Where is California going to find the money to expand preschool, fund public transportation or protect our environment? Well, we can start by looking at the Cayman Islands. Corporations dodge taxes by booking profits made here to offshore tax havens that levy little to no tax. It’s about time that these corporations start living by the same rules as the rest of us. It’s time to close these loopholes and invest in an economy that works for everyone. And the best part is, we don’t need to wait for Congress -- but we need California legislators to act. Montana and Oregon have already passed laws recoup money stashed in offshore tax havens -- with broad bipartisan support. If we enacted the same policy here in California, it would generate $246 million dollars. Our legislators have so far failed to advance this measure in California. Help us show them it's time to close this loophole and make taxes more fair.

Silicosis is an incurable disease that results in scarring and inflammation of the lungs. It’s the sort of illness you might contract if you work in construction and are exposed to crystalline silica dust without proper safeguards. Now, why bring this up? Because according to Lawrence Lessig’s new piece in The Daily Beast, sixteen Republican Senators have come out against transparency for industry-funded scientific research that will influence new regulations on silica. And surprise, surprise: these Senators just happen to be beneficiaries of “a modest but significant series of contributions” from the interests who stand to gain from this lack of disclosure. Here’s the backstory: the agency tasked with updating safety regulations for silica, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), requested that any scientific research submitted for consideration around the new rules disclose its financial backers. Not mandated, requested. This was apparently too much for Senator Lamar Alexander. The Tennessee politician submitted a letter to OSHA—along with fifteen of his Republican colleagues—calling into question this request for transparency. “[T]he chilling effect the financial disclosure could have seems counter to the idea of robust inclusion of a diverse set of ideas and views to inform the rule-making," explained a staffer for Alexander. The notion, of course, is ludicrous. As The Daily Beast piece humorously (but sadly) ponders, “What’s the chill? That the shrinking violets of the cement industry will be too afraid to hire lobbyists to present their views about the (non)dangers in inhaling silica?” But in the end, this isn’t a joke. It’s the status-quo of corruption in Washington. Lessig points to an obvious solution to this particular mess: President Obama needs to issue an executive order to mandate that “every agency accepting submissions presenting scientific analysis require the authors to include a statement of financial conflicts of interest.” We agree. Sign on to our action and urge President Obama to make this happen. Transparency is not a cure-all for our politics. But considering how dirty our system currently is, it’s a breath of fresh air.

Rep. Mike Coffman has said he supports immigration reform, but it seems he’s done little to pressure Speaker Boehner to act. We know that if immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship were put up for a vote in the House, it could pass -- but Speaker Boehner refuses to budge. But there's a way to pressure Republicans like Rep. Coffman to act. House Democrats have just started a legislative procedure called a "discharge petition" to force action on immigration reform. If the nearly 30 House Republicans who support reform --- including Rep. Coffman -- join Democrats in signing this discharge petition, we can force Speaker Boehner to bring immigration to a vote, whether he likes it or not. We need Rep. Coffman to start leading and sign the discharge petition. If he really does support immigration reform, Rep. Coffman needs to act now!

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has said he supports moving forward on immigration reform, but it seems he’s done little to pressure Speaker Boehner to act. We know that if immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship were put up for a vote in the House, it could pass -- but Speaker Boehner refuses to budge. But there's a way to pressure Republicans like Rep. McCarthy to act. House Democrats have just started a legislative procedure called a "discharge petition" to force action on immigration reform. If the nearly 30 House Republicans who support moving forward on reform --- including Rep. McCarthy -- join Democrats in signing this discharge petition, we can force Speaker Boehner to bring immigration to a vote, whether he likes it or not. We need Rep. McCarthy to start leading and sign the discharge petition. If he really does support moving forward on immigration reform, Rep. McCarthy needs to act now!

Rep. Paul Ryan has said he supports immigration reform, but it seems he’s done little to pressure Speaker Boehner to act. We know that if immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship were put up for a vote in the House, it could pass -- but Speaker Boehner refuses to budge. But there's a way to pressure Republicans like Rep. Ryan to act. House Democrats have just started a legislative procedure called a "discharge petition" to force action on immigration reform. If the nearly 30 House Republicans who support reform --- including Rep. Ryan -- join Democrats in signing this discharge petition, we can force Speaker Boehner to bring immigration to a vote, whether he likes it or not. We need Rep. Ryan to start leading and sign the discharge petition. If he really does support immigration reform, Rep. Ryan needs to act now!

All students deserve an equal learning opportunity.

Currently, in Shelby County High Schools, there is no comprehensive sexual education. This is a problem, because the teen pregnancy rate among girls 15-17 in Shelby County is 36.7/1000 and that hurts graduation rates.

The rights and dignity of transient members of our community should not be repressed simply because some people feel uncomfortable with their presence. This is a civil rights issue.

My husband Cliff, injured in 1996, rendering him paralyzed from the shoulders down, needs 24 hour care and assistance with every aspect of his life. The Michigan No Fault benefits has given him freedom to enjoy his family through a handicap accessible van, medical care with specialists that understand the complexity of his disabilities, and rehabilitation benefits that help him stay in top shape for the challenges he faces daily.

I am an active member in this democracy. As members of a democratic society its our role to make sure people are free to exercise their right to liberty. This includes their liberty to marry those of the same sex. Not allowing these civil unions to be recognized is unconstitutional.

To send a message to Senator Eichelberger that he should represent the people who elected him and to stop supporting anti-worker legislation that is promoted by far right radical groups

The state of Minnesota receives federal incentives for every dollar they collect in child support. The middle class parent is stuck paying the bill. The lower income parent does not pay a significant amount of child support for the state to invest in enforcement, and the high income parents have the ability to fight the laws in court. There are three tiers used to determine the amount of child support (tier I 0% to 10%, tier II 10.1% to 45%, and tier III 45.1% and above). A non custodial parent who is with his child 45% of the month will pay the same amount as a parent that sees his child 10% (granted that the income is the same, etc.) Unless the custodial parent agrees to a high percentage of parenting time, the non custodial parent will need to prove child endangerment in order have the child support lowered. The middle class non custodial parent pays a significant amount in child support and usually is unable to afford the legal fees associated with the court system. There needs to be more tiers for non custodial parents allowing for a fairer child support determination.