Representing more than 7,000 professional musicians in Los Angeles, the American Federation of Musicians Local 47 is dedicated to improving the lives of our hard-working members in L.A. and throughout California. Stand with the thousands of professional musicians and other workers in California whose livelihoods depend upon the vitality of the state's motion picture and television industry and support AB 1199 to amend the CA Film & TV Tax Credit Program.

Eating too much chocolate: common. Overexposure to heavy metals shouldn't be. Yet, a recent study conducted by the environmental group As You Sow found dangerous levels of heavy metals in over 60% of the common chocolate products tested from brands including Sees, Mars, Hershey’s, Lindt, Godiva, Whole Foods, and others [1]. All these contained unsafe levels of lead and/or cadmium in just one serving. Too much lead or cadmium can cause all kinds of health problems, including lowering children’s IQs, causing kidney damage, and bone loss. So, these heavy metals have no place in our treats. Chocolate should be decadent, not dangerous. These companies must keep toxic heavy metals out of their products. [1] http://www.asyousow.org/our-work/environmental-health/toxic-enforcement/lead-and-cadmium-in-food/?utm_content=kflorshoe%40yahoo.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Test%20results%20showed&utm_campaign=Is%20your%20chocolate%20toxic%3F#chocolate-tables

We don't want to be bullied by the NRA any longer. This week, Stop Handgun Violence released a billboard campaign that said "We're Not Anti-Gun, We're Pro-Life: Massachusetts Gun Laws Save Lives." The hope was that people who read the message would understand that we're not trying to ban guns, instead we're trying to enact responsible gun laws that help save lives. However, this message is the NRA's worst nightmare: responsible gun laws work. They immediately called upon their members to harass billboard companies until they removed the billboards. These same intimidation and scare tactics are used against Congress and the result is 83 gun deaths a day. Our message must be heard. The Constitution is much more than the Second Amendment, in fact we could start with the First. Please tell Congress to join me. We won't be silenced and the NRA will not bully us any longer.

Clear the parents, and the students who attended the Art Institutes from 2003-2011, from their loan debts. These people are innocent to the fact that their money, intended for education, had been used to commit fraud.

SB1278, introduced by State Senator Ira Silverstein (IL-8), amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the Department of Revenue shall garnish a tax refund payable to a judgment debtor and instead remit the refund to the judgment creditor. Adds provisions governing the procedure for garnishment of tax refunds. Directs the Department to adopt rules to implement these provisions. Provides that specified refund withholding requests take priority over a garnishment order. Makes a corresponding change in the Code of Civil Procedure. Effective January 1, 2016. (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=1278&GAID=13&GA=99&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=87750&SessionID=88) This is not Senator Silverstein's first anti-people bill. Remember this one? "Unpaid Utility Bill? You Could Lose Your Vehicle"- http://bit.ly/1P2w3J3 for which Crain's Chicago Business said, "A spokesman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the city is reviewing the legislation and has taken no position on it. Mr. Silverstein says he has not spoken with the city and introduced the bill at the request of a lobbyist friend whose clients include a law firm with a large collections practice. But that lobbyist used to work for the city's Springfield unit, Mr. Silverstein says. And the senator is not your typical legislator: He's the husband of Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th), a dependable vote for Mr. Emanuel on the City Council"(http://bit.ly/1MFUo92). Senator Silverstein's latest bad bill SB1278 would allow debt collectors and creditors to go after an individual's tax refund check. Not only can a creditor or debt collector garnish a debtor's wages already, but Senator Silverstein wants them to be able to double dip and confiscate taxes refunded for overpaying state taxes. True, some government agencies CAN garnish tax refunds in certain circumstances. If a debtor owes the city of Chicago or the State of IL money, those entities can get their cut first - but the private sector can not confiscate a debtors tax refund. Senator Silverstein's Bill could allow them and other entities expanded by this bill to do just that. Senator Silverstein's bill causes double dipping garnishment. A judge sets what a person can afford to pay and allows a debt collector to garnish that much. This bill would allow them to collect even more than what a judge agrees upon by collecting additional payment via the tax refund. It is not just the fact that it is double-dipping payroll garnishment, but this bill would confiscate tax balancing refunds from Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) which serves as a benefit for working people with low to moderate income. The real kicker: the law also allows the debt collector to charge a fee for the garnishment back to the debtor. Who will most likely have a refund coming back? The people who can least afford to have it garnished. EITC is the greatest tool the state has to bring balance to our tax code and goes to low-income families. Senator Silverstein's Bill could confiscate it for debt collectors. Senator Silverstein, do you work for the hard working taxpayers of the state of IL, who at times may go through a rough time due to various circumstances, or do you work for collections agencies and firms? It surprises us that among your top donors are law firms representing creditors and collections agencies that would benefit from these types of Bills the most including but not limited to: Creditors Bar Coalition of Illinois Blitt & Gaines, P.C. Freedman, Anselmo, Lindberg LLC Markoff Law LLC. Attorneys at Law Resurgence Financial, LLC Grabowski Law Center LLC Johnson Legal Group LLC Titlemax Management Blatt Hasenmiller Leibsker & Moore LLC (All publicaly available by and verifiable with the IL State Board of Elections website)

The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence wants to send a message that people in Rhode Island CARE about gun safety and want to keep guns out of our schools, away from domestic violence offenders and to reduce the magazine capacities of assault wepsons.

We need more funding and acknowledgement of Pancreatic Cancer. My mother passed away after only 2 and a half months of diagnosis and was in misery from this illness. There is no early detection, so it is not found until too late. More and More people are being diagnosed, as young as their early 20s.

Volunteers of the non-profit organization Chelonia have been working with Puerto Rico Natural Resources Department to clean, patrol, document and preserve the nesting area and the newborn turtles on this beach. We are facing several problems such as hazardous waste disposal, horses, four tracks and vehicles passing over the turtle nests and compacting the sand which causes a collapse to the nests. PR Natural Resources Department has supported us, and as a result of this joint initiative the registered nests have risen from more than 320 in 2012 to almost 600 in 2014 season; so we know that if a Natural Reserve is declared by Federal Law, this could enforce the respect and protection of this natural wonder.

I'm starting this because I care about my health and the health of the nation and world.

I am an employee of the State of Georgia, and I strongly believe that we should show our support for fairness and equality by boycotting Indiana where a "whites only" style of law has been instituted. There is no place for such unjust laws in a nation that embraces equality before the law for every citizen.

I am starting this petition because of a request that I received from the organization MoverOn. I am against discrimination and want to support this issue.

I have personal relationships with many diverse people and groups, including the LGBT community. These bills are harmful and hateful and need to be stopped. There is no place in the United States for State sanctioned discrimination.