S 373

with all of hr 669 going on,s 373 seemed to have fell through the cracks,basically,,having hard time finding full texts,but it is an admendmant to he lacey act,proposed by Bill Nelson of Fla,banning shipping,and importing of all Python specices

I was als owondering what happened to this

This is another serious issue!

Taken from bloodpythons.com

By Mr. NELSON, of Florida:
S. 373. A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to include
constrictor snakes of the species Python genera as an injurious animal;
to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss exotic
pythons and the devastating impact they are having on wildlife in my
home state. To combat this deadly nonnative nuisance, I am also filing
a bill that will ban the interstate commerce and importation of these
snakes.
Pythons were first discovered in the Everglades in the mid-1990s,
and now have a rapidly-growing breeding population within the
boundary of Everglades National Park. They impact almost seventy
endangered species living in the Everglades and threaten to upset the
natural balance that we are spending billions of dollars to restore.
When I toured the Everglades with Environment and Public Works
Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer, we witnessed firsthand the
damage pythons are causing, and the efforts researchers are making
to eradicate them from the wild.
These snakes were brought to Florida to be sold as pets, and were
introduced into the wild by owners who could no longer handle them.
They eat animals ranging from songbirds to white ibises, as well as
endangered and threatened species such as the Key Largo woodrat.
Pythons can grow to be 23 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds, and
there is currently no effective way of eradicating them in the wild.
They can consume animals many times their size, and recently,
researchers also found cougar parts in the stomachs of captured
pythons. This development could signal a new threat to the
endangered Florida panther, which we have been working so hard to
save.
Python populations have also been discovered in Big Cypress
National Preserve to the north, Miami's water management areas to
the northeast, Key Largo to the southeast, and many state parks,
municipalities, and public and private lands in the region.
Because climate range projections from the U.S. Geological Survey
show that pythons may soon expand their range to include much of
the southern third of the United States, getting their populations under
control is even more pressing.
In the last year, the State of Florida has taken some actions to
address the problems created by owners who release their pythons
into the wild, and I applaud these efforts. The State now requires
owners of animals they call ``Reptiles of Concern''--a category that
includes two species besides pythons--not only to obtain permits for
their animals, but also to implant a tracking microchip in larger
pythons.

I believe federal action is also needed. That is why today I am
introducing a bill that would amend the Lacey Act to ban the
importation and interstate commerce of the python. This step is
needed to reduce the number of pythons released into the wild by pet
owners who don't understand the responsibility caring for a python
entails. In 2007, preeminent environmentalist and former assistant
secretary of the Interior Nathaniel Reed wrote, ``The dramatic
increase in the number of snakes in the Park and Big Cypress call into
question why it has taken so long for the Service to utilize its powers
under the Lacey Act to prevent importation of the snake into an
ecosystem where escapees and rejects have built a sustainable
population.''
If we do not take action now, we will let python populations in
Florida continue to grow and further ravage the already-fragile
Everglades, as well as risk letting them spread throughout the
Southern portion of the United States.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 373
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. IMPORTATION OR SHIPMENT OF INJURIOUS
SPECIES.
Section 42(a)(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended in the
first sentence by inserting ``; of the constrictor snake of the species
Python genera'' after ``polymorpha''.

I contacted Andrew Wyatt from USARK.

He said HR669 is toast.

And that S373 is nothing like 669, and recommended everyone interested check out USARK's website under the Reptile Nation's forums. S373 is explained.

ahh thankyou kindly,,i did 2 google searches and came up with squat with the details

may i add: "Pythons found in the everglades in the mid 1990's",now,do the math,a HUGE cat 5 hurricane came into miami in 1992,and took out exotice warehouses and pet stores,,couldnt this do more to release burmese pythons in one area,or did burmese python owners all over florida all drive to one area to release thier snakes that got to big,,do the math

2Kdime.....what do you mean HR669 is toast?

I read somewhere (sorry I have NO idea where), that this bill seems to be sitting doing nothing.

That doesn't mean that can't change, so we should keep out eyes on it, but it is not an immediate threat.

That's assuming where ever I read that is correct, and since I don't remember, I wouldn't trust it 100%.

Wyatt said S373 was nothing like 669. But they are following it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

And that S373 is nothing like 669, and recommended everyone interested check out USARK's website under the Reptile Nation's forums. S373 is explained.

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I didnt see anything

Hey Chris, Wyatt spoke to me in a hurry and gave me the wrong link.

It's under the Laws and Regulations link on the main page:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris Rossi

I didnt see anything

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Basically,this HAS went through the first subcommitte in feb. so it is still partially active,and can snap up and bite us at ANY time,so PLEASE dont think because its sittin on the desk,it can cross it at any time,keep your eyes and ears open

What can we do about it then? I email Mr. Nelson this when I first heard of it...

"Dear Mr. Nelson,

My name is Christopher Rossi I’m 14 and I am a resident of Florida. The letter I am writing you is regarding the law you want to pass, S. 373. I agree there are many large pythons (i.e. Reticulated and Burmese) in the Everglades that pose a threat to our already threatened animals. But I don’t think that banning the sale of pythons in our home state will stop the spread. One of the main ways the large pythons were released was by Hurricane Andrew which damaged many zoos and pet stores which had these snakes either as hatchlings or adults. Yes also there were many people who bought these large snakes as cute little babies and then are surprised when they see how big the get. Which then, some of the people release them into the wild thinking no harm can come of it. Instead of doing the proper thing and taking them to a exotic reptile sanctuary. I think one way that could help is to properly educate the people that are selling these animals, so that that make there customers aware of how big they will get. And with the pythons that are already in the Everglades. I think there should be python hunts. Where people will have to pay to take a test and those with the highest results will be able to get a special permit that will allow them to go into the park and extract hatchling and adult pythons. After which these snakes should be humanly euthanized or sent to zoos.

Passing this law will also affect the reptile community. Ball Pythons (Python regius) are one of the most widely bought and sold snake species. These snakes do not get much bigger than 5 feet. Which is no bigger than most of our native snake species. Banning these snakes from our state can cause an impact to our already severely suffering economy. You may not think of it but there are quite a lot of people that make their living on selling reptiles, some who only sell snakes. You might also say how can banning pythons from one state make that big of an impact? Well there are a quite a few very well known (to the reptile community) snake breeders in Florida not to mention those that are small like me. Also every year in Daytona is the National Breeders Expo, which is one of the largest reptile shows in the world. Banning Pythons would also affect this to a great degree. I went there last year, I was amazed by all of the beautiful animals I saw. There were so many colors and patterns it was just amazing. Just about half of those animals if not more were snakes. I hope I have helped you to understand why this law will affect more than just the ecosystem. It will affect the people like me that love and will gladly take the responsibility to care for these wonderful animals.

Thank you for you time,
Christopher J. Rossi"

Just a thought on the burmese python take over,i know if you catch one outside of the state park you can keep it,,but not inside,why doesnt florida issue 1000 burmese permits for in the state park,to let those selected people,go down and catch them,and keep them,it would generate revunue,example,at 100 a permit,it would make 100,000 in additional money to fund the eradication,as well as having 1000 people HELPING with the eradication,thus lowering the manpower needed,and saving money.As well as,if each person,located and took possesnion of 2 thats 2,000 less down there,and so on,,,just food for thought.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RebelYell83

with all of hr 669 going on,s 373 seemed to have fell through the cracks,basically,,having hard time finding full texts,but it is an admendmant to he lacey act,proposed by Bill Nelson of Fla,banning shipping,and importing of all Python specices

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I was just tempted to make a thread about the same thing myself! With all this HR669 hubbub I was worried S373 was being forgotten about, but it looks like it really hasn't done anything since it was introduced...

As far as full texts go, we could easily post that around in thread comments, it's so short! lol
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.373:

Just:
"A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to include constrictor snakes of the species Python genera as an injurious animal.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. IMPORTATION OR SHIPMENT OF INJURIOUS SPECIES.

Section 42(a)(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended in the first sentence by inserting `; of the constrictor snake of the species Python genera' after `polymorpha'."

And there you have it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RebelYell83

Just a thought on the burmese python take over,i know if you catch one outside of the state park you can keep it,,but not inside,why doesnt florida issue 1000 burmese permits for in the state park,to let those selected people,go down and catch them,and keep them,it would generate revunue,example,at 100 a permit,it would make 100,000 in additional money to fund the eradication,as well as having 1000 people HELPING with the eradication,thus lowering the manpower needed,and saving money.As well as,if each person,located and took possesnion of 2 thats 2,000 less down there,and so on,,,just food for thought.....

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Exactly my point

You can see how far along it is and who's on the committee here.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-373

You know I have heard of a few people down in S. Florida going out and collecting large Iguanas and selling them for a living. Pretty neat...two birds with one stone. I can't imagine why it wouldn't work with pythons.

What can we do to prevent this from going through?

I don't see anything about this on USARK's website.

under laws and campaigns,look under the hr 669 links,and its sittin there under senate