Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to legislation prohibiting the trade of pythons into and around the United States. Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue.

As you may know, S. 373 is a bill that would amend the U.S. Criminal Code to make it illegal to import and ship nine species of nonnative constrictor snakes into and within the United States. I am a strong supporter of protecting native wildlife from nonnative invasive species, and I firmly believe that we must prevent the introduction of new nonnative invasive species in order to protect the delicate balance of our ecosystems and the general health and safety of our citizens.

However, I do recognize your concerns about this legislation's effect on your ability to move pet pythons across state lines for various personal reasons. As your United States Senator, I believe we need to protect the rights of our citizens while we continue to find ways to protect our nation's native wildlife. Please be assured that I will keep you views in mind should this bill come for a vote before the United States Senate.

Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have consistently fought to defend the welfare of animals. I am especially proud of my Humane Champion Award from the Humane Society of the United States and my perfect score on the Humane Society of the United States 2008 Humane Scorecard. I look forward to living up to this honor by continuing to fight for animal welfare.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of concern. I invite you to visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov) to learn more about my work on behalf of New Jersey in the United States Senate.

Sincerely,

ROBERT MENENDEZ

United States Senator

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