Impending TX legislation - DEADLINE TODAY!!!

[Kara]

Important Legislation Pending - there will be a public hearing on this important piece of legislation on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 in Austin, Texas. It is important that your emails, faxes, phone calls, etc. be made no later than Monday afternoon, March 19, 2007.


Herpers, we need your help!

The following House Bill has been introduced to the Texas Legislature by Representative Harvey Hilderbran, a Republican, who represents the Kerrville area in the House. This would affect all of those who own or possess or transport into this state a live venomous snake or live constrictor that is not indigenous to this country, (That's right, country, not county.) This proposed Bill would require permits from everyone who deals with these reptiles and will be enforced by Texas Parks & Wildlife.

A copy of this Bill in its entirety is below. It is up to us to stop this Bill in its tracks. Please participate in this important Legislation.

We need to send letters, emails, faxes or make phone calls to Rep. Harvey Hildebran as well as the members on this Committee. We also need to contact the House Representatives and Senators in our area, as well as the Governor, Lt. Governor and Speaker of the House. And, it wouldn't hurt to contact each Member of the House and Senate. Anything and everything you can do will help.

Some thoughts from Dave Barker:

Some thought on HB 1309, a bill proposed to the Texas Legislature by Harvey Hilderbran that would ban the possession of non-native snakes.

First let me communicate to all Texas keepers, herpers, and herpetologists, and for those of you who may not have snakes but are sympathetic to your friends with snakes, this proposal is the real thing! If you want to keep snakes as pets, and if you don't want to have the State meddling in your snake pursuits, you better respond to this threat by communicating your displeasure to the State RIGHT NOW!

If you are not certain what HB 1309 is, for the complete text go to: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodo...l/HB01309I.htm

Basically it outlaws the possession of "constricting snakes" and venomous snakes, and provides a penalty for violation. It does mention a permit system managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife, but the details are obscure.

Don't wait for someone else to do it. It's only if many, many keepers send letters and emails, and make phone calls to their own representatives and to Representative Hilderbran that the powers of the legislature will pause to pay heed to us.

As was said back in the Revolutionary War, we will all hang together, or we will surely hang separately. Every single letter you write is important. Every phone call you make is important. Be sure to specifically criticize the proposal, which is identified as HB 1309. Please do your best to request everyone you know to write letters.

THIS IS POLITICS AND IT IS THE GREASY WHEEL THAT GETS GREASED. WE HAVE TO BE THE SQUEAKY WHEEL.

You are not restricted to one letter. Write one or two emails every day to people in the Texas Legislature. Most important is to write to Representative Hilderban, to your own representative, and to the Speaker of the Texas House. You probably have received info from Bonnie with information on how to find your own TX representative and his/her contact information. If you didn't get the letter, basically search using Google and it's easy.

Also, it's a good idea to write letters to the editors of the Kerrville newspaper (Hilderbran's local newspaper, http://dailytimes.com/letter.lasso), the San Antonio Express News, and to the Dallas Morning News.

Here follows several letters that you are welcome to use as general templates, but please modify each of these so that it is YOUR letter or email.

Let the State know you are unhappy with this proposal, or we will all be living with it. Act now!

Dave Barker


HB 1309 Complete Text


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Legislature Contacts and Sample Letters
Please send us a copy of any letter, email or fax that you send to these representatives. Please make sure that you include your name, address, email address, telephone number(s), fax number as well as the name of the country from where you are from.

If you are sending an email from your computer, please blind carbon copy us on it. If you are sending an email from the legislature email, please block copy it, forward it to us, then send it to the legislature.

Additionally, if you have any photos of your children holding snakes (i.e. a little ball python or boa) that are non-native to this country, please attach them. This will be effective in getting to the heart of this matter -- cute pictures with cute children!

We will act as a clearinghouse for all of these documents. In the event we are able to meet with this committee in Austin, all of these documents will be very helpful. Again, we cannot stress the importance of this.


The following lists the Representatives on this Committee for House Bill 1309. The addresses, phone, fax and emails are listed below.

Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R)
Chairman
Room CAP GW.12
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768

(512) 463-0536
(512) 463-1449 Fax

**e-MAIL:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members...vey.hilderbran
125 Lehmann Dr
Kerrville, TX 78028

(830) 257-2333
(830) 792-4289 Fax
Crockett, Sutton, Schliecher, Real, Kerr, Kimble, Menard, Mason, Llano, San Saba, McCulloch, Concho, Coleman, Runnels, Callahan

Rep. Edmund Kuempel (R)

Vice Chair
Room CAP 3N.06
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768

(512) 463-0602
(512) 480-0391 Fax

**e-MAIL:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members...edmund.kuempel
523 E. Donegan #102
Seguin, TX 78155

(830) 379-8732
Wilson, Guadalupe, Gonzales

Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D)
Budget & Oversight Chair
Room EXT E1.504
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768

(512) 463-0506
(512) 463-7864 Fax

**e-MAIL:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members...p=dawnna.dukes

Travis (part)

Rep. Mark Homer (D)
Member
Room EXT E2.408
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768

(512) 463-0650
(512) 463-0575 Fax

**e-MAIL:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members...rep=mark.homer
1849 Lamar
Paris, TX 75460

(903) 784-0977
Lamar, Delta, Hopkins, Franklin, Titus, Red River

Rep. Donna Howard (D)
Member
Room EXT E2.812
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768

(512) 463-0631
(512) 463-0901 Fax

**e-MAIL:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members...p=Donna.Howard

Travis (part)

Rep. Mike O'Day
(R)
Member
Room EXT E1.208
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768

(512) 463-0707
(800) 878-6826 Fax

**e-MAIL:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members...&rep=mike.oday
P. O. Box 2358
Pearland, TX 77588


(281) 997-8071
(281) 997-3686 Fax
Brazoria (part), Matagorda

Rep. Larry Phillips (R)
Member
Room EXT E2.604
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0297
(512) 463-1561 Fax

**e-MAIL: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members...larry.phillips
421 North Crockett
Sherman, TX 75090
(903) 891-7297
(903) 870-0066 Fax
Fannin, Grayson

** NOTE: This is actually a web page where you can send emails

Additional addresses
ADDITIONAL ADDRESSES GOVERNMENT POSITION AT LEGISLATURE CAPITOL ADDRESS & PHONE NUMBERS

Gov. Rick Perry
GOVERNOR
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428
Texas Callers: (800) 252-9600
Out of State Callers: (512) 463-1782
FAX: (512) 463-1849
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact

Sen. David Dewhurst
LT. GOVERNOR
Capitol Station
P.O. Box 12068
Austin, Texas 78711
Tel (512) 463-0001

http://www.ltgov.state.tx.us/Contact...9f1ec7f7e1b769

Rep. Tom Crad**** (R)
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Room CAP 2W.13
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-1000
(512) 463-7722 Fax
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members...p=tom.crad****

TEXAS RESIDENTS
The following link will take you to the name and pertinent information about each Member of the Texas House of Representatives. From there, you can search for the Members in your District by address and zip code.

http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.php

TEXAS RESIDENTS
The following link will take you to the name and pertinent information about each Member of the Texas Senate. From there, you can search for the Members in your District by address and zip code.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Members...aspx?Chamber=S

NON-TEXAS RESIDENTS

For those of you who reside outside of Texas, please send your letter, email, faxes to the Members of the above committee for House Bill 1309. This is just as important for you. If you attend any reptile shows in Texas, this could create a lot of problems and high costs, as no-doubt, the out-of-state residents will have to pay a higher permit fee. This also pertains to those of you who transport into Texas.

[Kara]

SAMPLE LETTER(S)
This is a sample letter that you can send to the legislators. You can add or delete the contents, and add any other comments you may have. Remember, send us a copy and include photos if you have any. We need to act fast on this!

SAMPLE LETTER - A
Dear Representative / Senator / Governor / Lt. Governor / Speaker of the House __________________

We are a group of hobbyists who keep reptiles and we vehemently oppose your pending legistation, HB 1309.

We feel our rights to house or purchase ANY reptiles, whether indigenous or not to this country, should be without restraints or dictated by law. We are professionals, zoo curators, students, animal care technicians, breeders and hobbyists, plus we are represented by people from all walks of life.

The impending legislation HB 1309, would prohibit our passion and life long endeavor for caring or studying reptiles. This affects not only Texas residents, but people from other states or countries who bring non-native Texas snakes into Texas.

Did you ever stop to think that many children and adults who are allergic to dogs and cats have found an alternative with snakes and other reptiles? In fact, one of the most popular beginner snakes is the Ball Python which comes from Central Africa. Ball Pythons are a small species, are very hearty and require minimal care, as opposed to dogs and cats. Plus, we know of no one who is allergic to snakes and other reptiles!

What is your agenda behind this H.B. 1309? Who are the constituents who asked you to present this Bill?

We are a huge group of voters and we want our voices to be heard.

Your name
Your address
Your county (if in Texas)

SAMPLE LETTER - B
To the Editor of the ____________________

Unprecedented numbers of Texas children are without insurance, property taxes are sky high, nearly half of our high school kids are dropping out of school, every Texas city and highway has infrastructure problems-yet Representative Hilderbran of Kerrville has taken it upon himself to waste the time and money of this State with House Bill 1309. This proposal will make the possession of snakes in Texas a punishable crime!

Hilderbran proposes that Texas Parks & Wildlife will spend the money to create the infrastructure to issue permits and keep records on the more than 250,000 pet snakes in this state. Hilderbran's proposal will remove income from pet stores, hamper ongoing research, and make all Texas children with pet snakes into criminals.

Surely removing the rights of Texans without just cause, hampering legal commerce, and unnecessarily growing government agencies at the expense of taxpayers are not the expected role of a conservative Republican. Is Hilderbran a liberal in the pocket of the animal rights movement? Did Hilderbran just receive a big donation from PETA?

No justification for this proposal has been offered. There is no scientific, conservation, ecological or legal basis for this proposal. Attempts to communicate with Hilderbran's office have met with silence. I strongly recommend that the citizens of Texas reconsider the intent and the qualifications of this representative.

Sincerely,
Name
Address



SAMPLE LETTER - C
To the honorable ____________________

While the proposed bill created by Representative Harvey Hilderbran and identified as House Bill 1309 might sound good to someone who is afraid of snakes, please consider that there are tens of thousands of Texans who like snakes and who legally keep snakes as pets or for study.

Before we in Texas go and make this a law, first answer what could possibly be the basis for this proposed regulation.

Please be aware that this law would create need for enforcement that currently does not exist to monitor the approximately 3000 species of animals proposed to be removed from Texan possession or controlled and monitored.

Please be aware that this law would create the need for the creation of infrastructure that currently does not exist to issue and maintain records for several hundred thousand animals. I thought Texas Parks and Wildlife was already in the red-this will either sink them or embarrass them and the State throughout the nation.

Please be aware that no such restrictive ordinance exists in any other State, with the exception of Hawaii and there because of the unique needs of that island state.

I would imagine that the uninformed might assume that there are either safety or conservation issues that are the basis of this proposal.

Please be aware that never in the history of Texas has any innocent member of the public been seriously injured by an escaped snake.

Please be aware that no species of non-native snake has ever established a viable self-sustaining wild population within the boundaries of the State of Texas.

It cannot be stated that captive snakes are dangerous to the Citizenry of the State based on history or experience. Likewise, it cannot be proven that captive snakes now or ever have posed a demonstrated danger to the ecology of this State.

House Bill 1309 will cost the citizens of this state possibly millions of tax dollars to enforce. It will require the growth and restructuring of some agency of the State. And most important-it will remove the rights of law-abiding Texans without demonstrated need or other justification.

Please stop this ridiculous proposal before it becomes unnecessary law.

Sincerely,
Name
Address

SAMPLE LETTER - D
Dear ________________________________

It was with great dismay that I became aware of the ridiculous proposal made by Representative Hilderbran and identified as HB 1309.

No where in this proposal is there stated any justification of any sort for this outrageous proposed law.

So far as I can determine, Hilderbran is trying to remove the rights of law-abiding Texans to own pet snakes (my little daughter and her 2-ounce ball python will be a criminal); he is trying to impede and negatively impact the commerce of pet stores throughout the State; he is proposing to spend the hard-earned tax dollars of Texas to enforce this ridiculous whim; he is trying to massively grow some government agency to enact, enforce and monitor people's pets.

What in the world is going on when an elected representative has nothing better to do than go after people's pets instead of working constructively to improve our great State.

It was with amusement that I read on the internet that Hilderbran is considered a conservative Republican. I'd say he is a liberal on the payroll of the HSUS and the animal-rights hardliners.

How in the world can this proposal be justified? Please work to see that this never sees the light of day. This proposal needs to be squashed. Hilderbran should be embarrassed.

Sincerely,
Name
Address

SAMPLE LETTER - E
Dear _________________________

As a biologist/ snake keeper/ snake owner/ herpetologist/ herpetoculturist/ pet-owner [choose one] with XX years of experience maintaining and working with snakes, I was astounded to learn of a law proposed by Representative Hilderbran of Kerrville, Texas that will remove the rights of Texans to own snakes.

How can this be anything more than flatulent legislation-all air and stinks? What in the world can be accomplished by this unexplained and unfounded proposal? Is Hilderbran so bored with being a representative that he now chooses to infringe on the rights of law-abiding Texans instead of actually working on some of the problems of this State?

What is next on his agenda? Should ranchers with exotic game be alarmed that Hilderbran is going after them next? Antelopes are out in the pasture and in direct contact with Texas ecology, after all.

What danger does captive snakes present to Texas ecology? Not one species of non-native snake has ever been established in Texas in a viable wild population, unlike blackbuck antelope that exists in the tens of thousands in the Texas countryside.

Not one innocent member of the public has ever been injured by an escaped snake, unlike the documented predations of pit bulls and other large dogs.

Texas needs representatives that work on the real problems of this State-not a liberal animal rights front man who is trying to remove the rights and the pets of taxpaying Texas citizens. Please help to squash this ridiculous proposed legislation before it becomes yet one more piece of unnecessary legislation costing the Citizens of Texas millions of dollars. Let Representative Hilderbran know he has embarrassed and wasted his position as elected representative.

Sincerely,
Name
Address

[Kara]

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House Bill 1309
80R2369 KCR-D
By: Hilderbran H.B. No. 1309
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the possession or transportation of certain snakes that are not indigenous to this country; providing a penalty.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 43, Parks and Wildlife Code, is amended by adding Subchapter V to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER V. NONINDIGENOUS SNAKE PERMIT
Sec. 43.851. PERMIT. (a) The commission by rule shall establish a permit that allows a permit holder to possess or transport in this state a live venomous snake or live constrictor that is not indigenous to this country.
(b) A permit under this subchapter is not required for:
(1) a state or county official performing an official duty;
(2) a licensed circus, carnival, menagerie, or zoo that possesses or transports a snake for exhibition or scientific purposes; or
(3) a research facility licensed under the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. Section 2131 et seq.) that possesses or transports a snake for scientific purposes.
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a person may not possess or transport in this state a snake described by Subsection (a) without a permit issued by the department under this subchapter.
Sec. 43.852. FEE FOR PERMIT. The commission shall set a fee for a permit issued under this subchapter.
Sec. 43.853. OFFENSE. A person who violates this subchapter commits an offense that is a Class B Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanor.
SECTION 2. (a) The Parks and Wildlife Commission shall adopt the rules necessary under Subchapter V, Chapter 43, Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 1, 2008.
(b) The Parks and Wildlife Department shall begin issuing permits under Subchapter V, Chapter 43, Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 1, 2008.
SECTION 3. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
(b) Sections 43.851(c) and 43.853, Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by this Act, take effect January 1, 2008.

[Nate]

I whole heartedly support this effort...however i'm curious if people outside the state can make a difference. I'm not a resident of Texas, nor have I ever been a resident. Can I still submit letters in an effort to curve this junk in the opposite direction?

[Kara]

The more input the better - if you're out of state, no problem. Let's let Texas know that herpers EVERYWHERE are watching!!!!

[daniel1983]

I whole heartedly support this effort...however i'm curious if people outside the state can make a difference. I'm not a resident of Texas, nor have I ever been a resident. Can I still submit letters in an effort to curve this junk in the opposite direction?

Of course you can. I did. If you do any out of state business that 'goes though Texas' this will be a very big deal.

This bill is just as stupid as Louisiana's bill last year.......Texas has alot of bigger issues than reptile control...the goverment should focus on those.

Kara, what is their 'rational' behind the bill? invasive species? public safety?

[Freakie_frog]

Every email address from the Govener on down got my letter.

As a snake keeper, horticulturist, pet-owner with 10 years of experience maintaining and working with snakes, I was astounded to learn of a law proposed by Representative Hilderbran of Kerrville, Texas that will remove the rights of Texans to own snakes.

How can this be anything more than flatulent legislation-all air and stinks? What in the world can be accomplished by this unexplained and unfounded proposal? Is Hilderbran so bored with being a representative that he now chooses to infringe on the rights of law-abiding Texans instead of actually working on some of the problems of this State?

What is next on his agenda? Should ranchers with exotic game be alarmed that Hilderbran is going after them next? Antelopes are out in the pasture and in direct contact with Texas ecology, after all.

What danger does captive snakes present to Texas ecology? Not one species of non-native snake has ever been established in Texas in a viable wild population, unlike blackbuck antelope that exists in the tens of thousands in the Texas countryside.

Not one innocent member of the public has ever been injured by an escaped snake, unlike the documented predations of pit bulls and other large dogs.

Texas needs representatives that work on the real problems of this State-not a liberal animal rights front man who is trying to remove the rights and the pets of taxpaying Texas citizens. Please help to squash this ridiculous proposed legislation before it becomes yet one more piece of unnecessary legislation costing the Citizens of Texas millions of dollars. Let Representative Hilderbran know he has embarrassed and wasted his position as elected representative.

Sincerely,
Ed Deupree , Owner of Wildmorph Pythons.

[Aric]

Sent mine in. I would love to see how many letters they get from out of state.

[Kara]

Kara, what is their 'rational' behind the bill? invasive species? public safety?

Daniel, I'm really not sure what the rationale is. Hemipene envy, maybe? You know, that whole "two is better than one" so someone gets jealous thing...

Beats the hell outta me.

K~

[Freakie_frog]

Come on folks GET R DONE this will effect everyone!!!!!