Earlier this week, a Texas grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing, dismissing charges raised in the wake of last year's doctored videos, which claimed that the organization illegally sold fetal tissue. What's more, the grand jury indicted two of the anti-choice activists involved in making the video! This is an organized and long-planned offensive on an organization women and families depend on. It's a cynical attempt by a radical group of legislators who want nothing more than to attack women and their access to safe health care and abortion services. Too many states have already moved to defund Planned Parenthood based on the lies propagated by these videos. It's time that Congress stand up for women rather than demonizing Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood provides health care for millions of people every year, and I trust them to do it. We should not waste another dollar or another second of Congress's time on this committee.

I have spent thousands of dollars fighting in the courts to exercise my right to visitation with my child, only to find I have won a piece of paper that the custodial parent will not abide by. Our children need us. We didn't divorce them.

Except for a few, in the majority of states a mentally ill patient has to be a danger to self or others before he could even be evaluated at a mental hospital for treatment. This means all those patients with mental illness who are extremely delusional, paranoid and otherwise mentally incompetent could not be subjected to treatment if they refuse to voluntarily see a psychiatrist or take medicine. It is extremely difficult for the family to convince the state attorney to have a patient evaluated at a facility involuntarily. As a result of this, many mentally ill patients are left without treatment. These are the patients who usually commit mass murders, because in a delusional paranoid state they are left untreated; just by the strict criteria of being homicidal or suicidal they are often excluded from any involuntary commitment or treatment. I think this legal requirement for involuntary commitment should be relaxed to include all patients suffering from symptomatic mental illness. I am the brother of a mentally ill patient who resides in Illinois. He has been non-compliant with his medications for almost two years now. His illness has effected his family, his children and all. They are watching him suffer, but are unable to do anything because they are unable to convince the state attorney for involuntary commitment and treatment. It is an extremely frustrating and painful situation.

We, the citizens, residents, tax-payers, and voters of the City of Northport, propose that the City of Northport recognize and dedicate the land surrounding the Northport Community Center, playground, park, and the current site of the Northport Heritage Museum as a dedicated Community Park, open space, greenbelt, protected from future development for the continued use and good of the community. We propose that the land at the convergence of Park Street and Lurleen Wallace Blvd/AL Hwy 69 owned by the City of Northport, remain as a city-owned and dedicated community park, open space greenbelt as a welcoming and inviting entry point into the City of Northport, for use as park and recreation land by citizens and visitors. 1. Community Park – A larger park designed for use by the residents of the entire city. A Community Park will have various general use facilities including playground equipment, picnic areas and shelters, and/or special use facilities. 2. Open Space – an open piece of land that provides development breaks and is accessible to the public. Open space can include: Green space, land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs, or other vegetation. 3. Greenbelts – an area of open land around a city, on which building is restricted. We, the citizens of the City of Northport, propose that the current site of the Northport Heritage Museum be dedicated as the permanent site for the Northport Heritage Museum, to remain as it is today, as a welcoming site upon entry to the City of Northport, representing the City of Northport’s heritage, history, and identity. We, the citizens of the City of Northport, have an interest in smart growth for our city that includes preserving open space greenbelts that make the City of Northport a high-quality place to live and do business.

In mid-September 2015, an aquifer in Pennsylvania's Potter County was illegally polluted by a fracking fluid spill that contained prohibited ingredients. The company is JKLM Energy, and this is their fifth violation this year. This time, the spill at their drill site impacted the drinking water wells for at least five families.

This petition is about the many slip-ups, and unprofessional actions and mishaps the art institute has created and expects the students to clean up, and to also correct the messes. Also for the important information the art institute failed to tell the students about.

Just as determined international diplomacy addressed the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program without the use of force, so too can determined international diplomacy end the Syrian civil war, by pushing the key countries backing various sides of the civil war to support a political agreement to end the fighting. Already, the Obama Administration has helped convene international talks including all the key players: the United States, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Connecticut Democrat Jim Himes, who led 55 House Democrats in a letter to President Obama encouraging such talks, has introduced a resolution [H. Res. 508] “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President of the United States should use the full authority of his office to convene international negotiations intended to stop the civil war in Syria.” [1] Original co-sponsors of the resolution were John Carney, André Carson, Yvette Clarke, John Conyers, Keith Ellison, Elizabeth Esty, Bill Foster, Mike Honda, Sheila Jackson Lee, Marcy Kaptur, Derek Kilmer, Ted Lieu, Jim McDermott, Jim McGovern, Seth Moulton, Bill Pascrell, Mark Pocan, Mike Quigley, Kathleen Rice, Bobby Rush, and Jan Schakowsky. [2] The long struggle to secure the Iran nuclear agreement showed that it matters what Congress says, even when – especially when - the Administration has begun to lead in the right direction. As Rep. Himes said on the House floor when his letter was released, [3] an agreement that ends the war isn’t going to be “perfect” from the point of view of Washington, just as the Iran nuclear agreement wasn’t “perfect” from the point of view of Washington. The US will have to compromise. The Administration is much more likely to make the compromises necessary to achieve an agreement if it has substantial support in Congress for making those compromises. Urge your Representative to co-sponsor the Himes resolution to end the Syrian civil war through negotiations by signing our petition. References: 1. H. RES. 508, https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/508 2. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/508/cosponsors 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myg2C3fT3uI

Because I'm tired of hearing the cry babies cry it's time for a new game it's time for a fair shot and it's time for us as Americans to get up off your ass and do something about this.

I am currently a sophomore psychology major in college, and my goal is to study psychedelic substances and their potential in treating mental illnesses such as PTSD, OCD, and depression. As of now, there are only two colleges I know of that have been granted permission to research these substances, and so far they have shown great success. The use of psychedelics under controlled circumstances needs to be unstigmatized, and it's research legalized, so that we can understand the full potential of these substances and their many benefits, and so students like me who may have the same goals have the opportunity to do their research.

Churches get the benefit of taxpayer money in the form of military and police and fire protection. I am a free thinker – as such am part of a growing number of Americans who are not affiliated with any church. I feel that it is only fair that they pay real estate taxes to the state in which they are incorporated, as well as federal and state income taxes like everyone else. I hope the millions of Americans who feel as I do will support this petition.

Despite OSHA's contributions and accomplishments for a safer work environment, it still has limited power to enforce workplace safety. Around 16 people die each day on the job, and there are over 5,400 fatalities per year. If passed, Protecting America's Workers Act (PAWA) will decrease the number of workplace deaths and injuries, increase fines and add criminal penalties for repeat and willful violators, increase whistleblower protections, and give victims' families access to investigative information and representatives. According to CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), by 2020 contingent workers will make up 40% of the workforce and are up to 2x higher risk of workplace injury than traditional employees. Also by 2020, 1 in 4 workers will be over the age of 55 which means that workplace safety standards not only need to be present but modified to manage elderly workers' health conditions. In fact, almost 50% of all Americans have at least one chronic health condition. With your signature, help push Congress to pass this bill. For more information, please utilize the link below to gain access to the bill and track its progress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1112 Please watch this video for background information on OSHA, the bill, and weak consequences that companies receive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-48xAJnFVM For current events regarding workplace safety or to further support this bill, please follow on Twitter @ProtectWorkers1

This law is an affront to humanity. Criminalizing homelessness is in effect making the climb back from homelessness almost impossible by creating more problems for our disenfranchised.