Many citizens in the State of Illinois are unable to marry their partners only because they are of the same sex. Such a policy violates equal protection of the law because there is no rational basis or compelling reason for such a restriction. All people must have the same right to marry.

"The Atlanta Police Department has asked City Council to enact legislation to amend an ordinance that would mandate banishment of individuals convicted of prostitution from designated “Areas of Prostitution,” increase the mandatory minimum sentence for a first offense from 15 days to 180 days and upholds steep and unreasonable fees for those convicted. Atlanta is known as the city too busy to hate; we should not be also known as the city who banishes citizens, especially the community's most vulnerable members. As a city, we should focus efforts and resources on real solutions that address the underlying causes behind prostitution such as sexual victimization, substance abuse, mental illness and financial desperation. Other cities have developed programs which combine curbing demand with the services and programs which allow for sex workers to leave the streets for good and find legitimate employment. We urge the City of Atlanta to investigate these successful models, and reject the ill-conceived Banishment Ordinance.

The District of Columbia comprises 630,000 people but has no right to elect senators or representatives to represent them. This denies them the basic right of representation in a democracy. Congress should right this wrong

Grandparents' Visitation Rights in the state of IL (750 ILCS) Section 607 should be amended to allow: (F) Biological grandparents and/or other immediate biological family members should have the unconditional right to maintain a relationship with grandchildren, except in cases of abuse or neglect by either the parent or grandparent. Current state and federal law Illinois Supreme Court on Grandparents' Rights(750 ILCS) Section 607 should prohibit: (1) Parents from the unjust denial of visitation and/or communication between children and their grandparents and/or other biological relatives as outlined and specified above. (2) In cases in which the parent unjustly denies communication or visitation between a child and their grandparent or other biological relative, rather than immediately siding with the parent,the court should appoint a guardian ad litem to evaluate the situation in order to determine whether or not the parent's action are truly in the best interest of the child;or whether they are in fact detrimental to the child's overall well-being and physical and emotional development. (3) In cases such as this, the guardian ad litem should have extensive interactions and conversations with all parties involved including, parents, grandparents, and other biological relatives as well as the child. The findings of the guardian ad litem should be considered by the court before any decisions are made regarding visitation and/or communication between the child and their grandparents and/or other biological relatives.

Employees and job applicants across Texas have reported being asked by their employer for their social media passwords. Texans looking for a job or who have one should not be required to sacrifice their personal privacy in order to get a job. This is a violation of a person's space and should have no place in employment. Several states including Illinois and California have already passed legislation banning this practice, now it's our turn to do it in Texas. Tell Texas lawmakers to support SB 118 and HB 318, measures that would make this practice illegal.

The protection of citizens' right to "life" is my paramount concern, as well as their right to due process. In the Book of Acts, we find that even the ancient Romans were reluctant to torture their own citizens (in this case, the Apostle Paul) without a hearing, This petition addresses current U.S. ethical standards as contrasted with those of Imperial Rome, with the hope that this might shame our government into reevaluating its policy.

I wasn't personally affected but I learned that 200,000 Florida voters were turned away from the polls, or left without voting, because of extremely long waiting lines engineered by ???? Florida went Democratic anyway. We have to stop suppressing voters in Florida. Who's responsible? I am not sure, but we should find out.

Recently in the 2012 Election Representive Thom Tills has said he hopes the voter suppression bill will pass. This CANNOT happen!! It will make everyone have an ID to vote. However this will deter people from voting like a guy i help at my homeless soup kitchen. Please Tell Pat McCroy to not vote this bill in.

My 10yr old daughter was taken from me after making a statement at school of wanting to kill herself! When the school tried to force me to take my child to Region Ten and when I said I would take her to her own doctor and let him refer her "if need be", to a place he knew, my daughter was taken and placed in Foster Care!!! Dss will not give her back and the court is being racist and I want justice because I have the right to seek the medical choice and needs of my children, and nobody should be FORCED to Region Ten!!!!

under the blanket phrase "National Security", the public has been kept in the dark of many things that do not threaten our national security. When that term is used all discussion on a topic is stiffiled. People in power should have to prove their position to an impartial body of Congressman and Senators. I read recently some federal judge is even not going to allow unclassified material to be released to the public.

We just want to be in American was it thank you.

In 2011, Tea Party extremists in the New Hampshire legislature pushed through a so-called “Stand Your Ground” law that gives broad protection for the use of deadly force in public areas. The new law justifies the use of lethal force in self-defense anywhere an individual has a “legal right to be” - that means YOUR town and YOUR neighborhood - without a duty to retreat from harm, even when it is completely safe to do so. New Hampshire’s so-called “Stand Your Ground” law does not make our families and communities safer. The latest studies find that similar laws in other states do not deter crime and increase the number of murders and wrongful deaths resulting from lethal force encounters. These laws are also used as a legal loophole for violent criminals to plead self-defense. A law giving private citizens the right to “shoot first and ask questions later” is a tragedy waiting to happen, and it's wrong for New Hampshire. Please sign my petition to support HB135, legislation that will repeal New Hampshire’s unsafe “Stand Your Ground” law.