Amazon Studios, with its own troubling history of sexual harassment by senior staff [1] and talent they've represented, is celebrating the #MeToo movement by distributing [2] a movie produced by a man credibly accused of molesting his daughter, and denied custody on that basis. [3] Why should victims of sexual assault continue to be told by the actions of our major cultural institutions that if a man is wealthy and famous enough, he can continue to have a career as a prominent tastemaker and trendsetter even after demonstrating that they're a public safety threat? Why must we continue to have the stories [4] that shape society told by men with no regard for the dignity or rights of others? Please do better. [1] - "Amazon Studios ousts its scripted and unscripted entertainment heads" https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/10/24/execjoelewisoutatamazonstudios/793829001/ [2] - "Woody Allen’s ‘Wonder Wheel’ Scores December Release (EXCLUSIVE)" http://variety.com/2017/film/awards/woody-allen-wonder-wheel-justin-timberlake-1202462903/ [3] - "Dylan Farrow: Why has the #MeToo revolution spared Woody Allen?" http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-farrow-woody-allen-me-too-20171207-story.html [4] - "Woody Allen’s New Movie Isn’t a Confession. It’s Something Much More Damaging." http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/12/01/woody_allen_s_wonder_wheel_plays_like_a_confession.html

Americans have a right to know how Congress is spending their tax dollars, and this hush money used to hide deplorable conduct by Members and their staffs is no exception. That's why Congress must immediately pass legislation that prohibits lawmakers from using their Members Representational Allowances -- or any other public funds -- to settle sexual harassment cases. Furthermore, we call on Congressional leadership in both parties to publicly disclose the names of Members of Congress and congressional staff who have used their offices' funds or any other account to pay sexual harassment or misconduct settlements. In doing so, victims' identities must be protected, unless they decide to reveal their names, and the date on which the settlement took place must be kept private to protect victims. The opacity of how Congress handles harassment claims has enabled continued repulsive behavior to occur by Members and staff in the "People's House." Ultimately, if congressional budgets were more transparent, heightened attention to harassment and misconduct settlements may have helped prevent some of these heinous acts. We demand that Congress act now to stop using their taxpayer-funded office budgets from being spent to settle sexual harassment lawsuits -- and publicly disclose the name of all Members who have done so.

In light of the current sexual abuse and assault scandals, including staffers in Trump's White House as well as Matt Lauer at NBC, it's time that Mark Burnett releases NBC's 'Apprentice Tapes' to make Donald Trump accountable for his actions.

Now, twenty-two women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment or assault against Donald Trump. Most recently, a renowned columnist, E. Jean Carroll has come forward and shared her own account of sexually inappropriate behavior from Donald Trump in the 90s. According to E. Jean, Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the fitting room of Bergdorf Goodman. In her own words, "The minute he closed the door — boom — he threw me against the wall and tried to kiss me. I fought," she said. "It was shocking. It was against my will." As is expected, Donald Trump has denied any such allegations, but how can we trust a man that has been caught on video gloating about grabbing women by their private parts? E. Jean Carroll is the 22nd woman to come forward and describe her own experiences of sexually inappropriate behavior from the sitting president. It is long past time to just listen to women. Action needs to be taken by those in power. The Justice Department, Congress, and NY Attorney General's Office need to open up an investigation looking into the sexual assault and harassment allegations against Donald Trump. **This petition was launched in November 2017 but has been updated as women have come forward with new allegations.

The flaw in our nation’s background check system is increasingly evident, as the program is only as good as the information provided to it. When records prohibiting domestic abusers from gun possession are excluded, dangerous individuals are able to obtain guns and do harm to our communities. The Fix NICS Act will help to save the lives of victims of domestic violence and the communities in which they live, by ensuring that domestic violence records are entered properly and consistently into the background check system, and that federal and state authorities accurately report relevant criminal history records in accordance with existing law. Specifically, the bill mandates that the number of records being entered (along with the number not being entered) be publicly reported on the U.S. Department of Justice website, informed by Attorney General and Department of Defense input. Federal agencies who fail to properly report records will be penalized, states who improve reporting will be incentivized, and additional federal funding will be directed to accurate reporting. We urge you to sign this petition in support of this bill, to address a nationwide, systemic problem and ultimately protect women, children and men from future harm.

To de-incentivize hush money payments in sexual harassment cases.

I am appalled to see that Donald Trump has remained immune to allegations of sexual harassment. Doesn't he belong to the gang of Weinstein, Moore, Spacey, and the rest of those deviants?

I am a survivor of sexual abuse on several levels. Though I have not personally received any settlement payments, the fact that an employer of a perpetrator could benefit from such payments through a tax deductible loophole in our current tax law, is an abomination. As a taxpayer, this adds insult to injury. Please sign my petition to tell our U.S. House Representatives and Senators to eliminate this loophole.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said it best: "Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman. Her account is too serious to ignore. Moore is unfit for office and should step aside."

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said it best: "Innocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman. Her account is too serious to ignore. Moore is unfit for office and should step aside."

Access to firearms is the single most common predictor of a woman being murdered by a current or former partner, regardless of employment status, education level or relationship status. It's increasingly evident is the flaw in our nation's background check system. When records prohibiting domestic abusers from gun possession are excluded, dangerous individuals, like the shooter in Sutherland Springs, Texas, are able to pass a background check, obtain guns, and do harm to our communities. Our laws must keep deadly weapons out of domestic abusers' hands. As advocates for victims of domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline knows far too intimately how dangerous firearms are at the hands of an abusive partner – whether the abuse is physical, emotional, verbal, digital and/or financial. We can all agree that such dangerous individuals should not be permitted access to firearms, and prevention of future tragedies cannot be accomplished without demanding that our elected leaders take action. Congress must ensure law enforcement officers have access to the information they need to identify dangerous individuals. And we demand that current federal gun laws are expanded so that the prohibited purchaser category includes current and former dating partners because the threat of harm is just as dangerous coming from a dating partner as it is coming from a married one.

Roy Moore--the extremist Alabama Republican candidate for U.S. Senate--sexually assaulted a 14 year old girl while in his 30s, according to a Washington Post investigation. A fifth woman just came forward saying Moore attacked her when she was a teenager. Beverly Young Nelson showed reporters her old high school yearbook an adult Roy Moore appears to have signed in 1977. A message signed from "Roy Moore, DA" is signed with "love" and refers to Nelson as "beautiful." This predator has no place in the U.S. Senate and the momentum to stop him is on our side. Already, multiple senators, including Mitch McConnell, have said Moore should step down. If we speak out right away, we can pressure a dangerous child predator to drop out of a high-profile Senate race.