Reptile & Amphibian Forums

WARNING-California AB1122 Hearing on Wednesday 5/6/09

Time to get back to work and flex a little Grass Roots Muscle. The Humane Society of the United States has a bill, AB1122, up for hearing before the CA General Assembly Appropriations Committee this Wednesday. This bill seeks to BAN the sale of animals that are NOT "traditionally" sold through pet shops. This would include many different animals INCLUDING Herps. This is an attempt to end ALL Reptile Shows and "face to face" sales that are the basis for much of how the middle and high end of our market distributes animals. It would eliminate almost ALL sales except from pet shops. Reptile Shows and open air auctions/sales would come to an end in CA.

Please don't let this happen! We need to generate hundreds of phone calls and emails to the Committee Members

Click here to read AB1122
info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_1101-1150/ab_1122_bill_20090227_introduced.pdf

Click here for Email Campaign against AB1122!!
usark.org/campaign.php?id=6

Phone List:

Kevin de Leon - Chair Dem-45 (916) 319-2045
Jim Nielsen - Vice Chair Rep-2 (916) 319-
Tom Ammiano Dem-13 (916) 319-2013
Charles M. Calderon Dem-58 (916) 319-2058
Mike Davis Dem-48 (916) 319-2048
Michael D. Duvall Rep-72 (916) 319-2072
Felipe Fuentes Dem-39 (916) 319-2039
Isadore Hall III Dem-52 (916) 319-2052
Diane L. Harkey Rep-73 916) 319-2073
Jeff Miller Rep-71 (916) 319-2071
John A. P#65533;rez Dem-46 (916) 319-2046
Curren D. Price Jr. Dem-51 (916) 319-2051
Nancy Skinner Dem-14 (916) 319-2014
Jose Solorio Dem-69 (916) 319-2069
Audra Strickland Rep-37 (916) 319-2037
Tom Torlakson Dem-11 (916) 319-2011

***Make your Calls... Send your Emails!!!!!

USARK is here for the Reptile Nation! We are giving you the tools. Now use them!

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Rock On!!!

Does this bill also have anti "puppy mill" as part of its agenda? One of the staff when I called referred to that part of the bill. Is this bill wrong "as written"?
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Proud supporter of USARK and Kingsnake.com
“We stand together or we fall apart”

Kyle
www.royalvariations.com

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
David Coverdale

I think it is not wrong in entirety, only in essense and in improtant aspects.
How do you personally define a puppy mill?

Regards
oby

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm ?

i was quoting a staff member i spoke with when i made the phone calls,
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Proud supporter of USARK and Kingsnake.com
“We stand together or we fall apart”

Kyle
www.royalvariations.com

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
David Coverdale

Try to dig in their definitions next time, you never know what you may find.

"The Great Turtle Race may have ended, but the journey towards healthy sea turtle populations and healthy seas isn’t over yet."

"Whew — we just finished two weeks of the Great Turtle Race.
Eleven leatherback sea turtles raced from Canada’s Atlantic coast to the beaches of the Caribbean — with Backspacer — Pearl Jam’s pick — earning the win.
But the Great Turtle Race is much more than a race."

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/greatturtlerace-map/

http://www.conservation.org/great_turtle_race/pages/main.aspx

http://www.conservation.org/great_turtle_race/Pages/race_history.aspx

"Mr. Leatherback believes that individuals have the power to change the course for sea turtles by making simple changes in their lives. He, alongside his friends at CI and in the Sea Turtle Flagship Program, is helping lead the way."

https://www.conservation.org/FMG/Articles/Pages/mr_leatherback_giving_turtles_a_voice.aspx

The question was intended for what they call the “the puppy mill bill” and why. The staff person said that the reptiles were thrown in with the bill and that she is opposed to it. Just sharing information based on my phone calls today.

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Proud supporter of USARK and Kingsnake.com
“We stand together or we fall apart”

Kyle
www.royalvariations.com

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
David Coverdale

dont be a tease, where is my prize?
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Proud supporter of USARK and Kingsnake.com
“We stand together or we fall apart”

Kyle
www.royalvariations.com

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
David Coverdale

I saw no mention of any specific animal, looks like the bill was either originally written (or at some point expanded beyond the
"puppy mills" to include all animals. At least that's what I'm seeing with the bill proposal I read, not sure if there is another piece to it or not.

What's still not clear to me is the outdoor vs. indoor aspect to this. The wording seems too vague to me. Are the bill writers intending this to be for outdoor events only? Or are they trying to be sneaky about it by making it sound like it's only outdoor events when one of the terms they are using could technically be an indoor event? I'm thinking the latter since USARK sent out that e-mail indicating as much.

One interesting side note. If I understood the bill correctly, carnivals are specifically targeted, yet state and county fairs are exempt. Hmmmmm....

Thanks,
Ed

>>Does this bill also have anti "puppy mill" as part of its agenda? One of the staff when I called referred to that part of the bill. Is this bill wrong "as written"?
>>-----
>>Proud supporter of USARK and Kingsnake.com
>>“We stand together or we fall apart”
>>
>>Kyle
>>www.royalvariations.com
>>
>>"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
>> David Coverdale

Sorry for the delay in responding as I am insanely busy right now. I attended the AB1122 thing and puppy mills are what HSUS and its junior partners are touting for the cause. However, the wording of the bill applies to all animals bred and sold by individuals who do NOT OWN PET SHOPS. This applies to anyone competing for money with pet shops. Premise of the argument is that animal control is able to inspect animals at pet shops 24/7 but only able to inspect animals at shows during the show itself. The least they want is the ability to inspect an individuals collection whether or not abuse is suspected. This includes all animals by the way the bill is worded. This bill really needs to be killed. I am having difficulty with my laptop but will post the audio from the AB1122 hearing when I can. If I have to I will write the whole damn thing down and post it. This bill is scary in its intent. Please take it seriously and contact Diane Amble as she has beeen fighting this thing from the beginning. I will do what I can.
Thanks, Dan.

Forgot to mention that they really do wish to end all shows, which by definition are flea markets in Cali. That is how I took it.
Dan.

I let paranoia get the best of me and did not mean to go off on a tirade. If life was just as simple as working with the animals I love, eh? Specialty pet shops are the best I think.
Dan.

Sent of my mail, also posting it here.
Hope others will post theirs in this thread and on other forums.

Dear Committee Member,

Please help avoid a terrible crisis! oppose AB1122. It would end ALL open air sales, display and transfers of animals in the United States.

This has already been done In Norway, with terrible results! The children in kindergartens across the US need to develop an early understanding nature, ecology and sustainability. These terms may be difficult even for grown-ups to understand, so at least we should not ban animals from education. I believe AB 1122 in advocating against public display is a threat to biology teachers who see a value in including animals and plant husbandry as an important supplement in the class or kindergarten.

Reptile Shows are a Multi-Million dollar business that supports many other businesses in the US.

In Norway, because reptiles are illegal to keep, and becaus open air sales are prohibited, the people trade animals illegally. The government has no way to control the illegal trade and since it is illegal they cannot tax it either.

From an ethical perspective, even though this ban has good intentions, it may probe to have absurd consequences which could cause significantly more harm than damage in the californian society over time.

In my experience the negative effects of bans like AB 1122 can be cumulative and act as an inhibitor of sustainable development of responsible bioculture, and conservation of natural environments in california.

Please consider investigating possible negative consequences of AB 1122 in advance, before leading the Californian people into a moral pit.

AB1122 is bad for California. Please say NO on AB1122!

Sincerely,
oby