I started this petition because I am tired of watching another suicide become a headline, then watching all of us move on until it happens again. Our community has seen two publicly reported suicide cases in about two months. On June 19, a woman died by suicide at Civitan Park in Idaho Falls. On August 18, police began investigating another apparent suicide at Guns N Gear. A 27-year-old woman also died by suicide at the same range in 2017. This is not something happening somewhere else. It is happening here, in public places in our own community. A 72-hour waiting period may not have prevented these specific deaths. We cannot know that. But these tragedies should force us to ask what we can do differently and consider every practical step that could save the next person. In 2024, suicide was the second leading cause of death for Idahoans ages 15 to 24. Idaho also had the fifth-highest firearm suicide rate among the states. These are not abstract numbers. They represent parents, children, siblings, friends, coworkers, classmates, and neighbors. Every suicide leaves people behind who have to live with that loss. A suicide crisis can happen fast. Someone can make a permanent decision during a moment that might have passed if they had more time. A 2026 study published in JAMA Network Open used 49 years of data from all 50 states and found that waiting-period laws were associated with 12.5 percent lower firearm suicide rates. I support the right to own a gun. I also think we need to be honest about what can happen when someone in crisis has immediate access to one. This petition is not asking Idaho to take guns away from people who can legally own them. It is asking for time. Three days to think. Three days to call someone. Three days to get help. Three days for someone else to notice. Three days for a crisis to pass. Will a 72-hour waiting period stop every suicide? No. But that does not mean we should do nothing. We can respect gun rights while giving people in crisis more time before they take possession of a gun. Three days does not take away someone’s right to own one. It gives them time, and that time could save a life. Add your name. Share this petition. Send it to your state senator and representative. Ask the Idaho Legislature and Governor Brad Little to give Idahoans those 72 hours. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988.

We know Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth want more money for illegal wars and vanity projects like the “Trump battleship.” We know they’d make it happen at the expense of healthcare, education, and anti-hunger initiatives. What they failed to anticipate, however, is a massive wave of public opposition, and the powerful ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Patty Murray (D-WA), jumping in to pump the brakes on their proposed $1.5 TRILLION war budget. “I cannot accept a lopsided topline that helps defense CEOs while families get left behind,” Sen. Murray recently told reporters. She’s right. And her stance has made her a target. Now, as the pressure ratchets up on Sen. Murray to fold, particularly from her Republican counterpart, Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), it’s critical we — the anti-war majority — let her know we’re with her. Can you help send Sen. Murray a resounding message of gratitude and encouragement to keep up the fight and block Trump’s reckless budget from becoming a reality?

Trump's illegal war on Iran just entered its sixth month and shows no signs of slowing. A brief pause in the violence quickly collapsed, with strikes reported in Iran, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. At least seventeen U.S. servicemembers have died. At least 1,700 people in Iran have been killed. At least $100 billion has been wasted. Congress never authorized this war. More than that, Congress ordered Trump to end it through a historic war powers vote. But once again, Trump returned to the playbook he’s most familiar with — violence. Instead of demanding accountability, Republican leaders are moving forward toward a record-shattering $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget Trump can use to wage more war. They’d do it at the expense of social service programs — food assistance, healthcare, and more — that millions of people across the country rely on. It’s a dangerous moment, one that’s made it clear that you get what you pay for: Investing trillions of dollars in war over the last several decades has gotten us exactly that. It’s past time we turn the tables, which is why we’re demanding investments in people instead.

“We should invest in our hospitals, schools, affordable housing, and the real security American families need right now – not expensive wars and weapons that make us less safe.” — Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) We couldn’t agree more, which is why we’re urgently rallying support for Sen. Markey’s Slash the Pentagon Act — legislation to CUT Trump’s Pentagon budget request in HALF. While Trump threatens to bomb bridges, power plants, and other civilian infrastructure across Iran, which would amount to war crimes, Defense Secretary Hegseth struggles to defend the war and its mounting human and economic costs. The last thing Congress should be doing is greenlighting more violence by fulfilling their whopping $1.5 TRILLION Pentagon budget demand. The weapons lobby is digging in while Trump and Hegseth ramp up the pressure to pass their $1.5T plus-up. We say: No More. So we need to flood congressional offices with our demand in return: prioritize people over the Pentagon by slashing Trump’s war budget in half.

It is our duty as the public to speak for those who don’t have a voice. Long term reform is the goal and it can only happen when we pass on awareness and take action. 

Recovery isn’t just about getting sober – it’s about creating a new life. Many people emerging from treatment use a sober living home to transition from active addiction to becoming healthy, productive citizens. But not all sober living homes offer safe, supportive, and ethical environments. Without common standards and effective oversight, recovery home residents may face dangerous conditions, financial exploitation or feel pushed back into addiction. Why should you care? Every person working toward recovery deserves a chance to succeed. Residents are working hard to rebuild relationships, secure employment and create a sober future for themselves and their families. One place should not have the power to destroy the progress of years of hard work in just a few months. No recovering addict should have to worry if their recovery home has their best interest in mind or is solely focused on taking their money. When you stand with us, you can help hold homes accountable and ensure addiction-affected families have the safe environment they deserve. Safer licensing laws, increased inspections, and trained management will lead to better recovery outcomes, punish bad actors, and ensure recovery homes live up to their mission of helping people. Join us and together we can make recovery housing better for everyone.

Disabled veterans answered our nation's call without hesitation. They served, sacrificed, and returned home carrying the lasting physical and emotional effects of that service. Yet many Pennsylvania veterans are denied property tax relief because of outdated requirements that have little to do with their sacrifice. Under current law, a veteran can be service-connected disabled, honorably discharged, and still be denied assistance because they did not serve during a qualifying wartime period, do not meet a financial-need test, or are rated below 100% disabled. House Bill 1257 would modernize Pennsylvania's Disabled Veterans' Real Estate Tax Exemption by recognizing that service-connected disabilities affect veterans regardless of when they served or whether they meet an arbitrary income threshold. The bill would expand eligibility to veterans rated 50% or higher disabled, remove the wartime-service requirement, eliminate the financial-need requirement, and continue full relief for veterans rated 100% disabled or compensated at the 100% rate due to unemployability. For many veterans, this is not simply about taxes. It is about keeping the home they worked hard to build after serving their country. Rising property taxes have created financial pressure for disabled veterans living on fixed incomes, and many fear being priced out of the communities they fought to protect. Veterans across Pennsylvania have described HB 1257 as a meaningful step toward ensuring that those who sacrificed for our freedoms can remain in their homes with dignity. Pennsylvania's disabled veterans upheld their commitment to this Commonwealth and this nation. House Bill 1257 is an opportunity for Pennsylvania to uphold its commitment to them. TAKE ACTION TODAY Signing this petition is the first step. If you are a Pennsylvania resident, please take two additional minutes to contact your State Senator and ask them to support HB 1257. Find your State Senator here: https://www.palegis.us/find-my-legislator  Then send the message below: "I am a Pennsylvania resident and I urge you to support House Bill 1257. Disabled veterans should not be denied property tax relief because of an income cap or outdated eligibility requirements. HB 1257 passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support and deserves a vote in the Senate. Please support Pennsylvania's disabled veterans and move HB 1257 forward." One phone call or email may seem small, but when hundreds of veterans and supporters speak up together, legislators listen.

Children with special needs—specifically those who are autistic, nonverbal, or have significant developmental and physical delays—face a disproportionately high risk of mistreatment, neglect, or abuse. Because many of these children lack the verbal capacity or communication skills to advocate for themselves, report incidents, or articulate their daily experiences to parents and guardians, traditional reporting mechanisms are entirely insufficient.

Imagine your elderly parent is getting ready to vote on Election Day. They look up the address for their polling location. They know they need their voter ID, so they grab that. Since they have a disability that makes it hard to go inside the polls, they plan to use curbside voting. But when they show up to their polling location, they can't find any information on curbside voting. They want to ask a poll worker for help, but there aren't any outside. After driving around the parking lot for several minutes, they decide to give up and go home. They are extremely disappointed. Approximately 14% of Ohioans are living with a disability and about 17% of Ohioans are 65 or older. And they're not the only groups that benefit from accessible elections. A parent with a sleeping infant in the backseat can benefit from curbside voting; college students away from home can benefit from mail-in voting;  and polling locations that have plenty of room for wheelchairs also have room for strollers. Since everyone's needs are different, it's important that we make voting as accessible as possible for everyone.  This petition is open to all Ohio residents. The collected signatures will be shared with: • Frank LaRose (Ohio Secretary of State) • Brett Harbage (ADA Coordinator for the Ohio SOS' office)  Want to reach out to LaRose and Harbage directly? Frank LaRose Contact Information Brett Harbage contact information: [email protected] 614.387.6039 

When Trump says it’s “not possible” for the federal government to fund Medicare, Medicaid, and child care, what he’s telling us is: There’s plenty of money to go around, just not for you. Now, a proposed $1.5 TRILLION Pentagon budget request presents a choice as clear as day — and it’s one Congress, not Trump, gets to decide. That means we, as their constituents, have a powerful say in what happens next. So you choose: Do you want our government to spend hundreds of billions more of our taxpayer dollars on bombs and bullets to sow violence across the world, OR put those funds toward expanding healthcare access, combating climate change, ending homelessness, and funding more priorities that we know will actually keep people safe? We say: Not another dime for war and bloodshed, for Pentagon waste and weapons contractor payouts. If you’re with us, the time to act is right now. As weapons lobbyists race to the Capitol to build support for this outrageous budget, we need to get louder than the war hawks by sending lawmakers an urgent, unmistakable message that $1.5 trillion is a nonstarter.

While sales continue, Caltrans is still able to proceed with suspicious pricing, aggressive contract negotiations, and a myriad of building code and health and safety code violations. Without intervention, these serious problems will be inherited by disadvantaged home buyers, and the costs and risks ultimately transferred to the cities and districts in which these homes are located.  Caltrans tenants feel that they are under duress. There is widespread confusion about the manner in which the law and the regulations are being applied by Caltrans and their real estate contractor, Veterans Realty Group. There is a lack of uniform, accurate information, and an immediate need for advocacy and legal aid. 

It protects children from harm and unnecessary separation Children need safety—but they also need love, stability, and connection to their family. When kids are removed without clear danger or placed with strangers instead of relatives, it can cause emotional trauma. This act makes sure removal only happens when truly necessary. 👨‍👩‍👧 It keeps families together when it’s safe By requiring kinship placement first, the act helps children stay with grandparents, aunts, uncles, or close family friends instead of entering foster care with strangers. That means less trauma and stronger emotional support. ⚖️ It gives parents basic fairness and rights Many parents feel shut out of the process. This act ensures they: • Know what they’re being accused of • Can see the evidence • Can attend hearings and defend themselves That’s not extra—it’s basic due process. 🎥 It brings transparency to the system With recordings and documentation, there is: • Less room for false claims or misunderstandings • More accountability for caseworkers • Clear evidence for courts When systems are transparent, they are more fair. 🏠 It makes foster care safer Not every foster placement is equal. This act strengthens: • Background checks • Drug screening • Mental health evaluations • Ongoing monitoring So children are placed in safe, stable homes. 🩺 It prevents unqualified decisions about children Decisions about a child’s mental or physical health can shape their entire future. This act ensures only licensed professionals can make those calls—protecting children from harmful or incorrect evaluations. 🔍 It holds the system accountable Without oversight, mistakes can go unchecked. This act creates independent review, so: • Complaints are investigated • Wrong decisions can be corrected • Families have a voice ❤️ It restores trust Right now, many families don’t trust the system meant to help them. This act sends a message: “The system should protect children and respect families—not work against them.”