Utah has harsh winters and many dogs can freeze to death if they don't have the right housing or coat type, many get frostbite. We have snow and our temperatures get below freezing throughout winter! Unless your animal is a farm hand or built to be out in the harsh winter conditions with appropriate housing to keep them warm and out of the elements! It is inhumane to leave your pet out 24/7 in the elements. Please sign to help the animals who can't speak for themselves!

Join the Utah #insulin4all Chapter in calling for action on having a co-pay cap on insulin in Utah! By signing this petition, we are asking the Utah legislators to raise legislation that requires a $25 co-pay cap on insulin regardless of how much insulin a patient uses a month and for insurance companies to pay anything more than the $25 co-pay. We also want this to cover the insured and uninsured, too.  Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law recently that places a $100 per month cap on insulin co-pays, regardless of how much insulin a patient uses. Insurance companies will pay anything more than the $100 co-pay, according to Colorado's new law. However, this bill doesn't cover the uninsured and our Utah #insulin4all Chapter feels that $100 is still too high of an amount for a life saving medication. It's time for Utah to join Colorado in passing a price co-pay cap on this life-saving medication, but let's make our law even better by covering those without insurance, those with insurance and with a $25 co-pay cap. Here is the legislation that Colorado passed.  https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1216 A co-pay cap on insulin in the state of Utah will help many people who wonder how they will get the one thing that they need to live.  Many of us here in Utah are struggling with the cost of insulin. One vial of insulin costs on average $300. Many type 1 diabetics use 2 to 4 vials a month. ● The price of some decades-old insulin has increased over 1200% since 1996. ● Even with insurance, people are paying an average of $1400 per month out-of-pocket for insulin alone and up to 50% of their annual income on diabetes costs. ● Between 2001 and 2015 the price of Humalog insulin increased by 585%. ● One vial of insulin can be manufactured for as little as $3.00.  ● 1 in 4 people with type 1 diabetes are forced to ration their insulin due to its ever climbing price. The insulin Co-Pay cap in Colorado has shown that it’s possible for states to take control of outrageous insulin pricing, and as a result, to save lives. It’s time for Utah to join them in protecting Utahns with diabetes from avoidable health risks. Because of the incredibly high cost of insulin and other expensive supplies to handle their diabetes, many diabetics are forced into dire situations. Many diabetics have resorted to rationing insulin. They are risking their lives every day because they can’t afford to pay for their next vial. People are forced to choose between the insulin they need to survive, keep a roof over their head and food on the table for their families. People’s lives shouldn’t be put at risk because the insulin they require to live isn’t affordable. As an example, my type 1 diabetic son, who was 17 at the time, rationed his insulin because we struggled to afford it. We were paying $800 a month just for insulin until we reached our $5500 deductible because NO insulin AT ALL was covered until we reached our high deductible. We lost cars, lost our home, struggled to buy food and went into medical debt trying to keep him alive. My son has a long life ahead of him with this disease and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he'll be able to afford his life sustaining insulin in the future. Please help all diabetics live long and healthy lives with affordable insulin. Please sign and share and let's save lives in Utah!

The Utah State Board of Education on May 21 decided to cut funding from many very important educational needs because they apparently ran out of their rainy day funds.  Reducing  both the Educators Salary Adjustment and the Teacher Student Success Act is an automatic $5,000 pay decrease for teachers in many districts. Additionally they are 100% ELIMINATING the lower classroom size yet still expecting teachers to teach a higher caliper of teaching with 24 hours notice for training and high expectations with a safe six foot distance.   We know next year will be crazy for students and educators and the state needs to know they can’t take away from the foundation of what is making educating possible during a pandemic.  Cut from the top not the bottom! We need the Legislators in Utah to know that they have to ensure that teacher pay is mandated to stay the same! Parents need to make their voices heard.   The State Board of Education needs to come out and say that districts and charter schools cannot touch teachers pay next year when the new budget is allocated.  The Legislators and Board Members need to take a stand and ensure our teachers are paid. Stand by our teachers!!!   Here is a message from the States PR guy: Dear Ms xx The Utah State Board of Education is not eager to cut the budget either. However, the Utah Legislature asked all state agencies, including the Utah State Board of Education, to consider budget reduction scenarios of 2, 5, and 10 percent as a means of thoughtfully addressing the anticipated economic havoc of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board's scenarios will be presented to the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee on May 27. That group will forward its recommendations to the Executive Appropriations Committee who will make a recommendation to a special session of the Legislature, likely June 18-19. If a cut is going to be made, that is where it will happen. The Legislature, of course, will have the ability to take the state's full budget into account in making any reductions. I encourage you to continue to follow the debate as it moves to the Legislature.   Mark Peterson ꟾ Public Relations Director ꟾ Utah State Board of Education250 E 500 South ꟾ PO Box 144200 ꟾ Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200 ꟾ 801-538-7635 Sign this petitions and let the State school board and Legislators know we cannot be bullied into them cutting our teachers pay! ** This is a generic email. He has sent this exact verbatim letter to other teachers! So let’s continue to follow this debate as it moves to the Legislature!

I’m Jenifer Bass, a U.S. Navy veteran, who served for 10 years, one-third in the Asia-Pacific region. It was due to my travel between ports in countries like Japan and Thailand that I first encountered amerasian children, and descendants, of U.S. service members and civilian contractors previously stationed overseas. Filipino Amerasians are abandoned and neglected biracial children of Filipino mothers and American fathers (mostly members of the US armed forces). In the Philippines alone, more than 52,000-plus children were born and left behind after the U.S. Navy withdrew the last of its military personnel in 1992. Right now, the U.S. government won’t legally recognize them as U.S. citizens, despite having been born to an American parent. The Philippine Embassy won't help them either. As a former US colony between 1898 and 1946, the Philippines was home to millions of US soldiers and their dependents, even after its independence. Until 1992, the country hosted two of the largest US military facilities outside the US – Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base, which played major roles during the Vietnam and first Gulf wars. In 1982 US Public Law 97-359, or the Amerasian Act of 1982, allowed children from Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, or Thailand to move to the US and eventually become American citizens, but those who were from the Philippines were excluded from the law, an exclusion which was upheld by the US Senate on the basis that many Filipino Amerasians were “conceived from illicit affairs and prostitution”, and were born during peacetime. Today, there are estimated to be more than 250,000-plus children. Many amerasians are caught in a no-man’s land of discrimination and poverty -- most left behind by U.S. service members who are unaware that they’ve fathered children overseas. My friend John Haines is one of these sailors. In 2011, John discovered he was the father of a half-Filipino daughter, Jannette. He attempted to unite with her through the American Homecoming Act -- but was frustrated to learn that the Act did not apply to Filipino children of U.S. service members. Today, all John wants is to be united with his daughter and grandchildren. He, like so many other veterans are living with a “hole in their hearts” as they search for ways to unite with their children. There is hope. The Uniting Families Act of 2018, HR 1520, creates a specialized visa allowing military veterans and eligible civilian contractors to sponsor their children and grandchildren for U.S. citizenship. Currently, blood relationship must be proven by DNA test and the total number of visas granted will be capped at 5,000 each year. The issue takes on more urgency as so many of our veterans from our wars in Southeast Asia are getting older and dying each day -- without the chance to connect, or in some cases, reconnect with their own children. John’s daughter Jannette has already undertaken the DNA testing process, conclusively proving her relationship to her American father. All she’s waiting for is the opportunity to permanently unite with her father. There is a PBS documentary, "Left by the Ship" (2010), documenting a day in the life and the personal struggles as a Filipino amerasian on the never ending search for identity and their struggles to connect to their American military families. Please sign this petition to tell Congress that these families cannot wait another day. Pass the Uniting Families Act of 2017, HR 1520, now!

According to Utah Code 62A chapter 4a section 403, “members of the clergy” are not required to report child abuse if it is confessed by the perpetrator. Various documents released by the Truth and Transparency Foundation (TTF), via MormonLeaks and FaithLeaks, show that clergy typically and intentionally avoid reporting abuse to law enforcement except in states where they are required to do so, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We, at the TTF, believe that any exemption of clergy members in mandatory reporting laws is an affront to the safety and well-being of abuse survivors and provides an environment where predators are enabled. Thus, we are proposing the exemption be removed entirely and that clergy members explicitly be required to report child abuse reported to them by any individual regardless of the reporter’s role in the abuse. Some may claim this is an attack on religious liberty. We ask you to reconsider that argument and realize that the proposal does not oppress members of any religious denomination. In addition, some of the states with the highest rates of religious affiliation do not make any exemptions for clergy.  According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, all 50 states have similar mandatory reporting laws, yet only 12 make absolutely no exemption for clergy. These 12 states include Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas. Like Utah, each of these states have majority populations who, according to Gallup, identify as religious. We encourage all of our supporters to place continual pressure on their Utah representatives by signing this petition, as well as contacting them and asking them to sponsor the amendment. When doing so, please feel free to utilize scripts we have prepared here. You can find your representatives and their contact information here. Our press release and communication with the Utah State Legislature can be found here.

#SAVEUTAHBARS #SAVEUTAHRESTAURANTS HELP US CONVINCE THE STATE OF UTAH TO ALLOW BARS AND RESTAURANTS TO SELL COCKTAILS IN SEALED CONTAINERS FOR CURBSIDE PICKUP AND DELIVERY, AND HELP OUR BAR AND RESTAURANT INDUSTRY SURVIVE! The Covid-19 crisis has created the perfect storm threatening our health as a community and the survival of our bar and restaurant industry. We have a unique opportunity to inspire change in the state of Utah. FIRST: We petition Utah Governor Gary Herbert to create an executive order immediately allowing bars to sell COCKTAILS IN SEALED CONTAINERS that can be consumed safely at home. This will give Utah Bars and Restaurants a critical lifeline for revenue similar to the take-out for restaurants, while also providing restaurants a much needed boost to their own sales. Faced with the reality of the resurgent pandemic, this would create a critical source of revenue for our beloved bars and restaurants.  SECOND: We petition the Utah Legislature to implement the following alcohol policy action items to help ensure the recovery of our critical bar and restaurant industry during and after the Covid-19 crisis: WHOLESALE PRICING FOR LICENSEES - Did you know Bars and Restaurants pay full retail for their alcoholic purchases from the state? Retailers in most industries purchase their goods from wholesalers at reduced pricing. In Utah, the state is Wholesaler, Retailer and taxing authority. We are the only state with state-run alcohol sales that does not receive wholesale pricing. We petition the state to sell to restaurants and bars at a wholesale discount.  ALLOW "HAPPY HOUR" - Did you know that "happy hours" are illegal in Utah? Drink specials can only be offered for the full day. This regulation does not prevent over-consumption, but limits how bars can choose to run their business. We believe that this is an arbitrary and counterproductive policy. BAR LICENSE QUOTAS - Did you know that Utah increased the population quotas tied to bar licenses to 1 license per 10,200 people, effectively reducing the amount of licenses by 30% in 2018? As part of the process in removing the "Zion Curtain" from restaurants, Utah created a massive backlog of bar license applications.  Reverting back to our previous quotas (1 license per 7,850 people) will allow for better service to patrons all over Utah and, most importantly, less driving to bars. That would promote a safer, more hospitable Utah! ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR BARS AND RESTAURANTS: CAP SERVICE FEES FROM 3RD PARTY DELIVERY SERVICES - delivery services such as GrubHub, UberEats and DoorDash charge large fees on orders (sometimes up to 33%) to use their service, which often removes the possibility for a bar or restaurant to make any profit. Limit the amount these services can charge during a pandemic that is hammering the bar and restaurant industry.  ADDITIONAL RENT RELIEF PROGRAMS TO COMMERCIAL LEASEHOLDERS - we ask that the state explore options on how they can better assist bars and restaurants in negotiations with landlords in these times of reduced income or assist landlords in passing down their relief programs to tenants. Please watch this space for more info about how you can help Utah food and beverage movement! HELP US ENACT POSITIVE CHANGE IN UTAH. HELP US #SAVEUTAHBARS & #SAVEUTAHRESTAURANTS!

Casey Snider introduced bill HB 295 to the committee on Feb. 12th, 2021. The bill passed with a 11-3 vote and is moving to the senate for further action. Now is our chance to STOP this from going any further. HB 295 puts a ban and season on trail camera usage. No one in the state of utah would be allowed to use or check trail cameras from august 1st- December 31st of every year. Private land would have NO restrictions on trail cameras. The bill also proposes very vague and unorganized methods to ban particular types of baiting in utah. Please read the bill, linked at the end of this statement, for more info. HB 295 is a direct threat to the public land hunter. Giving private land hunters more freedoms than the average joe/public land hunter can NOT be tolerated. Casey Snider has made this bill to be a personal, emotional issue rather than a claim supported by evidence and scientific data. There are no studies to prove that baiting and/or trail cameras hurt the deer population. In fact, archery success rates are at a record low of 13%. This bill is a direct threat to the public land hunter, the bow hunters, and future generations. California blocked bill SB 252 with 27,000 signatures. Utah let’s stand up for our hunting FREEDOMS, please sign to oppose HB295. Do not let them in to add more regulations to your hunting and public land freedoms! Link to read on the bill: https://le.utah.gov/~2021/bills/static/HB0295.html

The Earth has been around for almost 5 billion years, with us modern humans evolving only about 200,000 years ago. In the 0.004% of our planet's total lifetime that we have been around for, we have managed to rip up around 46% of the trees worldwide in our luscious forests, pollute our majestic oceans and the almost-extinct coral reefs, and drive countless species to extinction. In fact, before the evolution of humans, less than 1 species per million went extinct annually; today, a devastating rate of 100-1,000 species per million are lost every year. We are destroying our planet faster than we can process the changes. These deaths are directly linked to habitat destruction by the hands of humans and climate change. According to the International Panel on Climate Change, "To keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5C this century, emissions of carbon dioxide would have to be cut by 45% by 2030." Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, founder of the Potsdam Climate Institute, states that the climate may become irreparable if we don't reduce carbon dioxide emmisions in the next 18 months. We must act now, if we have any hope of preserving this planet for future generations to come. Our climate is in a crisis. The U.S. federal government, one of the largest and most influential democratic governments in the world, must declare a climate crisis IMMEDIATELY. Chief executive of the World Wildlife Fund, Tanya Steele puts it clearly: "We are the first generation to know we are destroying our planet and the last one that can do anything about it." Sign this petition to stand alongside us, and our planet. We are the ones who must save our Earth. The time is now!     Cover photo by NASA

Sean Reyes is wasting state funds by joining a case presented to the Supreme Court of the United States to nullify the votes of 20 million US citizens and revers the results of the 2020 presidential elections. This case is yet another meritless case by the Trump re-election machine based on on no credible evidence or logic as was shown in all the other cases presented by Trump to several federal and state courts including the Supreme Court. By joining this latest meritless case, Reyes shows severe lack of judgment and an inability to be a trustworthy AG in Utah. Let’s stop the waste of time and public resources and focus on issues that concern Utah and its citizens.