Let's show the President and his administration what 100,000 of something looks like. To date, finding 100,000 deaths in the US from COVID-19 during the past 4 months describes a ridiculously large number - a total exceeded (for example) only by the total US military deaths from either the 4+ years of WW II or the 4+ years American Civil War. Ranking 3rd on that list is not an achievement of which to be proud That the 100,000 deaths happened so swiftly, in so many locales, and with so little recognition of the actual spread of the virus speaks to the total lack of sincere concern for all those affected and in particular of the empty expressions of empathy to all the patients, their families and loved ones, as well as the medical and support staffs and organizations who ran toward the pandemic to help rather than retire to some more serene place of safety. 100,000 deaths and the corresponding muddled and ineffective efforts offered by the Executive leadership stands out as clearly as the pervasive absence of any continuing care or concern about the public at large. The mixed messages, fits and starts of policy or proclamation, and valuing of business results over peoples' health, lives, families, futures and contributions to society tells the shockingly dismissive story of what matters to the rich and powerful. We can inform our President and his associates of the real magnitude of concern by signing this petition in multiple hundreds of thousands so as to dwarf the sad effects of their feckless attempts to downplay the realities of the issues. Let's cap the many signatures with a tearful emoji from each signer!

During the Covid 19 pandemic the amount of plastic being used worldwide has increased significantly. The amount of plastic used in Amazon delivery envelopes and packaging is limitless. If Amazon makes this change it will set an example that will have immense impacts. As Bezos is propelled toward being Earth's first trillionaire, he, and his company, can give back to Earth by stopping unnecessary plastic use.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act promises an extra $600 per week to workers on unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic and extends unemployment eligibility by up to 13 weeks. It also dramatically expands who qualifies for unemployment during the crisis. Alas in the state of Florida where we are the lowest paid in benefits in the entire country, are not getting anything but the run around from the Florida DEO and our Governor Ron Desantis, who blames those of us who have filed, for months. The working class in Florida are losing everything they ever worked for. The working class people of Florida deserve better.

H.R. 6666, otherwise known as the COVID-19 Testing, Reaching, and Contacting Everyone (TRACE) Act, was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on 5/1/2020. This bill is sponsored by Representative Bobby Rush (D) of Illinois District 1. The bill has 59 cosponsors, 58 Democrats and 1 Republican. Summary H.R. 6666 provides 100 billion dollars this year and unlimited federal funding in future years to create and operate a massive and likely unconstitutional surveillance, testing, and tracing enforcement system under the guise of “protecting” Americans against coronavirus. H.R. 6666 is a federal funding bill. It proposes to create a surveillance infrastructure that can be used by the federal government, as well as local and state governments and private businesses, to require medical testing and tracking of all citizens in violation of fundamental civil liberties as set forth in the Bill of Rights, which include the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution designed to protect individual rights and limit the power of the government. H.R. 6666 lacks safeguards and conditions related to funding of the proposed surveillance operation to prevent it from being applied to intrusive programs mandating testing and surveillance without an individual’s voluntary consent. If this legislation is passed by Congress and enacted into law, it could lead to denial of an individual’s right to appear in public spaces and travel; the right to employment and education or participation in government-funded services, and the right to receive care in a government funded hospital or other any other medical facility. H.R. 6666 specifically allows for funded entities to home quarantine a person against their will, even while they are healthy. Once a vaccine is available, the testing and tracing results potentially could be used to force individuals to be injected with a COVID-19 vaccine against their will. According to a Press Release from the sponsor Congressman Bobby L. Rush, “Reopening our economy and getting back to normal will be all but impossible if we do not step up our testing efforts and implement robust and widespread contact tracing,” said Rep. Rush. “Until we have a vaccine to defeat this dreaded disease, contact tracing in order to understand the full breadth and depth of the spread of this virus is the only way we will be able to get out from under this.” The Devil is in the Details H.R. 6666 would allow The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award federal grants to eligible entities to conduct diagnostic testing for COVID–19, to trace and monitor the contacts of infected individuals, and to support the quarantine of such contacts. Through the use of mobile health units, as necessary, individuals would be tested and provided with services related to testing and quarantine at their residences. The amount of money appropriated for fiscal year 2020 would be $100,000,000,000 (one hundred billion dollars) and more money may be appropriated by Congress as necessary for any subsequent fiscal year during which the emergency period continues. A grant recipient may use the federal grant funds, in support of the above referenced activities to hire, train, compensate, and pay the expenses of individuals; and to purchase personal protective equipment and other supplies. Priority will be given to applicants in “hot spots” and medically underserved communities and to entities that hire residents of the community where the activity will occur. Hot spots are defined as a geographic area where the rate of infection with the virus that causes COVID–19 exceeds the national average. Medically underserved communities are communities given that term in section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p). Entities eligible for the grant money are defined as a federally qualified health center, school-based clinic, disproportionate share hospital, academic medical center, nonprofit organization, institute of higher education, high school, and any other type of entity as determined by the Secretary of HHS. H.R. 6666 Does Not Guarantee Privacy Section 2 (e) of H.R. 6666 is entitled “Federal Privacy Requirements”, but it does little to protect privacy. It states that “Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any Federal privacy or confidentiality requirement, including the regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–191; 110 Stat. 2033) and section 543 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290dd–2). In actuality, H.R. 6666 offers few privacy protections for Americans who will be surveilled and tested without their consent under programs funded with this grant. In fact, Americans can expect their privacy to be violated under TRACE funded programs. That is because the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) 45 CFR 164.512(b)(1)(i) has always allowed disclosure of private health information to government officials and other government approved entities including foreign governments without the knowledge or consent of the individual for the purpose of conducting public health surveillance, investigations or interventions. Bill of Rights Cannot Be Suspended During A “Public Health Crisis” The Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution cannot be set aside by the federal government or state governments during pandemics or other public health emergencies. In The United States Statement of Interest in Support of Plaintiffs, filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a case last month in which church goers attending a drive-in sermon were issued citations for violating an executive order in Mississippi, the DOJ stated;

It is important to open tattoo establishments because we practice sanitation protocols between every single client every day, even before Covid-19. We have been patiently waiting since the middle of March for news and some have not been able to wait and have had to open to be able to provide for their household. Don’t put us in a position where we have to risk our license in order to be able to keep our businesses afloat. SIGN THIS PETITION TO GET REPUTABLE AND SAFE TATTOO ESTABLISHMENTS OPENED!

With six months to go until the November elections, the U.S. Senate has a waning opportunity to show our country what compassionate, bipartisan leadership looks like, and whether majority leader Mitch McConnell is capable of that leadership. His legacy will likely be defined by how the Senate meets this historic challenge. An obsessive focus on reshaping the federal judiciary will pale in comparison to an underwhelming and tepid response to the significant needs of our commonwealth and nation to meet the coronavirus crisis. Sen. McConnell's recent actions are deeply troubling. From stating, “Some of these governors, particularly the Democrat governors, it seems, enjoy this extra power over people’s lives, and ... the governors have been struck down, been overruled, for being sort of drunk with power at the opportunity to keep everybody locked up,” to recently saying that President Obama should "keep his mouth shut," and calling him "classless." This comes on the heels of his irresponsible suggestion that states should declare bankruptcy instead of expecting federal support. Please sign and share our petition to encourage Leader McConnell to make the most of the moment, and set a new, bipartisan direction for his leadership of the current Senate session.

As a small, woman-owned business, my boutique Pilates Studio has been classified as a gym or fitness center, and alongside cinemas with a 250+ person capacity, and in turn, my business has been shut down in advance of other non-essential businesses. We have been closed since March 16th, and while we have made every effort to generate revenue through virtual, online classes our monthly revenue has dropped below 5 percent of its regular value. To be clear, unlike gyms and fitness centers, boutique fitness studios and micro gyms have a typical capacity of 1-6 people. Most clients are seen 1-1 (instructor-client) up to 4-1 ratios as normal practice. Clients attend pre-scheduled sessions limited to this capacity. At no point are clients admitted to classes as walk-Ins, a physical appointment must be scheduled 12-24 hours in advance of their session. In addition, this industry is one of the few female-led and powered industries in existence. We estimate 75% of the owners and workers impacted by this crisis are women. I ask that you support the Petition to exclude boutique fitness studios and micro-gyms from the definition of of “Gyms” or “fitness centers,” and create independent directives applicable for the reduced footprint of the unique business models used by boutique fitness studios and micro-gyms. We respectfully request that Governor Whitmer open us along side other non-essential businesses who will reopen June1. As a boutique fitness studio and micro-gym, it can be argued that we are actually are an essential business as we see more than 60% of our clients in a therapeutic/rehabilitative manner, under the guidance of licensed physical therapists. Our industry has, and always will be committed to the health and wellbeing of all others. We want to reopen responsibly and as quickly as possible.As the studio owner, I can attest that my boutique fitness studio/ microgym appreciates the importance of employing several team members and supporting clients to become healthy with the least risk possible to their good health.

This action is important for so many reasons, such as Mr. Trump and his administration’s: 1) racist and violent rhetoric; 2) dangerous refusal to sufficiently handle the current COVID-19 pandemic and its numerous associated issues; 3) shameful detention of immigrants and their families; 4) purposeful raiding of taxpayer funds to benefit the richest segment of US citizens; 5) flagrant unethical and unlawful behaviors; and 6) other issues too numerous to mention. - - - We must make our disapproval unequivocal. Please lend your voice to this political action. - - - “There is a power that can be created out of pent-up indignation, courage, and the inspiration of a common cause, and that if enough people put their minds and bodies into that cause, they can win. It is a phenomenon recorded again and against in the history of popular movements against injustice all over the world.” ― Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times

Family and Friends across the nation are not getting their life-saving cancer surgeries and hospital workers are being furloughed due to not enough work. WE can't allow our HEALTH Care system to collapse!!

1. We have had numerous calls from clients requesting us to come to their homes. Nail Technicians will eventually start doing nails at home and in client's homes. When this happens, sanitation requirements are not going to be able to be followed properly and exposure will become heightened. 2. Many Nail Technicians have received unemployment and it will give them some income. For most nail technicians, this is not enough as most of their income comes from the commission and the tips that they make. 3. For the self-employed, it is even more of a struggle trying to manage both home and work bills. Having no source of income, lease agreements to pay rent, along with many other expenses that come from being self-employed, this puts many of us under stress that is effecting our mental health. 4. Many nail technicians and nails salons have now been without income since the businesses have closed back in March. A lot of salon owners are facing financial hardship and the longer the salons stay closed, the more possibility of some of us having to close our doors permanently. Please ask Governor Sununu to Consider us as an essential business and allow us to reopen. Thank you for Support & Consideration.

We have been asked to reopen at a time when our health department strongly recommends that staff and children with pre-existing medical conditions stay home. This is critical for safety; however it also means that our pre-pandemic staffing crisis is much worse and we need to operate below capacity while many of our children remain home. Our operating costs have skyrocketed, we have little access to supplies, and social distancing is not possible for young children. We have a work environment at very high risk for infection, even with strict regulations and highly trained staff. Our programs are facing an unprecedented staffing crisis and revenue hit and we were already in crisis before the pandemic. There are centers that do not have enough staff to open or can only partially open, and we need funding to bridge this gap. In addition, we need to protect our current staff so that we can reopen to full capacity when the crisis is over. There are a number of ways that we can ensure the solvency of the childcare industry, but there are three systems in dire need of long-term public investment. Those three systems are healthcare, wage supports, and access to childcare financial assistance. As we attempt to re-open, we will be missing a substantial portion of our staff that fall into the "at-risk" categories, meaning we need to support what little workforce we have left. Those teachers that are able and willing to return to work are going to need guaranteed access to healthcare and childcare financial assistance. Historically, teachers that did not qualify for these things would either quit or work part-time as they juggled schedules. In addition, our average wage is just over $12.00 per hour. This is at or below many other lower tier essential jobs and we often have higher education degrees and continued education. Without public investment in wage supports for our teachers and directors, many of our workers may never return. Even with our best efforts, many programs cannot resume operation on June 1 or can only partially open due to lack of staff and/or lack of children. Programs that have teachers and/or directors out will not be able to resume full operation or may not be able to open at all. Without continued financial support, these programs risk permanent closure. In addition to lack of staff, programs will have reserved spaces sitting open with no income for those at-risk children that cannot return, or for those families that have experienced lay-offs. This creates a precarious financial situation for an entire industry. We need continued stabilization grants and continued allowance for subsidy reimbursement for both open and closed programs; otherwise the system is penalizing programs that have staff and children with pre-existing conditions. Without continued financial support, open programs will have operating expenses that are higher than their tuition income, closed programs will cease to exist and not be available to provide care when it is safe for staff to return. Supporting current programs will allow the industry to bounce back from the pandemic much faster than allowing programs to fail and then trying to restart anew. In addition to financial investment, all programs will need assistance with health and safety measures such as procuring PPE, cleaning supplies, and groceries as well as testing and contact tracing. We don't have the buying power of large businesses and have little access to the supplies that we need to operate safely. Our work environment is close contact and high risk for disease transmission. We need PPE for our workforce to try to prevent widespread illness and additional center closures. We will need regular access to free testing for our workforce and our families as we try to monitor and control infection. In addition to the testing, we need clear and enforceable protocols for keeping staff and children safe and that do not leave wiggle room for parents to send in sick or possibly contagious children. Lastly, we would like to mention that there will be a significantly increased need for social/emotional support for children as they return to group care and funding for mental health and case management services will be needed as we help children cope with the effects of a pandemic. We realize that this list is extensive and will require significant financial investment, but it addresses many of the issues that our profession is currently facing and will face in the future. If we can secure permanent funding for wages, subsidy, healthcare, and a path back to re-opening during a health crisis, then we will have helped to create a much more sustainable model of early education that should last us years into the future. Thank You for Your Consideration, The Early Educators of Vermont

These businesses are the livelihood and sole source of income of many bar owners, some of which I know personally. If they are forced to wait longer than 30 more days to open they will NOT be able to reopen at all! Not just for the patrons of these establishments and the music industry, but also on behalf of bar/nightclub owners please consider allowing them to open!