Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Possible Lynchpin in for Stopping HB 2414

This bill has been sent to the House Committee on Local & Consent Calendars.

According to the above link, this eleven member committee has jurisdiction over:
(1) the placement on appropriate calendars of bills and resolutions that, in the opinion of the committee, are in fact local or will be uncontested, and have been recommended as such by the standing committee of original jurisdiction; and
(2) the determination of priorities for floor consideration of bills and resolutions except those within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Calendars.

I just got off the phone with a staff member for this committee and was advised that they ONLY schedule hearings and votes on bills that they expect to be uncontested or local. HB 2414 was sent to them because it was approved unanimously out of committee.

If we can convince the members on this committee (see the above link) that this bill will be contested (perhaps Rep Pete Gallego can help us with this), then it will have to be referred to the House Committee on Calendars.

There are FAR more bills on the general calendar than on the Local and Consent calendar. Bills sent to this committee are much less likely to ever make it to the house floor. Also these bills get FAR more attention and scrutiny. Additionally, if we can sway any influential members on this committee, they could simply pigeon hole HB 2414 until it dies.

I just got off the phone with Kathryn and Rep. Gallego’s office. She agreed with my assessment on blocking HB 2414 by getting it moved out of the “Local and Consent Calendar” committee. She suggested contacting the members of that committee (listed below) to request that they refuse this bill and refer it to the general “Calendar” committee.

The overall tone of the conversation was VERY positive and upbeat. I think (hope, pray) the pendulum is starting to swing in our favor.

Of particular interest was her comment that Carl Isett is considering dropping this bill! Apparently, he’s gotten A LOT of feedback lately that this bill is not as great or as unopposed as he thought.

If you were thinking that contacting Rep Carl Isett’s office was a waste of time or a bad idea, you might want to reconsider. Caution: if you do contact his office, DON’T be an attack dog. Calm, rational, conservation minded comments will be much more productive. Any attacks against him will just back him into a corner. Keep in mind that he may only now be starting to recognize some of unintended consequences of this bill.

LOCAL & CONSENT CALENDAR COMMITTEE:
Chair - Charlie Howard – 512-463-0710 –Fort Bend
Vice Chair - Dwayne Bohac – 512-463-0727 - Harris
Members
Dr. Alma Allen – 512-463-0744 - Harris
Rafael Anchia – 512-463-0746 - Dallas
Fred Brown – 512-463-0698 - Brazos
Betty Brown – 512-463-0458 – Henderson, Kaufman
Jodie Laubenberg 512-463-0186 – Collin, Rockwall
Eddie Lucio III – 512-463-0606 - Cameron
Tan Parker – 512-463-0688 - Denton
Diane Patrick – 512-463-0624 - Tarrant
Joe Straus – 512-463-0686 - Bexar

Subject * Refer HB 2414 to General Calendar Committee

Your Message *:
Members of the Local & Consent Calendar Committee,

HB 2414, a bill pertaining to hunting along a public roadway, has been referred to your committee by the Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Committee because, in their opinion, it was of local interest and that they thought it would be uncontested. I am writing today to urge you to move this bill from the Local & Consent Calender Committee to the General Calendar Committee. For various reasons, I believe that this bill will not be “uncontested”:

1) it is not supported by any of the Professional or Amateur Herpetological Societies in Texas. This bill would limit the ability of research institutions to collect data in regards to changing distribution and abundance patterns in Texas. While a researcher would likely still be able to use a permit to make such collections, hobbyists in Texas contribute greatly to our knowledge about these animals. For example, over the past 19 years, I’ve personally deposited 1600 reptile & amphibian specimens (mostly salvaged road killed animals) to the TCWC and UTA Collection of Vertebrates.

2) It would represent a financial burden on already struggling rural communities that depend on tourist dollars from Reptile Hobbyists. Towns such as Sanderson and Alpine stand to loose significant revenue should the act of driving roads in search of snakes be prohibited. For this reason (among others) this bill is not supported by Representative Pete Gallego, representative for this region.

3) Additionally, the potential impact of this legislation on ranchers must be considered. Remember that small county roads also constitute public right of ways. Under this legislation, a rancher with free-ranging cattle grazing alongside a public right of way would be prohibited from capturing or killing nuisance animals (e.g. coyotes or rattlesnakes) near his livestock as they graze alongside these county roads.

4) This legislation is unnecessary. One of the purported reasons behind this bill is to curtail the commercial collection of reptiles in Texas – an aim that I wholeheartedly support. However, Texas Parks & Wildlife already has a commercial collection permitting system that allows them to close species to commercial take when it is determined that the take in a particular species is not sustainable. For example, come Sept.1 of this year, the commercial take in most species of turtle will be closed. In light of this, it is unnecessarily punitive to close roadways to all collection – from both hobbyists and unscrupulous commercial collectors alike.

Please move this unnecessary and contested legislation out of the Local & Consent Committee and refer it to the General Calendar Committee.

Sincerely,

Troy Hibbitts
Texas Herpetological Society liason to TPWD
Camp Wood, TX

Exellent work...loopholes at their best! I'll be on the phone tomarrow! I'm actually enjoying this. Of the phone calls that I've made, the impression that I get is that many folks are starting to see the light, that this bill is slightly unpopular.
Jason
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Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

Very Unpopular... Let them know that they are not stopping a problem that this bill can end a conservation effort and a family recreational activity.