help stop the ban in ct!!!

[johnlebel97]

if you live in ct an love your reps an dont wanna lose them please fill this out an send it in only 30 ppl have done so!!!

http://natpet.rallycongress.com/2696...ython-boa-ban/

[dahlhouse23]

Thanks! I sent mine in!

[NewParadigms]

This bill (like any other unresolved bills) should have died upon the end of session last year. So far as I know, there hasn't been any bills related to reptiles resubmitted since the new session of congress started last month.

[minguss]

Yes those bills died but have already been reintroduces HR 511

http://www.thestatecolumn.com/state_...ported-snakes/

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-511




ALERT: New Python Ban/ HR511

On January 26, 2010 Congressman Tom Rooney of Florida introduced HR511. To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the importation of various injurious species of constrictor snakes. This bill if passed would add 9 constrictors to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. We were informed of the introduction within minutes of the bill being filed. At that point there was no bill text or Committee assignment. We received the text and full Committee assignment Monday and the Subcommittee assignment today.
HR511 has been assigned to the US House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Over all this is a very reasonable committee that needs to be educated to the facts surrounding this issue. This is a committee USARK is familiar with. USARK CEO Andrew Wyatt provided expert testimony to this committee in 2009. Much misinformation has been spread; intentionally by special interest groups opposed to the Reptile community, and unintentionally by well meaning politicians that have been given poor information by staff and special interest groups.
It is clear that there is little justification for a Lacey Act listing which would kill thousands of jobs while failing to have any real world effect in south Florida where a population of pythons is struggling to survive. The few pythons that are left are still limited to the 3 southern most counties and have never demonstrated an ability to move further north. The state of Florida has already banned many of these animals from private ownership. Congressman Rooney stated that Florida needed Lacey Act protection to keep pythons out of the state. But it is already illegal to bring these pythons in from out of state because Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) put a statute in place last summer. State law has already done what Congressman Rooney states he wants to duplicate with HR511
FWC has estimated that as many as 90% of the feral python population in south Florida have already died due to the cold in winter of 2009- ’10 and 2010- ’11. Cold weather studies done by the US Dept of Agriculture, University of Florida and Savannah River Ecological Lab have confirmed that pythons exposed to cold die unless artificially kept warm. The USDA is on record stating that they dont believe pythons can exist for any length of time outside of south Florida.
Mother Nature and Florida FWC are doing what the Lacey Act could not do in south Florida; address the small python population in an effective way. At stake is a $1.4 Billion industry in captive bred reptiles with no environmental benefit to Florida. We feel confident that once Congressman Rooney and Committee Members understand the job killing nature of this bill proposal, coupled with the ineffectiveness of Lacey Act to address invasive species issues in a meaningful way, they will do the right thing and KILL HR511.
Lacey Act is a Job Killer with NO Environmental Benefit!
View text of HR511. Click Here: http://www.usark.org/uploads/HR511.pdf
STAY TUNED FOR ACTION STEPS IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS!
Questions:
Andrew Wyatt
president@usark.org
Please Click the Donate Button at the top of the page to give $5 to KILL HR511!

[NewParadigms]

Thanks for the info on the new bill, I hadn't seen that one yet. The HR511 bill doesn't have any cosponsors yet and hasn't gone very far, it appears to be in the Judiciary Committee right now; they are generally pretty vague about what is discussed and sometimes even about their findings, but maybe those of us who are in districts that have Judiciary Committee members could email them and nip this in the bud and keep it from ever getting a house vote. I could not find what subcommittee the bill was assigned to, if any, but here is a list of all the Judiciary Committee members. http://judiciary.house.gov/about/members.html.

[KushBall16]

Why am I not surprised CT is trying to pass these laws? All these politicians etc are so ignorant and uneducated to most issues they try to pass laws on. When will people wake up?

[NewParadigms]

It actually goes well beyond CT, the newest law is being proposed by a Florida House Member and would alter the Lacey Act to make importation of large constrictors illegal, and I believe would also have the side effect of making interstate transportation of the animals illegal as well.

[TheWinWizard]

I sent it to my reps, I live in MA. I figure it can't hurt.

[KushBall16]

It actually goes well beyond CT, the newest law is being proposed by a Florida House Member and would alter the Lacey Act to make importation of large constrictors illegal, and I believe would also have the side effect of making interstate transportation of the animals illegal as well.

Oh yeah, I know that. Just saying that I am not surprised CT is jumping in on it

Things like this make me want to get involved in politics....