Keystone Progress

Campaigns

• Pass the Respect for Marriage Act

  Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), it’s time for Congress to completely repeal it. The Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) repeals DOMA. Under RMA, if someone is legally married in any state, the federal government must recognize that marriage. It means that same-sex couples will get all of the federal benefits afforded to opposite-sex couples. Once they are married, same-sex couples will be able to get these benefits no matter what states they live in or travel to. It is common sense legislation that will clarify and legally codify the recent Supreme Court decision that overturned Section 3 of DOMA. Urge your Members of Congress to support the Respect for Marriage Act today.

  18,178 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• I support Obamacare

  Some of the benefits of the Affordable Care Act • 21.3 million more Americans will get healthcare coverage. • You can’t be denied coverage for preexisting conditions such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure or even cancer. And if you or a family member get sick or injured, insurance companies can’t cut off your coverage or cancel your plan. • Your kids are covered. If you have children, they can stay on your family health insurance plan until they turn 26. • No more dollar limits on your care. You can get the care you need, without having to worry about huge, unexpected medical bills. • Your coverage is protected. An unintentional mistake or minor omission on an application can no longer give your insurance company an excuse to cancel your coverage. More preventive care is covered • Medicare now covers a yearly wellness visit and preventive care at no cost to you. This includes cancer, cholesterol and diabetes screenings, immunizations, diet counseling and more. • Lower prescription drug costs for Medicare, and the “donut hole” will disappear entirely in 2020 • Every state will have a Health Insurance Marketplace where people looking for coverage can go online to shop for health insurance. • For the first time, there’s help available to pay for health coverage. In fact, many people who buy their plan on the marketplace can get help covering the costs. Low-cost or free plans are also available depending on your income. • Small businesses can get tax credits, there are cooperative possibilities to lower costs and many other benefits for the small business owner. • Obamacare requires insurance companies to provide preventive care as part of your coverage including: High blood pressure screening, Diabetes screening, Flu shots, Colorectal cancer screening, Tobacco cessation counseling, Depression screening,HIV screening for those at risk for the disease • Services for Women, including: Mammograms, Cervical cancer screening, Osteoporosis screening, Gestational diabetes screening, Well-woman visits • Services for Children: Immunizations, including flu shots, Autism screening, Behavioral assessments, Development screening, Obesity screening and counseling • Services for Men: Cholesterol screening, Prostate exams

  19,899 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• Tell Fast Food Companies to Raise Their Wages to $15/hour

  Fast-food jobs pay so little that 52 percent of the families of front-line fast food workers need to rely on public assistance programs, costing taxpayers nearly $7 billion a year. Even at 40 hours a week, more than half of front-line fast-food workers are forced to rely on public assistance to cover basic needs like food, rent and healthcare. Compared to the overall economy, fast-food jobs are twice as likely as other jobs to pay so little that workers are forced to rely on public assistance. We know that workers put their money right back into our economy. Increasing fast food workers’ wages to $15 an hour will not only help struggling families in community make ends meet, it will also spur economic growth. When fast food workers win, this will help lift up all low-wage workers, and improve our entire economy.

  9,224 of 10,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• Don't let Bayer avoid responsibility for injuries to women

  Another example of corporations attacking our rights: This time, it is an attempt to squelch our ability to sue big corporations. The birth control pill Yasmin, or Yaz, has been shown to cause blood clots in blood vessels that can lead to death.1 According to recent studies, Yaz carries triple the risk over traditional birth control pills. 2 So what is the response of Bayer, the manufacturer of Yaz? They are trying to prevent women from being able to sue for damages by changing the rules by which plaintiffs can pool their efforts to sue when there is a large number of claims of damages against a product. Cases like this are expensive to litigate, and unless working people can join together in what’s called “mass tort,” lawyers won’t be able to build a winnable case against corporations like Bayer with their untold billions of dollars in resources. There are already thousands of cases filed against Bayer, with many more to come. Bayer wants to change the rules, effectively separating the cases, requiring tens of thousands of individual trials in courts across the country. If Bayer wins, it will effectively end the possibility of a fair trial for women who are making claims that they were injured or killed by Yaz. And it will mean that other corporations will have a new way to avoid responsibility by manipulating our courts. 3 Tell Bayer to play fair. Sign our petition demanding that they stop their attempt to change the rules. 1 British Medical Journal http://www.bmj.com/content/326/7383/257.full 2 Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/22/idUS87382+22-Apr-2011+PRN20110422 3 While this is in Pennsylvania’s courts, this will have a national impact, since many of these cases are from out of state, and because it will embolden other big corporations to use this tactic.

  10,883 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• Tell Sen. Casey to support marriage equality now!

  ***VICTORY!*** Sen. Bob Casey changes heart, comes out for Marriage Equality! Thanks to your tens of thousands of calls and emails, Sen. Bob Casey has announced his support for marriage equality. * * * Only a handful of Democratic U. S. Senators do not support marriage equality for same-sex couples. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania's Bob Casey is one of that tiny minority. Please send Sen. Casey a clear and simple message--It's time to support marriage equality.

  12,891 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• Stop the shutdown, fund the government and pay our bills.

  It is outrageous that GOP Members of Congress are willing to destroy our economy to appease their Tea Party members. It's time to tell them to "Cease and Desist." We have had enough of GOP Members of Congress “talking the talk.” Now they need to show real leadership and “walk the walk” by: •Signing the Discharge Petition. With 218 signatures, a vote on a clean CR will be brought to a vote on the Floor of the House of Representatives; •Raising the Debt Ceiling without any conditions. Congress created this debt, now they need to pay the bills; •Telling Speaker Boehner to ‘Cease and Desist’ from his extremist actions that are ruining our country.

  7,189 of 8,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• Philadelphia City Council: Sever your "sister city" relationship with anti-gay Nizhny Novgorod

  Russia's elected leaders are out of control -- and we can't stand for it any longer. First came a ban on the adoption of Russian-born children not only to gay couples but also to any couple or single parent living in any country where marriage equality exists. Then came a law allowing police officers to arrest tourists and foreign nationals they suspect of being homosexual, lesbian or “pro-gay” and detain them for up to 14 days. And then the "gay propaganda" law, making any parent who tells their child that being gay is okay, any Pride parade organizer, any health official distributing information regarding safe sex between same-sex partners, even a judge or lawyer, can be subject to arrest or fine. Already people are being arrested, beaten, intimidated and more. One lawmaker even vowed that foreign nationals attending the 2014 Sochi Olympics would be subject to this. The city of Philadelphia has a “Sister City” relationship with Nizhny Novgorod, the fifth largest city in Russia. The Nizhny Novgorod Assembly passed a "gay propaganda" law, legalizing it in 2012. Philadelphia City Council failed to take action then, and Russia took the law nationwide recently. It is time for action now. If we build enough pressure in advance of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Russia will be forced to act. Sign with me to tell the Philadelphia City Council: sever your sister city relationship with Nizhny Novgorod.

  1,367 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• I support Loretta Lynch, President Obama's nominee for Attorney General

  United States Attorney Loretta Lynch has a powerful record as a proven leader within the Department of Justice. Throughout her 30-year career, she has distinguished herself as a tough, fair, and independent lawyer who has twice headed one of the most active and effective U.S. Attorney’s offices in the country. Here's what the New York Times says about Lynch: WASHINGTON — President Obama announced on Saturday that he would nominate Loretta E. Lynch, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, to be the next attorney general, paving the way for the first African-American woman to hold the job. At a ceremony at the White House, Mr. Obama called Ms. Lynch a highly qualified, tough, fair and independent lawyer who deserved confirmation “without delay.” “She has spent years in the trenches as a prosecutor, aggressively fighting terrorism, financial fraud, cybercrime — all while vigorously defending civil rights,” the president said in the Roosevelt Room, where he appeared with Ms. Lynch and Eric H. Holder Jr., the current attorney general who has announced his intention to step down. “Loretta might be the only lawyer in America who battles mobsters and drug lords and terrorists, and still has a reputation for being a charming people person,” Mr. Obama said. Ms. Lynch, 55, a low-profile prosecutor, said that if confirmed she would “wake up every morning with the protection of the American people my first thought, and I will work every day to safeguard our citizens, our liberties, our rights, and this great nation.”

  6,717 of 7,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• Tell these Democrats to Get Off the Fence and Support the Iran Deal

  The United States, Iran and five other world powers announced an historic deal to dramatically curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing international sanctions on Iran. It’s a great agreement for the United States, but Republicans are already trying to sabotage it and put us back on the path to confrontation and war with Iran. You know the Republicans' answer to everything is more boots on the ground — putting ever more Americans in harm's way. That’s why we need to speak out right now and urge Democrats to support diplomacy. Some Democratic US Senators have not made a decision on the deal yet. Tell these Democrats: It's time to get off the fence. Don’t help Republicans sabotage the Iran agreement and risk another war. The truth is, Republicans don’t want diplomacy to work. Just as they did in Iraq, the only thing they know is pouring more gasoline on the fire, instead of trying to put the fire out. We can’t let them start another war. President Obama will veto any legislation that would blow up this agreement. Sadly, however, some Democrats in Congress have shown a willingness to back Republicans’ efforts to sabotage diplomacy. We need Democrats on record to stand with the President, to beat back any efforts to blow up diplomacy. Tell Democrats: It's time to get off the fence. Don’t help Republicans sabotage the Iran agreement and risk another war.

  685 of 800 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill
• Tax Marcellus Drilling in Pennsylvania

  Pennsylvania is the only state that does not tax drilling. Not only do the Marcellus Shale "frackers" pay no drilling tax, no other drilling is taxed either. Whether you oppose all drilling in the Marcellus Shale, support drilling with restrictions or hold another view, Pennsylvanians agree that drillers must pay their fair share in taxes.

  3,627 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Michael Morrill