Since 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has filled the pockets of fossil fuel executives and Wall Street CEOs at the expense of working people and the environment in the US, Canada, and Mexico. From helping corporations undermine democratic rule and union power through secretive Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) tribunals to exacerbating pollution and displacing immigrants, this rigged deal has harmed middle class and low-income families, people of color, and nearly everyone who is not a big corporation. Now the Trump Administration is renegotiating NAFTA, but the talks are taking place behind closed doors, with the public shut out and corporate polluters invited in. We cannot sit silently while Trump invites billionaires to tweak NAFTA. We must fight to #ReplaceNAFTA with an agreement that puts people and planet first, not corporations. While job-outsourcing corporations ask for even more handouts in NAFTA 2.0, Congress must push for a NAFTA replacement that supports good union jobs, climate justice, and healthy and thriving communities. While Trump tries to use his NAFTA agenda to build a racist border wall, Congress must call for a replacement deal that raises wages and environmental standards for workers, immigrants, and communities across North America. Rather than pitting communities against each other, we center racial, economic, and environmental justice in our fight for a new approach to trade.

Like everyone else a victim of domestic violence must live separate and apart from their spouse for a full year before he/she can file for divorce. I'm an attorney in North Carolina and help victims of domestic violence obtain Domestic Violence Protective Orders (no contact orders). There is no good reason to make someone remain married to their abuser for a full year (or longer in many cases) before they can petition the courts for a divorce.

Dear Bridgeport City Council Members: We, the parents, administration, teachers, staff, and supporters of Classical Studies Magnet Academy (CSMA), are asking for you to put the issue of the City of Bridgeport supporting the Board of Education & Bridgeport Public School District acquiring a new building for CSMA to be joined in one physical location on your agenda. We specifically request that you vote “YES” to the Board of Education applying for a grant to comprehensively assess the renovation needs of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport administrative building at 238 Jewett Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06606 and “YES” to the investing $1.2 million for the purchase of 238 Jewett Avenue for CSMA. CSMA is a PK-8 magnet school that is currently split between two buildings: Main Building, 240 Linwood Avenue, housing grades 3-8 & Annex Building, 659 Beechwood Avenue, housing grades PK-2. The Main Building is owned by the Board of Education, and the Annex is leased from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. The school’s academic theme is project-based education that incorporates Socratic Seminar. Quoted from Principal Helen Giles’ School Message, “[The educational approach promotes] active learning wherein students are the knowledge seekers. They have opportunities to engage in rich discourse regarding topics they are learning about. [CSMA] provides an education based on high expectations for all children, striving to provide a world-class education while cultivating and nurturing world-class citizens.” Our ultimate goal is to support and raise the academic achievement of our children, and this in part requires a suitable physical learning environment. It was approved for CSMA to expand into two buildings in 2013 when it received approval by the Board of Education to increase its student body from grades K-6 to PK-8. The division of students and staff between two buildings, separated by .5 miles and 4 streets, was originally intended to be a temporary situation. However, approaching 5 years later, the City has not outlined any concrete steps to unify the school into one building. CSMA needs to be one building, together as one unified school. It is currently the only school in Bridgeport suffering from the challenges of a physically separated administration, educational team, and student body. Parents are strained by having to drop off and pick up siblings in multiple locations and sometimes having to choose between attending events for one child over another since school assemblies must to held on different days between the two buildings. In addition to being in one building, CSMA needs to be in a newer, more updated facility. The Main building at 240 Linwood Avenue, the former Maplewood School, is the oldest building presently in operation by the Bridgeport Public Schools. The age of the building contributes to the poor temperature regulation and ventilation, insufficient space for certain classes and activities. The Annex building at 659 Beechwood Avenue also has structural challenges, with ceiling leaks, cracked wall tiles, and poorly sealed windows. The building cannot accommodate a proper library, and there is no real gymnasium. 238 Jewett Avenue is the only realistic and reasonable option for the relocation and unification of CSMA: 238 Jewett Avenue has adequate space for the entire current student population, with room to expand. This administrative building was formerly Notre Dame High School and St. Catherine School for Girls, therefore the property is already zoned for a school. The building is large enough to satisfactorily accommodate space for academic, social/emotional, and health/wellness support services, as well as for enrichment classes such as library, physical education, music, and art. It will also provide space for parent meetings and engagements. The grounds surrounding the building are spacious enough to build playgrounds and to use for other recreational activities. CSMA is a project-based magnet school that holds multiple exhibits, and assemblies each month. Adequate space is necessary for students to endeavor into their educational exploration and to set up their projects/presentations for fellow students, parents, and invited guests. Renovations in the 238 Jewett Avenue building will allow for needed technology updates that the current 659 Beechwood Avenue & 240 Linwood Avenue buildings cannot support. This need also holds true for general assemblies school-wide events, where crowding easily becomes a complication. The location of the building is sufficiently distanced from other local schools, and it will not disrupt the local school zone distribution. As a magnet school that receives students from all over the city and has the specific theme of being project-based, parents must consciously select for their children to attend and commit be actively engaged in ensuring their children keep up with the rigors of the curriculum. Relocating CSMA to an area that is too close to other local schools or transferring the school to an already-occupied school building that would displace students from their current zoned school will have potentially negative lasting effects on the community. Students may then need to be bussed to the next closest school or conversation may arise to change CSMA from a fully lottery-based magnet school to a partially zoned-magnet composite school. The latter would not be fair to parents or students to attend a school with a special zone-based because some local parents may not wish their children to attend, or may not be able to keep up with the academic demands. As a magnet school receiving students from the entire city, the majority of students are bussed. There is sufficient space on the grounds of the 238 Jewett Avenue property for the school buses to load and unload students off of the public street. Presently traffic becomes obstructed at both locations as 5 school buses wait in line. There is also pa...

I am a 55-year-old female, a single mother of a teen daughter and two grown kids. I have three grandchildren. In 2013 I underwent spinal fusion surgery ( it failed ) that left me full of titanium and disabled. Before the "opioid crisis" and CDC medications cutbacks of 2016 I had adequate pain management. I had an acceptable quality of life that included doing my own shopping, taking my kids where they wanted and needed to go, I hosted many parties at home for my kids and friends. I was an avid fisherwoman and camper, a rabid estate saler and junker. It's all a memory now. Don't let this happen to anyone else. The next patient in need could be you or someone you love.

Neil Gorsuch, the newest Supreme Court Justice and a Donald Trump appointee, has not been an impartial judge. He recently gave the keynote address at a Trump Hotel event, and this week, he had dinner and discussed “important issues” with members of Congress including Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Here's what's wrong with that picture: according to United States Code (Title 28, Section 455) justices and judges should recuse themselves from a case if they have independent knowledge of the facts in dispute or they have a personal bias concerning the case. Sen. Cornyn is one of the most anti-immigrant members of Congress and is currently pushing legislation that would make it impossible to protect Dreamers. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case that will make or break the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows Dreamers to drive and work legally in the country. If the Supreme Court votes the wrong way, 800,000 Dreamers from across the nation will become deportation targets for Donald Trump By meeting with Sen. Cornyn to discuss “important issues,” Justice Gorsuch has demonstrated his willingness to listen to the views and opinions of one of the biggest immigrant restrictionists in the United States. How can Justice Gorsuch remain impartial when he is palling around with one of the most anti-immigrant U.S. Senators? The integrity of the Supreme Court must be preserved! Justice Gorsuch MUST recuse himself from the DACA decision.

Because with the rate of mental illness in our state and the lack of proper training guns are getting into the hands of the irresponsible.

Nothing is being done. & that has to change!

The American people have a right to require our legislators--our EMPLOYEES--to do the job we pay them to do! This petition requires them to do just that. They cannot shut down the government over petty disagreements. They cannot shirk their duty for 8 years because they don't like who's in the White House either. If they are going to hold a position in the House or Senate, they become an employee of the Citizenry of the United States of America. We elect them and pay them with our tax dollars. Their wealthy donors are not paying their salaries. We the People are, and We the People expect them to do their jobs or resign their position so someone else can do it instead. I am a veteran's widow and the mother of an adult child with a disability. My late husband's Military retirement pay and my daughter's Social Security benefits and Medicare are a critical part of our livelihood. My father is an 86-year-old civil service retiree living on Social Security and his pension. We pay our taxes and we vote. Do your jobs!

The ERA is the Equal Rights Amendment The United States Constitution does not guarantee equal rights for all citizens regardless of sex. The reality is that women are still not equal under the law. Women are not protected. While legislation has been passed throughout the years, none of these allowances are in fact secure. One shift in public opinion combined with a change in the political majority can, and has, led to legislation that chips away at long fought and hard earned privileges. The ratification of the ERA would at long last end the legal distinctions between men and women in the United States of America. The ERA was introduced to every single session of Congress from 1923 until it finally passed the U.S. House and Senate, in its current form on March 22, 1972. It then came barreling out of Congress and headed to the states for ratification. Over the course of that following year, 30 of the required 38 states successfully ratified the amendment. Only 60% of states agreed that women should be afforded equal constitutional protection. Upon reaching its 7-year deadline in 1979, without achieving ratification, the deadline was extended by Congress until 1982. despite the extension, the 38 state requirement, unfortunately, remained unmet. S.J.Res.5 removes the deadline and paves the way for the ERA to become the 28th amendment to the United States Constitution. We only need 2 more states to ratify the ERA. The time is NOW.

An Excerpt from: BIRD SPECIES THAT WILL LIKELY SUFFER FROM LOGGING IN STATE PARKS and STATE PARKS AND SCIENCE By Douglas McClure Wood Cerulean Warbler: A species of High Continental Importance* with an Urgency/Half Life of only 19 years, a long-term range-wide population decline of 72% and a decline of 74% within the Appalachian Mountains region. WV’s old-growth and mature forests are important habitats. Kentucky Warbler: A species of High Continental Importance* with a long-term population decline range-wide of 29% and a decline of 41% within the Appalachian Mountains region. Wood Thrush: A species of High Continental Importance *with a long-term population decline range-wide of 60% and a decline of 49% within the Appalachian Mountains region. The Wood Thrush suffered a 1.4% average annual decline in WV between Breeding Bird Atlases, 1986-2011, representing a 29% population decline (Sauer et al. 2017; PIF 2013). Worm-eating Warbler: In WV, Worm-eating Warbler populations suffered a significant average annual decline of 1.9% for the period between Breeding Bird Atlases (1986-2011). The population declined by 31% in the 41 years before 2011 (Sauer et al. 2017). Acadian Flycatcher: The Acadian Flycatcher suffered a significant average annual decline of 1.7% in West Virginia and a population decline of 34% between Breeding Bird Atlases, 1986-2011 (Sauer et al. 2017; PIF 2013). WV had the second highest percentage of the Acadian Flycatcher’s estimated global population (10.3%). Scarlet Tanager: WV had the second highest percentage of estimated global population (9.8%). The relatively stable population of this species in WV between Breeding Bird Atlases, 1986-2011, has now begun to suffer a precipitous decline at an average annual rate of 2.3% between 2005 and 2015 (Sauer et al. 2017). Black-and-White Warbler: The center of distribution for this species is further north than the other species in this list. WV had the sixteenth highest percentage of estimated global population (1.3%). During the period between Breeding Bird Atlases, 1986-2011, the species suffered a 2.14% average annual decline in WV, a loss of nearly 35% of the 1989 breeding population (Sauer et al. 2017; PIF 2013). *Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture, 2016 (AMJV) Partners in Flight Science Committee (PIF)

New Jersey just inaugurated a new Democratic governor who ran on a platform of legalizing marijuana. As the son of a cancer patient who utilized medical marijuana to bring relief before her death, and a small farmer who wants all farmers to have the opportunity to grow hemp and marijuana, I believe this is a critical moment for New Jersey. We could enact smart, socially just cannabis laws — including amnesty for people convicted of breaking laws against marijuana — or we could hand over control of a new, officially-sanctioned industry to entrenched interests that already wield so much power in this state. We need people-friendly, farmer-friendly marijuana laws!

Portland's transgender population is endangered and at a disproportionately higher risk of homelessness and housing discrimination. Transgender women of color experience even disproportionately higher rates of homelessness, unemployment and homicide due to prevailing animus against transgender individuals. For many in various stages of transition or for those who have accepted their new identity without transitioning, shelters are not a viable option. Once on the street the homicide rate is grim. Last year alone over 400 transgender lives were extinguished due to anti-transgender violence worldwide, the majority of which were reported homeless. These weren't just simple murders. In many cases the victims were decapitated, burned, dismembered or horribly desecrated. This is the depth of the animosity and hatred trans people face on the streets. We must intervene. We have taken great strides to create services for those marginalized by mental illness, addiction and HIV/AIDS but for over 30 years not one step of progress has been made towards protecting and sheltering the endangered transgender population. These are functioning, contributing members of society. They are doctors, nurses, teachers and therapists. They deserve the opportunity to thrive and enjoy the same resources, services and protections granted to other "at risk" populations. This petition is to elevate trans voices to cry out to the Mayor, appropriate individuals at Home Forward and Central City Concern to take immediate action and implement trans-specific housing services in the city of Portland and all of Multnomah County.