Here is why. Going to a university/college is not cheap, but having a college degree has become a must-have if you want an excellent job. Wanting to better ourselves and having better job opportunities should not cost an arm and a leg to do so. Having university/colleges be more affordable so that students can focus more on getting their education rather than how they are going to pay or how much debt they will be in when done with school. As a college student myself, I have experienced the strain of having to worry about how I am going to pay for my classes. Juggling a full-time job attending school part-time and the course work is not easy, and adding the stress of how I will pay makes it even harder. As I look at my situation, I think about all the other college students that are in the same position as I am. By deciding to make school more affordable, there is a bigger chance that we could have a higher rate of people that have a degree and are less in debt with student loans. Loans, FAFSA, scholarships, work-study, and the military are some of the options that I know we have to help us pay. Still, that might not be enough, some students might not even qualify for them because of family income might be too high or they do not meet the requirements needed. In most cases, being a full-time student is a requirement that some students might not be able to meet like it is in my case. While the prices for college tuition keeps going up, so does the amount of debt the student acquires. In my research, I found that the average college student will be in a debt of 30,000 dollars or more. A student that gets student loans might be paying for them for years to come after graduating. Is this a stressor that we need in our lives after we just finish school? Here is a little background on some of the available options. FAFSA and scholarships are money that you are not required to pay back (free money). FAFSA is as simple as filling out an application and answering some financial information. FAFSA helps to determine what you might be eligible for, like work-study, which helps students find a part time job on campus to help them with their expenses and The Promise that some colleges offer, this helps the student by having some of their fees waived. Did you know that not all college students fill out the FAFSA? It is because the student feels that they will not qualify to receive this aid, and here is why. FAFSA goes based on the family's finances; for example, if your family has a high income, you are eligible to receive zero to maybe half of the money offered. As opposed to the student whose family has a low income whom they will receive the full amount. There are also the students that opt to join the military to help them pay for school. The amount that you receive depends on how long you served, but not everyone is up for it. Is this enough? Should we be jumping through all these hoops just to get an education? A question that comes up a lot is, "is having a higher education worth all the money and effort that you are putting in?" the answer is yes, we all want the advantages that having a college degree gives us. With this petition, we are asking for help to do just that, to get an education but without all the debt that comes with it.

Exercising in a small facility is much different than in a large chain type facility. It is a way to relieve stress, lower weight and blood pressure, stabilize blood glucose levels and prevent numerous diseases and health conditions. It is an essential daily activity for many citizens that may not be able to exercise on their own due to movement challenges and safety concerns. These smaller facilities can operate within all 5 protocols outlined in the Responsible Restart Ohio packet. Allowing these centers to reopen will not only help keep our communities healthy but help keep these small businesses from closing for good and preventing even more unemployment and health issues.

Hundreds of thousands of McDonald’s front-line employees are facing an impossible decision in the midst of the worsening COVID-19 crisis: Keep our jobs or maintain their health. Dozens of McDonald’s workers in 14 states have contracted the virus and in a recent survey 22 percent of McDonald’s workers report they have gone to work feeling sick during the COVID-19 pandemic because of a lack of paid sick leave, fear of management retaliation for missing shifts or because they simply cannot afford to miss a paycheck. McDonald’s slow, inadequate and irresponsible response in this crisis has placed us, our families and customers at risk. It’s well past time that McDonald’s use its vast resources to be a leader on behalf of us— the workers who contribute so much to the corporation’s brand, reputation, and profits. We must make it clear that if McDonald’s wishes to be seen as a leader in the fast-food industry after this crisis, then it needs to lead from the front and put worker safety and public health first. No one should have to choose between their health or their livelihoods. Together, we can hold them accountable: Sign our petition today and urge McDonald’s to mandate paid sick and family leave protections for all workers now.

I feel as if all inmates that have done well in prison could do greater things out here. My brother has gotten his GED and barbers licence and mangers license and now working on his teachers license.

As a small, woman owned business, my boutique Pilates Studio has been classified as a gym or fitness center, and alongside cinemas with a 250+ person capacity, my business has been shut down in advance of other non-essential businesses. Unlike fitness centers, boutique fitness studios and micro gyms have a typical capacity of 1-6 people. Clients often attend pre-scheduled sessions limited to this capacity. In addition, this industry is one of the few female-led and powered industries in existence. We estimate 75% of the owners and workers impacted by this crisis are women. I ask that you support the Petition to exclude boutique fitness studios and micro-gyms from the definition of of “Gyms” or “fitness centers,” and create independent directives applicable for the reduced footprint of the unique business models used by boutique fitness studios and micro-gyms. We respectfully request that at Governor Beshear open us along side the hair salons, nail salons, and other non-essential businesses who will reopen May 25th. As a boutique fitness studio and micro-gym operate under strict guidelines, such as: Allowing an operation of 1 client to 1 trainer. This is no different than a single salon operator and client, and it is potentially even more benign in that distance can be more easily maintained by a fitness trainer. Allowing an operation of no more than a 10 client to 1 trainer ratio. This is no different than a small salon with 4 stylists, or a very small boutique, and potentially even more benign in that distance can be more easily maintained by a fitness trainer. All of these would take place under the guidelines of intensive hygiene requirements, radical cleaning measures and would assume that high risk populations would be exceptions to this petition. Our industry has, and always will be committed to the health and wellbeing of all others. We want to reopen responsibly and as quickly as possible."owner, my boutique fitness studio/ microgym employs numerous team members and supports clients to become healthy, a need more important now than ever.

This pandemic has exposed the fragility of our deeply unequal economy and vividly demonstrated the need to afford basic protections to essential workers. Workers who are deemed essential for our collective survival are the same workers who we have failed as a society to recognize and value. We can and we must change course. Workers who our society has long treated as disposable, many of them women and/or immigrants, Black and brown workers, all of them low-paid, have always been essential but only now are being recognized as such. Recognition is not enough, we demand long-lasting protections to make their work safer and more sustainable. The Essential Workers Bill of Rights package of legislation includes: -extending sick leave to cover app-based and other misclassified workers -just cause protections against unfair firings -pay premiums for hourly workers at large companies -support for the effort at the state level to fix the rampant misclassification that allows employers to dispossess their workers of critical rights and protections Frontline workers who are risking their health and that of their families should be able to take paid sick leave, be protected against unfair firings, especially when they speak out about safety conditions, and be compensated for the risk and sacrifice they are undertaking for our collective benefit.

Governor Inslee’s new Language Access Plan during the Coronavirus Pandemic could inadvertently divert vital interpreting and translation services away from unionized, state-certified, mostly immigrant interpreters employed in Washington State. There are over 3,000 Washington State credentialed interpreters who are qualified to provide interpreting and translating services, the majority of whom are union members and immigrant workers. But due to the economic downturn caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic, Washington’s interpreting workforce is largely under-employed or out-of-work – and now applying for unemployment benefits. We support expanding language access for Limited English Proficient patients, clients, and residents during the Coronavirus Pandemic, but we are calling on Governor Inslee to close a loophole that diverts interpreting work away from our State’s high-quality, unionized, and mostly immigrant interpreter workforce. Washington State’s contract for remote interpreting services uses two third-party companies – CTS Language Link and Lionbridge Translation – who profit from publicly-funded interpreting appointments by underpaying predominantly non-union interpreters who work over the phone from other countries. Instead, Governor Inslee can ensure that ALL of Washington State’s publicly-funded interpreting appointments are directed to interpreters who are credentialed by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) or equivalent authorizing bodies in Washington, and who are ready, willing, and able to provide high-quality interpreting services for fair wages and benefits. By instructing state agencies to use DSHS credentialed or equivalently qualified interpreters and translators in Washington State, Governor Inslee can ensure that Washingtonians receive the highest quality language access services, save the state money from thousands of interpreters and translators applying for unemployment, and support hard-working interpreters and translators – the majority of whom are immigrants and union members.

We have frozen all membership billing and laid off all staff. Allowing fitness gyms to open will help keep hundreds of small business owners to stay in business and bring thousands of employees back to work, and at the same time keep Washington healthy.

This is vitally important to save the health and lives of all Michigan citizens.

Regular employees that will be returning to work during this phase need childcare to be able to return and continue to work.

As Health and Fitness Professionals, and small business owner's we have drafted a document that outlines operational, class, and cleaning procedures for boutique fitness facilities that comply with social distancing guidelines as outlined by the CDC on their website. We believe our businesses are capable of staying well within the guidelines, and even exceeding them in most circumstances. As a fitness facility we contribute to the overall health and well being of many of our region's citizens. Having an outlet for physical activity allows our members to lead healthier lives, relieve stress, and contributes to their overall health and well being. Following the strict guidelines that are outlined in this document will allow us to operate our business safely, while providing our service to our clients in a manner that is far safer than some businesses currently operating as “essential.” Our operation is unique, and should be considered separately from large gyms. They have thousands of members, whereas we have hundreds. The overall health of our clients is our number one priority, and we will continue to adjust and improve on our best practices to ensure that. We believe our business to be “essential” and a contributor to the overall health and well being of our state’s citizens. Operating our business in a safe manner, while adhering to the guidelines set forth by the CDC, and our local health officials is possible. We are thankful for your time and consideration while reading the operational document (https://www.ftwrightcrossfit.com/fwcf-reopening-plan) , and are available at any point to answer questions, or help in any way possible.

The Department of Health’s Emergency Order 20-002 (renewed by Emergency Order 20-004), ONLY allows controlled substance prescribing practitioners, to issue RENEWAL prescriptions for Schedule II–IV controlled substances via telehealth, for existing patients being treated for chronic non-malignant pain. The current options for practitioners in Florida for prescribing controlled substances via telehealth are extremely limited and are forcing these patients to facet-to-face visits, which defeats the purpose of keeping patients at home. As of March 16, 2020, and continuing for as long as the COVID-19 public health emergency remains in effect, DEA-registered practitioners in all areas of the United States may issue prescriptions for all schedule II-V controlled substances to patients for whom they have not conducted an in-person medical evaluation, provided all of the following conditions are met: • The prescription is issued for a legitimate medical purpose by a practitioner acting in the usual course of his/her professional practice; • The telemedicine communication is conducted using an audio-visual, real-time, two-way interactive communication system; and • The practitioner is acting in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws. The following are some common examples where licensed physicians in an office setting who practice in other states are able to follow the DEA’s policy and prescribe controlled substances via telehealth, but Florida physicians are not able to do so: 1. Refill of a prescription for a controlled substance for a patient transferred from another physician. 2. Refill of a prescription for a controlled substance for an existing patient being treated for a purpose other than chronic non-malignant pain. 3. Issue a new prescription for a controlled substance for an existing patient. 4. Change the dosage of an existing prescription for a controlled substance for an existing patient. 5. Issue a prescription for a controlled substance for a new patient. We recommend the Florida DOH considers adopting the DEA’s policy in an Emergency Order. We also recommend that these policies continue as long as the public health emergency continues. Sincerely, Elizabeth Shaw, Esq. Rez Legal The Board of the Florida Society of Pain and Neuroscience Nomen Azeem, MD President Michael Hanes, MD President-elect Michael Esposito, MD Treasurer Navdeep Jassal, MD Secretary Miguel Atias, MD Executive Director Ajay Antony, MD Executive Director