I serve on the board of a CASA program that serves foster children by providing them with volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates. Many foster kids have no relative who can take them in when they have been abused or neglected by their loved ones and/or perpetrators, so they become wards of the state. They "age out" of the foster care system at 18 years of age. When foster parents are no longer paid monthly stipends to keep these kids, then many foster kids can become homeless while still attending high school. If foster kids know they will be eligible for at least 2 years of college or trade school, it will give them hope for the future and incentive to complete high school.

Just days after the House of Representatives voted to cut a quarter of a billion dollars from Amtrak's budget, a group of nine senators stood to announce their support for fully funding Amtrak. Calling the recent derailment in Philadelphia a "harrowing and deadly" reminder of the need to invest in passenger rail, the new Senate legislation calls on Congress to provide $2 billion in funding that Amtrak has said it needs to keep passengers safe and to fix what's broken.[1] Tell Congress: fix what's broken and keep passengers safe. [1] http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/senate-democrats-want-21-billion-amtraks-maintenance-backlog/

Recently, the City began a planning process to “revitalize” the Adeline Corridor in South Berkeley. A group of neighbors have organized in order to demand that justice and equity be part of the conversation. As part of that effort we are demanding this revitalization begin today with NO cuts to any South Berkeley organization. Instead, we urge you to work with us to identify new long-term funding for these essential services as a part of the Adeline Corridor Plan. * including: Organizations located in and serving South Berkeley: The Drop-In Center, Youth Spirit Artworks, Ephesians Children’s Center, McGee Avenue Baptist Church and the South Berkeley Community Church. Organizations located in South Berkeley and serving the broader community: LifeLong Medical Care, East Bay Community Law Center, Through the Looking Glass, A Better Way, Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program

A Texas company has proposed building a high speed rail line linking Dallas and Houston using no public funding, but opponents succeeded in adding a "rider" to the state budget which would prohibit the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) from even engaging in safety and engineering oversight of the project. That oversight is required, so the rider would effectively kill the high speed rail line. High speed rail will help take cars off the road, reducing pollution and traffic, and provide an alternative for travelers. The state should be expediting the project, not putting up barriers. The budget conference committee should remove the rider from the final budget and let plans for high speed rail proceed.

Governor Rauner’s proposed budget for the year beginning July 1 slashes the Amtrak line item from $42 million to $26 million a year, a 40% cut. [1] This would likely mean service reductions on three downstate Amtrak routes, including the Illini and Saluki trains that serve Champaign-Urbana and Carbondale, two cities with huge college student populations from the Chicago area, many of whom use Amtrak service. These trains are often at capacity. Some Democratic lawmakers have suggested avoiding the cuts by continuing to use the state road fund to pay for Amtrak services, rather than general revenue. Amtrak keeps autos off the roads, reducing wear and tear on the roads and saving lives. Amtrak protects the environment, by using less fossil fuels. And Amtrak saves time, because unlike driving, you can safely do other things while you ride the train. Urge Governor Rauner and your state legislators to protect full funding for Amtrak by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2015-05-20/budget-fix-proposed-amtrak-use-idot-road-fund.html

I'm tired of WVAW getting rate increase and getting richer of of people in West Virginia.

The Pacific NorthWest loves hockey, yet the closest American NHL team is San Jose. The WHL is a common way players enter the NHL, 5 WHL teams are in Oregon/Washington, however, these players must leave the PNW to play in the NHL. Portland has a 100 year history of supporting hockey. It is time we competed on the NHL stage. We need a NHL-Pacific Northwest option!

Michigan Republicans recently unveiled a plan to fix roads in the state by taxing Michigan residents that can least afford it. Their plan proposes to raise $117 million in road funding by eliminating the Earned Income Tax Credit, which provides the working poor with a tax refund. The EITC is one of the largest anti-poverty programs in the country, and it's a critical lifeline for many of Michigan's poorest families.

On Wednesday, May 20th, California will decide whether to increase funding for disability services or ignore the pleas of people with disabilities and their service providers. Liz Grigsby, like many people with disabilities, wants to keep living in her own home. Without adequate funding, people like her can end up isolated in an institution. Liz wants people to know that "We have a right to live in the community just like everyone else." Tell Governor Brown to approve the rate increase!

We have a 17 yr old girl who lives in Sussex and is looking forward to having a say in her services starting in Sept. Over the years, covered services and items have diminished with cut backs and changes to various programs. This year Art Therapy was eliminated from County Waiver as not scientifically proven successful. We know what works for us and we are finally looking forward to utilizing funding efficiently that meets our daughter's specific needs. Only we really know what works for us not some short sighted untested options. Please help us to continue to have our FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

This is a persistent problem that must be addressed.

The City of Coral Gables has commenced the design of their long-planned project for a complete makeover of its signature street, "Miracle Mile", the heart of the downtown area. This $20 million project will include shrinking travel lanes, and reconfiguring angled parking to parallel parking to allow more space for the pedestrian sidewalk. When designed correctly, there is adequate space to add a protected or standard bicycle lane, so that bicycle riders can access the many retail shops and restaurants on Miracle Mile. The initial plans prepared by the firm hired by the Coral Gables Business Improvement District ("BID") in 2009 increased the sidewalk from 14.5' to 21'. Experts in street planning (Streetplans) found that by reducing travel lanes and parking lanes slightly, bicycle lanes could be added to Miracle Mile, providing a tremendous potential improvement to the safety of the street for pedestrians and bicycles, as well as allowing safe access to the bicycle riding community. Plans showing protected bicycle lanes were included and recommended in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan which was approved by the City Commission in 2014. In 2014 a final financing plan was approved that would create an equal cost-share where the BID and the City (residents) would each pay 1/2 of the total cost. A firm was then hired to commence the design phase services. A steering committee was appointed and the design commenced. At its first public meeting, the designers showed that the travel lanes and parallel parking lane could be narrowed, and all of the extra space would be added to the pedestrian-only sidewalk. Bicycle riders seeking to shop, dine and work on Miracle Mile will be expected to ride on the street. We the undersigned support the inclusion of dedicated bicycle lanes for bicycle riders of all ages to enjoy the many retail stores and restaurants on Miracle Mile without fear of harm from vehicles or risk of injuring pedestrians, and urge the City of Coral Gables to immediately direct the design consultants to include a bicycle lane in their plans.