California is facing a massive health crisis. An estimated 14 percent of Californians have diabetes today, costing the state $24.5 billion in health and work-related costs. Overwhelming evidence from leading academic research institutions shows that liquid sugar is uniquely responsible. And, a whopping 65% of California teens consume a sugar sweetened beverage, such as soda, every day. The science is clear, and the health risks cannot be ignored any longer: we must act fast. One critical step forward is SB 203, a bill that will help families avoid diabetes by printing a clear and visible warning label on the front of all sugary drinks sold in the state. These labels will send a clear message about the very real dangers soda and sugary drinks pose to our health, and empower Californians to make informed decisions about the products they consume. Three Democrats who have taken money from industry groups that market sugary beverages blocked this critical bill last year by refusing to vote on it. They are threatening to block it again – we only need ONE of them to vote yes. We must join together to defeat Big Soda and their attempts to buy our legislators and stop all efforts to inform consumers and protect our kids. Sign the petition today!

Captain Sams Spit is a 150-acre pristine sandy land mass at the southern end of Kiawah Island. The "Spit" is home to one of a handful of dolphin pods known to "strand feed" (chase fish up onto the beach to eat). Captain Sams is also relied upon by the piping plover, diamondback terrapin and other rare and threatened species for nesting and feeding. For eight years, environmental groups have challenged numerous permits issued to Kiawah Development Partners (KDP) and its affiliates that would enable KDP's proposal to build a high-end residential development on the highly dynamic Spit. KDP is based out of North Carolina and backed by the same New York hedge fund that manages some of the New York State retirement fund, continues to push for permits to develop the property. Thwarted by the South Carolina Supreme Court, they are now targeting the protections of our entire coastline. KDP have sought to amend a beachfront management bill (S.139) in our state legislature this session, and actually managed to convince Senator Campbell (R-Berkeley County) to defend its proposal (the "Kiawah Amendment"). The bill in question would set a permanent baseline along our entire coast using data from June 14, 2011, defending taxpayers, homeowners and natural resources from development too close to the ocean. This recommendation came from the Blue Ribbon Committee on Shoreline Management's Final Report (https://www.scdhec.gov/library/CR-010631.pdf), on which Sen. Campbell participated. The "Kiawah Amendment" would delay setting that baseline, allowing road and other construction to occur even closer to the ocean on Captain Sams Spit. Most recently, because of pressure from KDP, the senate committee dealing with bill S.139 has removed the language for a permanent baseline entirely. Sign this petition to tell your state senator to: 1. support putting the permanent baseline language back in bill S.139, and 2. set the baseline using the June 14, 2011 date, per the Blue Ribbon Committee recommendation. Petition: I support South Carolina Senate Bill 139 with the permanent baseline language restored and set for the Blue Ribbon Committee’s recommendation of June 14, 2011. It is important to set a permanent baseline along our state’s beaches. Our beachfront management laws should not be dictated by special interests like Kiawah Development Partners. Web site: http://coastalconservationleague.org/ for more information

I am starting this petition because I am impoverished living in the state of Florida. Our people should be our top priority and the raise is needed in order for us to live better lives.

WE CAN NOT AFFORD ANOTHER ARMS RACE. WE MUST GET RID OF THE NUCLEAR ARMS WE ALL READY HAVE! We STILL have almost 500 nuclear warheads on hair-trigger alert. That's just us, in America. This is crazy. I'm 71 years old, I have spent my whole life and a considerable fortune (money that could have been used to make our country and our entire planet safer and happier) building and placing these terrible weapons in holes in the ground. Thankfully they have not gone off, either by accident, miscalculation or some crazy person. We can NOT use these things and it is insane to build more. We the people must tell our government, ENOUGH is ENOUGH! If Russia is threatening us, we must deal with that, of course. But we must do it in a sane way that includes the whole world working with us. It would be completely insane to start back down that road we have all ready traveled.

Corporations are spending investors’ money and retirement accounts -- maybe even YOURS -- to influence elections and lawmakers. But if we speak out right now we can enlist one of the biggest mutual funds in the country to put a stop to secret influence-trading. Shockingly, most corporate political spending is hidden to even their stockholders. But any publicly traded company has to disclose all of its political spending if enough of its shareholders ask. Here’s the problem: on their own, individual stockholders don’t control enough stock to win majority support for a pro-disclosure shareholder resolution. Most stock is held by institutional investors like mutual funds, who tend let the corporation’s executives call the shots. So even when a majority of people who own stock want disclosure, they can’t get it done without institutional investors. That’s why we’re calling on Vanguard, the largest mutual fund in the nation, to vote FOR disclosure whenever a resolution comes up.

Governor Bruce Rauner refuses to budge on his political positions in order to pass a state budget. Those positions include, stripping public sector workers of the right to bargain collectively, create right to work zones within the state, as well as using children attending Chicago Public Schools as pawns in order to leverage Mayor Rahm Emanuel to allow right to work within the city of Chicago as well as strip collective bargaining from public sector unions. He has also filled his cabinet with lackeys who are way overpaid, yet the state of Illinois is broke. Governor Rauner has shown no interest in compromise and lacks the leadership to be able to govern the state of Illinois effectively.

Oregon Democrats will send 74 delegates to the Democratic National Convention this July in Philadelphia. Most of them will be bound to support the winner of the May 17 primary election, but the 13 'Superdelegates' can support the candidate of their choice. 3 of these 'Superdelegates' have already pledged support to a candidate BEFORE ANYONE IN OREGON HAS VOTED: Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Rep. Kurt Schrader (CD 5) , Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (CD 1), and Sen. Ron Wyden have already pledged to support Hillary Clinton for President, months before our state's primary election. We're asking for ALL of Oregon's elected Democratic officials to refrain from endorsing or publicly supporting any presidential candidate before Oregon's Democrats have had a chance to express their preference in the May 17th, 2016 Primary. Let the voters decide!

As an individual, and an American citizen, it's quite scary when you come to the realization that the very nation you were born and raised in has such a greatly flawed judicial system. In these two particular cases (against Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey,) improper methods were used by the Manitowoc County sheriff's department to convict them of crimes that they were never proved to have committed beyond a reasonable doubt. If the American Judicial System, and the state of Wisconsin expect to be respected by the citizens of this nation in any way, shape or form, then these two men will need to be completely exonerated. They at VERY LEAST deserve the chance at new trials. For more information on their cases, and to make an informed decision of your own, please watch the Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer" and visit http://stevenavery.org/

H.R. 40 Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act: To acknowledge the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865, and to establish a commission to examine the institution of slavery, subsequently de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.

Governor Snyder is hiding behind executive privilege and preventing the release of important documents and correspondence regarding this disaster.

Governor Snyder is hiding behind executive privilege and preventing the release of important documents and correspondence regarding this disaster.

My Husband is a 37 year, 3 decade war veteran. He worked for the City of Dallas for 30 years. Every Veteran's Day, he was told that he had to take personal time to go march in the parade in downtown Dallas. Why don't they give the veterans the day off anyway? It's a kick in the face, a useless holiday.