The speeders are aware of this and take advantage of this. However, an improved traffic control intersection w/ ADA Compliant crosswalk at Habersham Trce / Nuckols Rd would not only be an excellent and enforceable speed deterrent, it would also drastically increase residential safety, and help FCSO reduce wasted resource time by giving FCSO officers a focused traffic enforcement point. A speed deterrent, even as minimal as a MARKED (Painted and Sign) Pedestrian crosswalk, drivers are required to slow down and yield (if needed) to pedestrians without swerving around them. Approving and installing any form of speed deterrent like this pedestrian crosswalk will accomplish 3 important things. 1. A 4 way stop with MARKED pedestrian crosswalk will provide a safe crossing point at Nuckols Road between both sides of the Habersham Community for all of the residents (handicapped or non-handicapped) to utilize the wonderful sidewalk some of our SPLOST funds were used for 2. A 4 way stop, with a MARKED pedestrian crosswalk will indirectly create a safe speed barrier, as drivers will be more alert to the presence of pedestrians while recalling that pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk. It won't be a harsh physical speed deterrent like a speed bump, but it will be a deterrent that is enforceable and safe to use when pedestrians are present. 3. A 4 way stop with a MARKED pedestrian crosswalk will also assist the Forsyth County Sheriffs office with their mission of keeping our roads safe by creating a focus point during the day when Pedestrians and Vehicle traffic co-mingle in the same spaces, at the same time. These improvements will increase overall safety for local residents, protect county resources, reduce wasted enforcement resource time, and most importantly increase overall property values. At the end of the day we all want the same things; safe roads, safety in the community, and reduced the use of wasted resources. Having this 4 way stop with pedestrian crosswalk will benefit everyone.

The impending foreclosure avalanche will hurt many Americans. Foreclosures will increase the houseless population, and will DISPROPORTIONATELY affect black and brown homeownership and further widen the generational wealth gap. The American Rescue Plan needs to direct resources to help homeowners NOW

Essential workers voted and essential workers decided. We sent lawmakers to Washington who promised to stand with us to deliver racial and economic justice. Across the country workers like me are still struggling on poverty wages, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on. We have kids, rent, bills to pay. The $7.25/hr minimum wage just doesn’t cut it for anyone, anywhere. Enough is enough. No one should work 40 hours a week and still have to choose between rent and groceries. Congress will only act if we do. Add your name to tell Congress that we need a $15/hr federal minimum wage NOW.