The Voting Rights Act is one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation Congess has ever passed. Last year's Supreme Court decision weakened critical provisions of it. Congress can restore those protections by passing this important bill. Representative Paulsen: support this effort by cosponsoring and fighting for a strong bill.

We want to inform the Library Trustees, many residents want you to SAVE the Lewis and Clark Library and do an renovation, not destruction of present facility.

Almost everyone attending Shepherd struggles finding parking and are always getting parking tickets, even when there is barely any parking for students.

Giving every kid access to high-quality preschool in Texas is a winning investment that levels the academic playing field for students [1] and boosts our economy in the short and long run. [2] Not only that, but this is an idea with bipartisan support. [3,4] The time is now for Rep. Smith to stand up for Texas kids who can’t afford to get into a good preschool classroom. Sources: 1. “Why Investments in Early Childhood Work,” Ounce of Prevention http://goo.gl/2sDtWh 2. “Top 5 reasons why investing in early childhood education can drive better local job creation,” September 2011, investinginkids Blog http://goo.gl/mqSCKA 3. "Oklahoma! Where the Kids Learn Early,” November 2013, The New York Times http://goo.gl/tjlRcu 4. "U.S. Voters Overwhelmingly Support Investments in Early Education,” August 2013, First Five Years Fund http://goo.gl/krup0z

Please sign the petition to Annette Bosworth, Stace Nelson, Larry Pressler, Jason Ravnsborg, Larry Rhoden and Mike Rounds. In his State of the Union, President Obama called on Congress to raise the minimum wage – an idea popular among many Republican, Independent, and Democratic voters. Rick Weiland will deliver this petition to his announced opponents in the South Dakota Senate race, including Annette Bosworth, Stace Nelson, Larry Pressler, Jason Ravnsborg, Larry Rhoden and Mike Rounds requesting their support for giving 62,000 South Dakota residents a raise by supporting a minimum-wage increase. Can you sign this petition?

Giving every kid access to high-quality preschool in Colorado is a winning investment that levels the academic playing field for students [1] and boosts our economy in the short and long run. [2] Not only that, but this is an idea with bipartisan support.[3,4] Despite the evidence, Rep. Mike Coffman doesn't currently support the Strong Start for America's Children Act which would expand access to preschool. The time is now for Rep. Coffman to stand up for Colorado kids who can’t afford to get into a good preschool classroom. Almost a thousand four year olds in his district are on waiting lists right now for public pre-school. Sources: 1. “Why Investments in Early Childhood Work,” Ounce of Prevention http://goo.gl/2sDtWh 2. “Top 5 reasons why investing in early childhood education can drive better local job creation,” September 2011, investinginkids Blog http://goo.gl/mqSCKA 3. "Oklahoma! Where the Kids Learn Early,” November 2013, The New York Times http://goo.gl/tjlRcu 4. "U.S. Voters Overwhelmingly Support Investments in Early Education,” August 2013, First Five Years Fund http://goo.gl/krup0z

In the 1990s, my 4-year old son and I were both poisoned by the aerial spraying of pesticides that resulted in my son going into anaphylactic shock . This happened again at his elementary school –a direct result of a pesticide applied while school was in session! Pesticides pose a serious risk to our health, to the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways, and to wildlife – particularly to honeybees. Scientists say that professional pesticide applicators need to make pesticide use information available to researchers. That way, experts will have the data they need to determine if and when pesticides are affecting our health, our waters, and our environment. Our children’s health is too important to leave to chance. We need a pesticide reporting database to help our public health experts know which of the hundreds of pesticides in use they should focus on when assessing pesticide impacts. We can't afford not to know.

Tomas Rivera Elementary School has implemented a new "Safety Policy" restricting parental access to our teachers (limiting interaction to email and authorized meetings only) and prohibiting parents from walking their children to the classroom. Parents are not a safety hazard. Teachers should be available for brief interaction from 7:50 -8:10 am and parents should be able to walk their children to the classroom after signing in through the front office. Schools benefit from parental interaction and children do better when their parents develop a relationship with their teachers.

Too many Idahoans are being hurt by unequal treatment under the law for their sexual orientation and gender identity. On February 3, 44 Idaho citizens were arrested for peacefully protesting 8 years' refusal to protect those who live in fear and despair because legislators will not add these four words to the Idaho Human Rights Act. These words need to be added to make it clear that the rights of Idaho citizens may not be violated any longer.

This spring the GMO labeling debate is coming to Illinois, SB1666. Sign this petition if you think it is important to know what is in the food we eat. GMO's have only been around for a short time and no one really knows the true side effects of long term GMO consumption.

I think Justin Bieber deserves another chance. He gets judged too much just because he is a celebrity. He is a human being. Many people in this world make mistakes, but they do not get DEPORTED for it. Please let Justin Bieber stay in the United States.

The United Shared Savings Network is an idea that was created to primarily accomplish the goal of reducing poverty and inequality. Implementation of this idea with government participation could potentially eliminate the need for the Food Stamp Program, reduce the costs of other social net programs such as Section 8 and cover the costs of Health Insurance Premiums for uninsured Americans who cannot afford coverage. Perhaps more interesting is that implementation of this idea will (a) not cost taxpayers any money, (b) it will benefit everyone in society and(c) it will effectively reduce spending without the negative economic impact on poor people which is a consequence of all other proposals put forward with regard to budget cuts on social net programs. A member of congress has already expressed great interest in the concept and suggested I move forward with further development and presentations. I have been told that without knowing the right people or spending a great deal of money on lobbyist, our leaders in Washington will not help, seriously consider, properly evaluate or support a great idea coming from an average citizen no matter what solutions it may provide. The many significant benefits the United Shared Savings Network will provide to the people of this country are too great to ignore or let slip through the cracks of our political system, because of who it was created by or who is proposing it.