Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After talking to an assistant that works for the "Committee for
Culture, Recreation, & Tourism" I was told that the bill has been amended to read "Birds and Wild Animals" excluding Raptors caught for educational purpouses. The wording has been approved by the comittee but has not been put for vote or passed by the House or Senate.
She suggested the people we contact are the author Carl Isett, and the other committee members that follow, Chair:Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, Vice Chair: Rep. Edmund Kuempel, Budget & Oversight Chair: Rep. Dawnna Dukes, Rep. Mark Homer, Rep. Donna Howard, Rep. Mike O'Day, Rep. Larry Phillips

The link below is to the bill and the committee.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Committees/MembershipCmte.aspx?LegSess=80R&CmteCode=C430

Later
Rick

.....maybe I missed it, and if so I'm sorry, but what is the "push" behind this bill? Is it directed at us herpers in particular, or did we just get caught up in the net so to speak? Thanks,
mr ed

Don't be surprised if PETA, HSUS and the like have people prepared to make moves such as this...piggybacking their agenda. Of course, this is merely paranoia and cynicism, but don't be surprised. It could also be a push from western landowners, who are none too happy with the extra traffic and lights and slow speeds, etc. I really wouldn't want people driving up and down my neighborhood either. Difference being, their neighborhood encompasses the roadways we all love.

Troy can answer this better than I, but it seems that it started over hunting with firearms from public roadways, but by changing the words game animals to wild animals or wildlife, it suddenly applies to reptiles. Also, Parks and Wildlife defines HUNT as to kill or capture. If you put the two together, we can no longer capture snakes from the roadways. This is a rough interpretation so do not quote me.
Stay busy with those emails, letters and phone calls. Don't forget the financial impact on the local economy of those popular counties. Money seems to ring a bell with politicians.
Later
Rick

agreed, that's where it started. But the question was why the amendment?

...by several conservation organizations regarding the wholesale removal of freshwater turtles in Texas to supply Asian markets, including species already in decline, rare, or restricted in distribution. These circumstances received a lot more attention after some uneducated redneck started an advertised recruiting program to attract and train "turtlers" statewide to assist him to meet market demands.

Many Americans do not want native wildlife captured wholesale and exported to supply Asian folk medicine or food preferences. It is likened to the "bushmeat" trade in Africa and elsewhere. Following the recent advertisements for "turtlers", a number of NGO and scientific protests went to all the way to the top and (with politicians being what they are) the concerns have gained both governmental attention and action, albeit perhaps applied too broadly.

In general, it seems that broad-based laws are more economical to enforce and do not require dedicated enforcement units staff. The generalized category "wildlife" in this case, which eliminates guesswork by untrained enforcement officers, might have been chosen for this reason. The application is simple--no take by any method along public roadways--and one size therefore fits all in court.

That's my take on the situation at hand and my two cents worth of comment.

As I understand it, the bill wasn't changed due to any pressure to expand the original intent of the bill, but was changed to include other species that would fall outside of the category of game animals.

The concern was that rabbits and other non-game species would still be shot from roadsides, so the wording was expanded to include all wildlife. I think herpers were just unintentional victims of the new ruling.

It's a pity that they just didn't include the term "with a firearm" in the bill. That would exclude herping (for those of us who can do it without needing a gun ).
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

I have sent some emails and so forth, I doubt it will do any good.

Has anyone had a response yet?

Thanks,

Steven Owens

... You count out of office replies and out auto responses.

Lance