One of my favorites Ha!!!
Here is the e-mail sent from USARK...pass it on.
Joel
Lots of Bills... What is S462?
There is some confusion about a new Bill (S462) just introduced into the US Senate by CA Senator Barbara Boxer. IT IS NOT A COMPANION BILL TO HR669. Because of the way the abstract of S462 was worded it looked like a sister Bill to HR669 already introduced into the US House of Representatives by Delegate Madeleine Bordallo of Guam in late January. The text is now available and it is the companion to HR80 The Captive Primate Safety Act. S462 has NOTHING to do with Herps!
Here is what we do have facing us, click the links for more in depth info:
1. HR669- Introduced into the US House of Representatives on 1/27/09 Del. M. Bordallo, Guam- Based on the Broken Screens report by the radical environmentalist group known as Defenders of Wildlife- It sets up a 'Risk Assessment' process that could BAN the import, export, purchase, sale, trade and breeding of anything non-native to the US (excepting common livestock and traditional pets like dogs, cats and gold fish) with the assumption that everything is guilty of being an injurious invasive until proven otherwise. So for an animal to be taken off the injurious list one must prove a negative.
2. S373- Introduced into the US Senate on 2/3/09 Sen. B. Nelson, FL- Based on the flawed USGS Climate Map showing the potential spread of the Burmese Python across the southern third of the US and beyond- It seeks to BAN the import and interstate transport of the genus Python by adding them to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. It is a circumvention of the process of 'Rule Change' to the Lacy Act that was initiated last year by US Fish & Wildlife Service. S373 is an effort to skip over an established process in order to legislate science.
3. Do not be surprised to see some kind of companion Bill introduced into the House or Senate to compliment either HR669 or S373. It is not uncommon. Sometimes they are almost identical... sometimes not.
What Can You Do To Fight This Legislation? Click the links.
* Join the Reptile Nation... Join USARK! There is Strength in Numbers... You Can Help Protect Your Rights!!
* Take Action in the Campaign Against HR669 and get ready to do more as USARK reveals their campaign against S373 in the days to come. We need you to take action to insure our future!
* Participate in the PIJAC Economic Survey. They are gathering important economic data to make an argument for the economic impact these bills would have on small businesses.
* Forward this Alert to everyone on your email list and post it on every forum/ social networking site you participate on. Join USARK's FREE Email List.
