Governor Kasich is proposing in his two year state budget to accept billing only from certified home health agencies and NOT Independent Health Aides, nurses or other certified independent providers. This cut will leave over 13,000 Independent Workers without income as well as leave over 16,000 individuals (mostly developmentally disabled individuals) without their day to day care.

We have family members who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act, and we know of others who would benefit from an expansion of Medicaid. The Kansas Hospital ASSN calls for the expansion. We cannot stand idly by and ignore the need for health care for our low income citizens.

I am a registered nurse and Montana resident. As a nurse, I care deeply for my profession and for my patients. I take pride in the care I give patients and am proud of the reputation Montana healthcare has because of the work I do as a nurse. On Friday, the MNA executive director and the MNA RN continuing education specialist delivered testimony on why H.B. 147 is not the right answer for Montana patients or Montana nurses. I wish I could have been there, but as RNs who work on the frontline—in Montana’s ERs, psych wards and critical care facilities, to name a few—we rely on our voice in MNA to speak for us when we are caring for Montana’s patients. That’s why I am speaking up through this petition to let you know that we fully stand behind MNA’s opposition to H.B. 147. I know there were points both in favor of and opposition to H.B. 147. I’d like to bring your attention to these points: 1. There is substantial disparity among the compact states in regard to continuing education and competence assessment, just as there is with the non-compact states. Without ensuring that all nurses practicing in Montana are held to the same high standards, we put patients at risk and undercut the hard work our nurses do to stay at the forefront of our field. 2. This nursing compact does not solve staffing issues around the state. If nurses can easily be transitioned into Montana, being in the compact, our Montana nurses can just as easily be transitioned out. In addition, many of the compact states—especially those bordering Montana—are facing similar nursing shortages, so the likelihood of a significant recruiting increase is low. I support and encourage the ongoing discussions with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and Tri-Council for Nursing to address these issues with evidence and standardization that ensure public safety and safe patient care. Until these issues are ironed out, I urge you to stop H.B. 147. As a Montana RN, I work hard to improve my skills and provide high-quality care to Montana patients. There is substantial disparity among compact states in regard to competence assessment. I know that H.B. 147 raises more questions than it provides solutions. Reject H.B. 147, and let’s continue productive discussions that will benefit Montana patients.

The Association of American Indian Farmers (AAIF) strongly supports mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods (commonly called “GMOs”). But in spite of its name, the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act” undermines labeling by: • Preempting state GMO labeling laws; • Codifying existing voluntary labeling systems; and • Restricting the Food and Drug Administration’s ability to require national mandatory labeling. As farmers, AAIF members and families know firsthand that consumers are demanding more information about the food they feed their families – not less. AAIF stands with the vast majority of Americans who are in favor of labeling GMOs. Because the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act” does not require GMO labels, we urge you to oppose the bill.

According to the CDC, more than 2 million Americans get sick from antibiotic-resistant infections each year, and 23,000 people die. Yet, more than 70 percent of all antibiotics sold in the United States are used in livestock and poultry operations, which routinely mix huge quantities of antibiotics into the feed for healthy animals. This practice increases the likelihood that all kinds of bacteria will develop resistance to antibiotics, meaning our life-saving medicines won't work. As one of the largest purchasers of meat in the world, McDonald’s has tremendous power to change the food market and put an end to this dangerous practice.

I pay for health insurance , as do most Americans . Congress get's FREE insurance (at my expense) yet want's to take insurance away from many who were previously unable to get insurance.

In every state except Mississippi and West Virginia, parents can legally choose to not vaccinate their children against common illnesses before enrolling them in school. The consequence of these vaccination loopholes has been the re-emergence of diseases like the measles—an illness that had all but been eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are over 100 reported cases in more than a dozen states, and the U.S. is "likely to see more cases." Mississippi hasn’t seen a measles outbreak since 1992 and West Virginia, not since 1994. That’s because neither state permits children to enroll in kindergarten without getting their full roster of vaccines—no matter their parents’ personal or spiritual beliefs. The anti-vaccine movement puts our most vulnerable populations at risk, including children under 12 months who simply cannot get vaccinated. Public health must trump parental choice. Tell your governor to introduce legislation to ban all belief-based vaccination exemptions.

Public health officials have tied the rise in pertussis and measles to the lowering of the vaccination rate. If this trend continues, the immunity of the entire population is threatened (known as ‘herd immunity’). Dangerous communicable diseases will spread further, and will also affect people who have been vaccinated—those with weakened immune systems, the very young, the very old, and the like. This petition seeks to address falling vaccination rates by requiring all children to be vaccinated in order to attend Oregon schools unless they have a medical condition that precludes it.

The California Department of Public Health has reported a sharp rise in the incidence of pertussis (whooping cough) over the past four years, declaring this disease an epidemic in 2014. There was an outbreak of measles in 2014 as well. The Los Angeles Times and numerous other media sources have published data on vaccine rates in Southern California showing the widespread use of the “personal belief exemption” (CA Code 120365) by parents to excuse their children from mandatory vaccinations. Public health officials have tied the rise in pertussis and measles to the lowering of the vaccination rate. If this trend continues, the immunity of the entire population is threatened (known as ‘herd immunity’). Dangerous communicable diseases will spread further, and will also affect people who have been vaccinated—those with weakened immune systems, the very young, the very old, and the like. This petition seeks to address falling vaccination rates by requiring all children to be vaccinated in order to attend California schools unless they have a medical condition that precludes it.

We have a four month old son. We love Tribeca Pediatrics and are philosophically aligned with their approach to pediatric healthcare in many ways. However, it has come to our attention that over 100 active patients at the Fort Greene practice alone are anti-vaccinators. We are afraid of the risk posed to our baby by sharing space with these individuals, particularly in light of the fact that it is when babies are sick and vulnerable that they go to the doctor. Some important context: We have raised our concerns directly with the practice. They were extremely responsive, and sympathetic to our concerns, acknowledging that there is some risk involved, but they feel they have a better chance of educating anti-vaccinators if they continue to accept them. They also explained that the idea of separation is logistically difficult due to space constraints. We started this petition in the hopes that if enough people express interest in their doing so, they will consider creating some system for separation, despite the logistical difficulty in doing so. This petition was started by parents in Brooklyn, but it is an issue that affects us all. If you have a kid who goes to Tribeca Pediatrics, or simply think this issue is important and needs to be addressed, please sign.

I am a parent and a physician who not only cares for my own children but all others who are put at risk by parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids for nonmedical reasons. If we can ban peanuts in school because of one child, we can significantly reduce serious risk of infectious diseases to many more children.

According to the CDC, more than 2 million Americans now get sick from antibiotic-resistant infections each year, and 23,000 people die. The misuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry operations, which routinely mix huge quantities of antibiotics into the feed they give healthy animals, is one major reason these drugs are losing effectiveness. McDonald’s has tremendous power to change the food market and put an end to this dangerous practice.