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Anybody attend today's constrictor ban hearing in Rhode Island . I called the state house and was told they expected expected a big crowd.

KL

S2033 Reptile Ban was pulled from the agenda of the Rhode Island Senate Natural Resources & Agriculture Committee last Wednesday February 15, 2012. USARK was contacted by the BillSponsor and Committee leadership and informed that S2033 would be carried over. S2033 can no longer be considered for this year! USARK wants to congratulate all of the members of the ReptileNation that participated in the grass roots campaign to kill S2033. Although this is a very positive development for Rhode Island, please remember that we must remain vigilant. This couldpossibly come up again next year!. The momentum begun in Virginia, with the decline of State level bills there aimed at shutting down the Reptile Industry, has continued in Rhode Island. It is ourplan at USARK to leverage this momentum in other states like Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia, Indiana & South Carolina. Thank you to ALL who contribute their time, effort and money to support theefforts of USARK and the Reptile Nation!!

>>Anybody attend today's constrictor ban hearing in Rhode Island . I called the state house and was told they expected expected a big crowd.
>>
>>KL

I was there on Wednesday the 15th. We had about fifty people in the hallway waiting to be heard on this bill. The clerk came out and took the "sign-in" sheets (three of them) into the hearing room. Moments later she emerged and said that S2033 was being held over by its sponsor "for review" due to the amount of opposition to it. This bill might be back, but probably not. I took the liberty of informing the senators of the committee that the RI DEM has restricted most large exotic constrictors in their annotated wildlife regulations, so the bill itself was somewhat pointless. I don't think the sponsors or the other senators of the committee were aware of this.