HB1242 and SB477 are back for 2013!!!

HB1242 and SB477 are back for 2013. The time to get involved is now.

Yes, apparently HSUS is reneging on it's promise to follow the Dangerous Animal Initiative and has been actively lobbying to BAN most things. Time is now to get involved.

(D) delegate Lucas in portsmouth. And delegate (R) Peace in Richmond. Bills 1242 and 477

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?131+sum+HB1242

How disappointing, I thought this was behind us. Keep us informed on the best avenues to oppose this!!!

David_Means wrote:

HB1242 and SB477 are back for 2013. The time to get involved is now.

+1

Stay tuned, hiwever I would start writing the senstor and delegate and the respective committee members in staunch opposition.

Does anyone know if this list is still active? I imagine so.

http://www.vaherps.com/t1065-lobbying-hb1242-sb477

Guys, this is a good time to remember that there is no compromising and The Dangerous Animals Initiative was a BIG DEFEAT for us. It doesn't matter if zero herps were banned.... we have to STICK TOGETHER with other exotics owners.

The goal of our opposition is the complete ban of all animal ownership, including leopard geckos and ball pythons. We may look at banning of tigers and lynx as a compromise (wrong of us) but the opposition looks at it as just one step further towards a complete animal ban.

No more compromising, no more concessions, no more appeasement.

Call up your congressman and senators and tell them that you are sick of it and no more.

I suggest we put together a phone list again (like last year) but this time we need to be organized. There's 726 members on this site plus other organizations both animal organizations and libertarian groups that are sick of nanny government regardless of if they keep animals or not. Every day, a different state rep gets phone calls from every person that can and is willing to call, telling them politely to NOT VOTE for this and requesting a response. We need to bombard these guys with phone calls, from hundreds of people each day.

It's hard for many people to get to the capital for hearings but everyone can take 5 minutes to make a phone call each day. Hundreds of phone calls every day will stop this in its tracks or at least give us a lot more support in conjunction with other methods (going to the capital, letters, etc.)

Jabberwocky Dragons wrote:

Guys, this is a good time to remember that there is no compromising and The Dangerous Animals Initiative was a BIG DEFEAT for us. It doesn't matter if zero herps were banned.... we have to STICK TOGETHER with other exotics owners.

The goal of our opposition is the complete ban of all animal ownership, including leopard geckos and ball pythons. We may look at banning of tigers and lynx as a compromise (wrong of us) but the opposition looks at it as just one step further towards a complete animal ban.

No more compromising, no more concessions, no more appeasement.

Call up your congressman and senators and tell them that you are sick of it and no more.

I suggest we put together a phone list again (like last year) but this time we need to be organized. There's 726 members on this site plus other organizations both animal organizations and libertarian groups that are sick of nanny government regardless of if they keep animals or not. Every day, a different state rep gets phone calls from every person that can and is willing to call, telling them politely to NOT VOTE for this and requesting a response. We need to bombard these guys with phone calls, from hundreds of people each day.

It's hard for many people to get to the capital for hearings but everyone can take 5 minutes to make a phone call each day. Hundreds of phone calls every day will stop this in its tracks or at least give us a lot more support in conjunction with other methods (going to the capital, letters, etc.)

Completely with you.

Add my name on the list Phone calls from me they will be bombarded. I will be like a dog with its bone. PHONE CALLS ARE GOOD.

Please allow me to forward your message to the most people. It couldn't express better my feelings on this subject.

if there is anyone that has access to a copier at work or something, if we can get some mass produced fliers with the reps names, numbers, and a short message about what to say...we could pass them out at the bristol repticon next weekend...

Guys, we should start a phone list that can be distributed online and in person at stores and shows that contain a list of all the phone numbers that should be called. Each phone number will be dated so everyone calls the same number on the same day. If this done correctly, then hundreds of phone calls should flood a delegate at once.

The idea is that it can be hard for people to make it to the capitol and others want to help but see a list of names and numbers and become overwhelmed. We should make it easy. Take 5 minutes, call this number on this day and leave this message.

I need help with this though. I don't know which delegates are the important ones to call this year. Can someone either list them here, or take these talking points and create a whole list with dates. Then this handout can be distributed.

These are some talking points for the handout. Does anyone know the numbers for deaths caused by dogs and horses versus exotics? I remember seeing this recently but can't find it.



Talking Points

Caller: “Hello, I am calling about ________ (HB1242 or SB477). I want to express my concern over this bill and tell Senator/Representative ________ not to support it. This is not an issue that needs regulation and we are sick of government interfering in the lives of private citizens.”


Possible Delegate Response: What if one of these animals gets out and hurts someone?
Reply: There are already laws on the book to hold people responsible for their actions. These need to be enforced. Dogs and horses kill ____ people each year while exotics are responsible for only _____ deaths. Cats kill a median of 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion mammals each year in the US. There doesn’t appear to be any legitimate need for exotic animal regulations and these appears to be nothing more then a government power grab. We are watching and we are voting.


Possible Delegate Response: Voting… Where do you live?
Reply: My home address shouldn't matter. I am calling as a private citizen to express my concern over this bill that strips liberties from other private citizens and will destroy business and the resulting tax dollars for the state. Please pass this on to Senator/Representative ________.

I received this email today, is this good news or are they mistaken???


From: DelBMarshall@house.virginia.gov
To: ChuckHurd@ChuckHurd.com
CC: DelDMarshall@house.virginia.gov
Subject: RE: HB 1242
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:18:55 +0000

Dear Mr. Hurd:

Delegate Bob Marshall does not serve on the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee. Delegate Danny Marshall does serve on this committee and his email is deldmarshall@house.virginia.gov.

However, I wanted to also let you know that HB 1242 is dead because it was not taken up by the committee over the interim.

Sincerely,

Claire C. Gardner
Legislative Aide

Any updates from today?

I just heard from Jerad Watts that both bills were defeated!!! =)

Has there been any discussion about proposing a bill of our own? Getting some reform on the books, so we do not have to go thru this every year.

The Bills are dead.

the DAI was mostly a success. And will be the basis for any new laws, but I don't think any legislator will be taking up these laws again.

Excellent news….this is too much anxiety for me.

Wooohoooo!

Thanks for the update guys, great news

leftoflarry wrote:

the DAI was mostly a success. And will be the basis for any new laws, but I don't think any legislator will be taking up these laws again.

YAY!!! Was busy cleaning snakes cages when got the news from hubby by text message... I about jumped to pop my head open on the ceiling
Let's celebrate it and be ready, still, for any reversal, this looks too good to be true to me!!

leftoflarry wrote:

The Bills are dead.

Nice way to put Larry!!!

Awesome news!

According to Jared Watts and VIIPER (who went to Richmond today) they said that Del. Pierce killed the bills and that no committee picked them up and the Senate bill was also dead. Unfortunately I had work obligations and couldn't go down, but the legislature knows exactly where the VHS stands on this issue. We lobbied hard and having to take time off work to go to the DAI meetings was a big pain in the rear. However, it was all worth it and the HSUS and their allies have failed here in Va. Thanks to those who wrote letters or showed up in person in Richmond. Thanks to everyone for the support. We killed it....the power of lobby is strong and the politicians have listened.

leftoflarry wrote:

According to Jared Watts and VIIPER (who went to Richmond today) they said that Del. Pierce killed the bills and that no committee picked them up and the Senate bill was also dead. Unfortunately I had work obligations and couldn't go down, but the legislature knows exactly where the VHS stands on this issue. We lobbied hard and having to take time off work to go to the DAI meetings was a big pain in the rear. However, it was all worth it and the HSUS and their allies have failed here in Va. Thanks to those who wrote letters or showed up in person in Richmond. Thanks to everyone for the support. We killed it....the power of lobby is strong and the politicians have listened.

Well said Amen to that.

As I was saying to some other people we are still ready if ever needed again. My husband and I before being on the VaHerp site have been trying to fight this off as much as we could ourselves for over a year. We wrote to the bill sponsors, called, written to committees involved in this, Chuck had even the chance to be talking on the radio last year about this, etc; now we also wanted to go to Richmond to show our teeth but this time couldn't make it... Still did the best we could.... Thanks to everyone to pitch in in any way!!!