H.R. 5864 - Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2012

[StudentoReptile]

This is for anyone who genuinely is interested in what they can do to fight this thing. Regardless of the chances of success of any such legislation, I personally believe in being proactive against this kind of stuff.
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Step 1: Compile the contact information of all your state senators and state representatives. This includes both the state office address and the capital address of each official, as well as phone numbers.

Step 2: Start writing your letter. Talking points can include:
- State your position as a concerned pet owner and how this bill could affect you and the animals you keep (it is your discretion whether you want to list every single species you currently possess). Be sure to include your experience working with animals and any such relevant information.
- In general, explain that this bill in its current form is very broad and would negatively impact the pet industry, and consequently the economy.
- Describe that outside of extreme southern Florida, there is no documented cases of exotic reptiles establishing themselves in the United States as a direct result of the pet trade. There are a few species of non-native gecko species, such as the Mediterranean gecko, that have been established in several states; however, this is a result of the species hitch-hiking on shipments through port cities incidentally, not deliberately.
- Also explain that even if passed, this bill would be very ineffective for preserving ecosystems or preventing pathogens or contagions. People who still currently own non-native wildlife will still be able to do so within their own state; if they are prohibited from crossing state lines with those animals (for example, if they have to move or relocate), they may be faced with the decision to either euthanize their pets or release them into the environment if they cannot find suitable homes for them.
- Animals in captive collections present little risk to the environment, and this bill would only restrict the freedoms of pet owners and negatively effect our nation's economy.

Step 3: Copy/Paste the name of each senator and state rep. into the address field of your letter. Print copies accordingly and then mail off all the letters.
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This bill is still in the early stages and being reviewed by the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committees on the Judiciary, and the Budget committee. It may never make it beyond that, but if it does, a phone campaign may be in the near future.

At some point, when I finish my own letter, I'll post it here as an example for anyone to use and modify for their own.

[kernel]

Originally Posted by StudentoReptile

This is for anyone who genuinely is interested in what they can do to fight this thing. Regardless of the chances of success of any such legislation, I personally believe in being proactive against this kind of stuff.
----------------
Step 1: Compile the contact information of all your state senators and state representatives. This includes both the state office address and the capital address of each official, as well as phone numbers.

Step 2: Start writing your letter. Talking points can include:
- State your position as a concerned pet owner and how this bill could affect you and the animals you keep (it is your discretion whether you want to list every single species you currently possess). Be sure to include your experience working with animals and any such relevant information.
- In general, explain that this bill in its current form is very broad and would negatively impact the pet industry, and consequently the economy.
- Describe that outside of extreme southern Florida, there is no documented cases of exotic reptiles establishing themselves in the United States as a direct result of the pet trade. There are a few species of non-native gecko species, such as the Mediterranean gecko, that have been established in several states; however, this is a result of the species hitch-hiking on shipments through port cities incidentally, not deliberately.
- Also explain that even if passed, this bill would be very ineffective for preserving ecosystems or preventing pathogens or contagions. People who still currently own non-native wildlife will still be able to do so within their own state; if they are prohibited from crossing state lines with those animals (for example, if they have to move or relocate), they may be faced with the decision to either euthanize their pets or release them into the environment if they cannot find suitable homes for them.
- Animals in captive collections present little risk to the environment, and this bill would only restrict the freedoms of pet owners and negatively effect our nation's economy.

Step 3: Copy/Paste the name of each senator and state rep. into the address field of your letter. Print copies accordingly and then mail off all the letters.
--------------

This bill is still in the early stages and being reviewed by the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committees on the Judiciary, and the Budget committee. It may never make it beyond that, but if it does, a phone campaign may be in the near future.

At some point, when I finish my own letter, I'll post it here as an example for anyone to use and modify for their own.

I am not very literary minded, so I'll wait for you to post your letter.