Virginai HB 1242 Takes SB 477 to a New Level - Banning Almost Everything

Introduced on 1/20/12

Proposes to ban ALL Pythons & Boas except Ball Pythons, Angolan Pythons and Green Tree Pythons.

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp...121+ful+HB1242

wow,some more 'monkey see monkey do'...Ugh I wish ignorance wasn't so contagious.

Seems like everyone is just itching to ban something now.Nevermind the more negative impact it would have on the people of the state, just slap anything on the bill and let it fly...

After reading that, i have to say.. it pissed me off ... like most of the BS going on with the gov. right now

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ColinWeaver

Introduced on 1/20/12

Proposes to ban ALL Pythons & Boas except Ball Pythons, Angolan Pythons and Green Tree Pythons.

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp...121+ful+HB1242

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Chief Patron is a republican...........

.........and it has bi-partisan support.

Seriously!?

Man they even want to ban elephants in virginia. Wow i knew elephants were a problem in va. Look i know with the recent developments on the proposed bans people are getting freaked out but we must consider whats going on. It is a case of monkey see monkey do and alot of states are going to try and strike while the irons hot but it still has to be voted and passed. The humane society will always have more money for the fight then the reptile community and the humane society are the ones spearheading this fight. What confuses me with the ban is that they banned burms, rocks, and anacondas right? Well what about the longest and most aggresive python? The good ole retic. There is more money in retics right now then burms , rocks, condas. And yet nothing was mentioned about them. Keep in mind there are more people in this country that hate snakes then like em so this will always be a fight. And as long as their are people doing shows that spark the fears such as gregg graziannis python hunters which in my mind totally scared the crap out of people we will have this issue. People watching that show that dont know the truth about how those animals got there just see that there are man eating snakes in florida. Im sure that scares the hell out an uneducated person. The fact that the majority of these animals were spread in the glades when hurricane andrew tore through breeding facilities is not getting the attention it deserves. Virginia is just jumping on the band wagon and ya better believe more states will as well but also keep in mind these proposed bills have to pass before they are law. When the research is done and the scope of how much tax money will be lost by these bills i dont think you will see them pass as they are proposed.

When are they going to vote on this?

I don't know. The VA Reptile Rescue Facebook page has been posting a lot of good information. I'll post what I find there here. I know that a bunch of people are heading to Richmond on Thursday about SB 477. I don't think that this bill is as far along as the other one.

Here ya go. Give them a call and express your concerns.

Member Name District Party Capitol Office District Office
Barker, George L. 39 D (804) 698-7539 (703) 303-1426
Black, Richard H. 13 R (804) 698-7513 (703) 406-2951
Blevins, Harry B. 14 R (804) 698-7514 (757) 546-2435
Carrico, Charles W., Sr. 40 R (804) 698-7540 (276) 236-0098
Colgan, Charles J. 29 D (804) 698-7529 (703) 368-0300
Deeds, R. Creigh 25 D (804) 698-7525 (434) 296-5491
Ebbin, Adam P. 30 D (804) 698-7530 (571) 384-8957
Edwards, John S. 21 D (804) 698-7521 (540) 985-8690
Favola, Barbara A. 31 D (804) 698-7531 (703) 835-4845
Garrett, Thomas A., Jr. 22 R (804) 698-7522
Hanger, Emmett W., Jr. 24 R (804) 698-7524 (540) 885-6898
Herring, Mark R. 33 D (804) 698-7533 (703) 729-3300
Howell, Janet D. 32 D (804) 698-7532 (703) 709-8283
Locke, Mamie E. 2 D (804) 698-7502 (757) 825-5880
Lucas, L. Louise 18 D (804) 698-7518 (757) 397-8209
Marsden, David W. 37 D (804) 698-7537 (571) 249-3037
Marsh, Henry L., III 16 D (804) 698-7516 (804) 648-9073
Martin, Stephen H. 11 R (804) 698-7511 (804) 674-0242
McDougle, Ryan T. 4 R (804) 698-7504 (804) 730-1026
McEachin, A. Donald 9 D (804) 698-7509 (804) 226-4111
McWaters, Jeffrey L. 8 R (804) 698-7508 (757) 965-3700
Miller, John C. 1 D (804) 698-7501 (757) 595-1100
Miller, Yvonne B. 5 D (804) 698-7505 (757) 627-4212
Newman, Stephen D. 23 R (804) 698-7523 (434) 385-1065
Norment, Thomas K., Jr. 3 R (804) 698-7503 (757) 259-7810
Northam, Ralph S. 6 D (804) 698-7506 (757) 818-5172
Obenshain, Mark D. 26 R (804) 698-7526 (540) 437-1451
Petersen, J. Chapman 34 D (804) 698-7534 (703) 349-3361
Puckett, Phillip P. 38 D (804) 698-7538 (276) 979-8181
Puller, Linda T. 36 D (804) 698-7536 (703) 765-1150
Reeves, Bryce E. 17 R (804) 698-7517 (540) 891-5473
Ruff, Frank M., Jr. 15 R (804) 698-7515 (434) 374-5129
Saslaw, Richard L. 35 D (804) 698-7535 (703) 978-0200
Smith, Ralph K. 19 R (804) 698-7519 (540) 206-3597
Stanley, William M., Jr. 20 R (804) 698-7520 (540) 721-6028
Stosch, Walter A. 12 R (804) 698-7512 (804) 527-7780
Stuart, Richard H. 28 R (804) 698-7528 (804) 493-8892
Vogel, Jill Holtzman 27 R (804) 698-7527 (540) 662-4551
Wagner, Frank W. 7 R (804) 698-7507 (757) 671-2250
Watkins, John C. 10 R (804) 698-7510 (804) 379-2063

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Here ya go. Give them a call and express your concerns.

Member Name District Party Capitol Office District Office
Barker, George L. 39 D (804) 698-7539 (703) 303-1426
Black, Richard H. 13 R (804) 698-7513 (703) 406-2951
Blevins, Harry B. 14 R (804) 698-7514 (757) 546-2435
Carrico, Charles W., Sr. 40 R (804) 698-7540 (276) 236-0098
Colgan, Charles J. 29 D (804) 698-7529 (703) 368-0300
Deeds, R. Creigh 25 D (804) 698-7525 (434) 296-5491
Ebbin, Adam P. 30 D (804) 698-7530 (571) 384-8957
Edwards, John S. 21 D (804) 698-7521 (540) 985-8690
Favola, Barbara A. 31 D (804) 698-7531 (703) 835-4845
Garrett, Thomas A., Jr. 22 R (804) 698-7522
Hanger, Emmett W., Jr. 24 R (804) 698-7524 (540) 885-6898
Herring, Mark R. 33 D (804) 698-7533 (703) 729-3300
Howell, Janet D. 32 D (804) 698-7532 (703) 709-8283
Locke, Mamie E. 2 D (804) 698-7502 (757) 825-5880
Lucas, L. Louise 18 D (804) 698-7518 (757) 397-8209
Marsden, David W. 37 D (804) 698-7537 (571) 249-3037
Marsh, Henry L., III 16 D (804) 698-7516 (804) 648-9073
Martin, Stephen H. 11 R (804) 698-7511 (804) 674-0242
McDougle, Ryan T. 4 R (804) 698-7504 (804) 730-1026
McEachin, A. Donald 9 D (804) 698-7509 (804) 226-4111
McWaters, Jeffrey L. 8 R (804) 698-7508 (757) 965-3700
Miller, John C. 1 D (804) 698-7501 (757) 595-1100
Miller, Yvonne B. 5 D (804) 698-7505 (757) 627-4212
Newman, Stephen D. 23 R (804) 698-7523 (434) 385-1065
Norment, Thomas K., Jr. 3 R (804) 698-7503 (757) 259-7810
Northam, Ralph S. 6 D (804) 698-7506 (757) 818-5172
Obenshain, Mark D. 26 R (804) 698-7526 (540) 437-1451
Petersen, J. Chapman 34 D (804) 698-7534 (703) 349-3361
Puckett, Phillip P. 38 D (804) 698-7538 (276) 979-8181
Puller, Linda T. 36 D (804) 698-7536 (703) 765-1150
Reeves, Bryce E. 17 R (804) 698-7517 (540) 891-5473
Ruff, Frank M., Jr. 15 R (804) 698-7515 (434) 374-5129
Saslaw, Richard L. 35 D (804) 698-7535 (703) 978-0200
Smith, Ralph K. 19 R (804) 698-7519 (540) 206-3597
Stanley, William M., Jr. 20 R (804) 698-7520 (540) 721-6028
Stosch, Walter A. 12 R (804) 698-7512 (804) 527-7780
Stuart, Richard H. 28 R (804) 698-7528 (804) 493-8892
Vogel, Jill Holtzman 27 R (804) 698-7527 (540) 662-4551
Wagner, Frank W. 7 R (804) 698-7507 (757) 671-2250
Watkins, John C. 10 R (804) 698-7510 (804) 379-2063

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Those are the senators to be contacted about SB 477

For HB 1242 we need to contact the delegates. Here are there numbers: http://dela.state.va.us/dela/MemBios...iteTL?OpenView

When we find out what committee HB 1242 will go to it will give us a more specialized list to focus on.

Did anyone else notice that all species of Primates are illegal to own other than humans?

I didn't know it is legal to own humans...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roseyoungblood

Did anyone else notice that all species of Primates are illegal to own other than humans?

I didn't know it is legal to own humans...

---

Does this mean if its passed, it WILL be legal to own a human?


Sent from my phone, to the Internet, to your screen.

I own 3 humans. At least till they are 18 lol. They better not ban em. Virginia is trying to ban all boas and pythons except balls, angolans, and gtp. They also want to ban elephants which sucks cause i really wanted to buy a few hahaha these bans are utterly rediculous. I still dont understand how a south florida problem is a nationwide problem. Pythons can not survive north of daytona. Stupid stupid stupid.

Update!!! HB 1242 has been referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources. Here is a list of who is on the committee and contact info. Please start making phone calls, sending mails, mailing letters, and blowing up fax machines in opposition to HB 1242. Be sure to call, email, and fax more than once, everyday if you can.

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp...121+ful+HB1242


Delegate Beverly J. Sherwood (Chair)
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1029
Fax: (804) 698-6729
Email: DelBSherwood@house.virginia.gov

Delegate R. Lee Ware, Jr.
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1065
Fax: (804) 698-6765
Email: DelLWare@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Thomas C. Wright, Jr.
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1061
Fax: (804) 698-6761
Email: DelTWright@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Robert D. Orrock, Sr.
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1054
Fax: (804) 698-6754
Email: DelBOrrock@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Edward T. Scott (Vice Chair)
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1030
Fax: (804) 698-6730
Email: DelEScott@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Robert G. Marshall
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1013
Fax: (804) 698-6713
Email: DelBMarshall@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Charles D. Poindexter
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1009
Fax: (804) 698-6709
Email: DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Brenda L. Pogge
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1096
Fax: (804) 698-1196
Email: DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Barry D. Knight
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1081
Fax: (804) 698-6781
Email: DelBKnight@house.virginia.gov

Delegate James E. Edmunds, II
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1060
Fax: (804) 698-6760
Email: DelJEdmunds@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Tony O. Wilt
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1026
Fax: (804) 698-6726
Email: DelTWilt@house.virginia.gov

Delegate James W. (Will) Morefield
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1003
Fax: (804) 698-6703
Email: DelJMorefield@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Michael J. Webert
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1018
Fax: (804) 698-6718
Email: DelMWebert@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Margaret B. Ransone
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1099
Fax: (804) 786-6310
Email: DelMRansone@house.virginia.gov

Delegate C. Matthew Fariss
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1059
Fax: (804) 698-6759
Email: DelMFariss@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1036
Fax: (804) 698-6736
Email: DelKPlum@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1000
Fax: (804) 698-6700
Email: DelLLewis@house.virginia.gov

Delegate David L. Bulova
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1037
Fax: (804) 698-6737
Email: DelDBulova@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Mark D. Sickles
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1043
Fax: (804) 698-6743
Email: DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov


Delegate David L. Englin
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1045
Fax: (804) 698-6745
Email: DelDEnglin@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Matthew James
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1080
Fax: (804) 698-6780
Email: DelMJames@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Luke E. Torian
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1052
Fax: (804) 698-6752
Email: DelLTorian@house.virginia.gov

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roseyoungblood

Did anyone else notice that all species of Primates are illegal to own other than humans?

I didn't know it is legal to own humans...

---

I noticed that too.

This bill might be killed quickly if we could get a mainstream news outlet [net or tv] to air an article entitled "Virginia reinstates slavery with poorly written exotics bill."

We had a decent turn out at the Exotic Animal Keepers meeting in Richmond today with some big names in the herp community showing up. Michael Maddox of PIJAC attended the meeting and offered a wealth of great information on how to proceed with our efforts. The whole meeting was very informative and everyone had valuable input.

We need to proceed as a community and take action that will be effective in getting these proposed Bills withdrawn. The following points are listed in order of what was determined to be the most effective approach to reaching our goal.


• The number one best thing you can do is: EVERYTHING listed below.

• make an appointment with Delegate Christopher K Peace (patron who introduced HB 1242)
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1097
Fax: (804) 698-6797
Email: DelCPeace@house.virginia.gov
Room Number: 527

And

Senator L. Louise Lucas (patron who introduced SB 477)
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, VA 23218
Email: district18@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7518
Fax: (804) 698-7651
Room No: 426

With a hand written letter in hand.

• Also very effective is: make an appointment to meet with each member of the committee with a hand written letter addressed to each committee member in hand. Be sure to be polite and well dressed. Even if the person you are meeting with doesn’t agree with what you have to say, be sure to stay calm and represent the herp community in a positive manner.

• Ask friends, family, and co-workers to join you and spend a few hours in Richmond and lobby against both bills. It’s best to make appointments, but if time doesn’t allow for appointments or you are not able to get an appointment with any, than stop in each office and speak with members staff. Again with letters in hand.

• Write letters (hand written letters carry the most weight) to each member on each committee, Delegate Christopher K Peace, and Senator L. Louise Lucas. Letters should be in your own words and no more than one page. Letters don’t need to be long, a short and to the point letter is fine. Be sure you check your spelling, be respectful and polite. If you are typing your letter be sure to hand sign them. Mailing and hand delivering letters will hold more weight than emailing or faxing them. Try to avoid form letters as they carry little to no weight. Using form letters as a guide to writing your letters in fine, but be sure your letter is in your own words so it appears more personal.

• Make phone calls to each member on each committee, Delegate Christopher K Peace, and Senator L. Louise Lucas.

• Petitions carry little to no weight.



Our first goal is to get Delegate Christopher K Peace, and Senator L. Louise to retract their proposed Bills before the committees meet to hear them. It is very important to set appointments and get letters out as soon as possible. If we don’t meet our first goal then the next goal is to have the proposed Bills dismissed by the committees or convince them to send the proposed Bills to scientific study (scientific study would buy us a year). To achieve this we need as many people as possible to be ready to show up at the public hearing with little notice (the hearing dates and time are only posted 24-48 hours before the hearing). We have people who are prepared to speak, but still need bodies to show our numbers as a community.


Things to keep in mind

When you meet with Senators and Delegates be prepared to include escape protocols (they what to know what we would do in the event of a escape).

Be sure to back up any claims you make with facts that you can prove.

Be professional in every possible way. We want them to view our community as professional and responsible.

Even if you don’t own any species on these proposed Bills, get involved now. Just because the species you keep isn’t on the proposed Bills now, doesn’t mean they can’t be added if these Bills get passed. Many other states passed bans that only started with a few species, but now are adding new species every year.

When communicating (in letters or person) with the Senators and Delegates about these proposed Bills, let them know that you opposed to the proposed Bills as they are written, but would be open to a reasonable permit process. This shows we as a community are responsible, reasonable and willing to work on a solution.

Lastly we all need to come together as a community and support each other. Don’t set back and hope everyone else will fight this. We all need to do our part.

Wow! That is ridiculous legislation!

I do think that these "fatal attractions" shows on TV have something to do with all these knee-jerk reactions.

It would be nice to see some reality shows and documentaries which show snakes in a positive light to counter all the overblown stuff being shown.

A group of us are going to be in Richmond tomorrow to lobby in opposition to Virginia SB 477 and HB 1242. Join us in the fight to keep doing what we love. This will be a great time to meet some fellow keepers from all over Virginia and should make for a great day. Bring your friends and family if you like, all are welcome. We'll be meeting at 7 am in the parking lot of:



Discovery UMC
13000 Gayton Road
Richmond, Va. 23233




For more info. please contact:

David Means

540-829-9846

540-219-5792

dvmeans@hotmail.com

Here is and update on our trip to Richmond to lobby against HB 1242 and SB 477. We only had a dozen people show up. Very disappointing considering the HSUS and ASPCA were there in full force with three times as many people. We met with a few delegates and aides, some meetings were positive while others not so much. Most hadn’t even read the Bill. If we are going keep our rights to own these animals, we are going to have to step it up people. I know people have jobs, but so do the people that showed up to lobby for our rights,. If we want to win this fight, sacrifices need to be made. I took my 12 year old daughter out of school so she could learn how our government works. I was surprised at how interested the delegates and aides were in my daughters feelings on the Bills. At times they seemed more interested in what she had to say than us adults. I encourage everyone to take a day off early next week and go to the Capital with your children (if you have any) and lobby against these Bills. Once the Bills get passed, it will be too late to do anything. The time to do something is now. Get letters out, have your children write letters as well. If these Bills pass we’ll lose our rights to keep these animals in Virginia forever. I really don’t think most people understand what really is at stake here. People could lose pets, breeding stock, jobs, and businesses. There are still many keepers that have no idea about what is going on so we need to get the word out.

HB 1242 has been assigned to a sub-committee (agriculture).

Delegate Daniel W. Marshall, III (Chairman)
General Assembly Building, Room 702
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 698-1014
email: DelDMarshall@house.virginia.gov


Delegate Robert D. Orrock, Sr.
General Assembly Building, Room 411
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 698-1054
email: DelBOrrock@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Charles D. Poindexter
General Assembly Building, Room 807
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 698-1009
email: DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Barry D. Knight
General Assembly Building, Room 417
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 698-1081
email: DelBKnight@house.virginia.gov

Delegate James W. Morefield
General Assembly Building, Room 714
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 698-1003
email: DelJMorefield@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Matthew James
General Assembly Building, Room 814
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 698-1080
email: DelMJames@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Mark D. Sickles
General Assembly Building, Room 703
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 698-1043
email: DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov

IMO two things caused all the recent anti-snake legislation. First, most politicians are of an older generation. Back then, religion was more prevalent, and people were taught to fear snakes for this reason. They were also less understood than they are now. Second, the idiot who released all his animals and killed himself ruined it for everyone. Now you can't own a little baby RTB without getting fined. I do think that people shouldn't be able to own things that could cause harm to persons if released. For example, you shouldn't be able to own lions or chimpanzees. But I don't think a 4-6 foot snake could do much harm. Even the large species of python are fed rabbits. An adult human is about 20 times the size of a rabbit. Gosh, get your facts straight legislators...

SB 477 Is on the docket for Thursday!!!





I'll be calling the senate clerk in the morning to find out if SB 477 in on the agenda for Thursday. If it is on the agenda we need as many people to show up in Richmond as possible. I'll post more information as it is available.

I've been on the phone with members on the committee, the clerk on the committee, and just talked to Andrew Wyatt of USARK to confrirm that SB 477 will be tabled for the year. No need to show up in Richmond tomorrow, we are safe for this year.