State Action Alerts Act now! You must contact your legislators as your voices matter most. Your opposition will stop anti-reptile and anti-pet legislation! USARK has made it easy to contact the appropriate lawmakers at the links below, so take a few minutes to protect your freedoms, support your herp community and then share the Action Alerts with all pet owners... ALL pet owners should be fighting overreaching and unconstitutional anti-pet legislation. Emails, networking with pet owners/businesses/organizations, attendance at public hearings, phone calls, legislator meetings, mailed letters, and faxes should all be happening in mass. Enough voices do make a difference and these bills can stopped. USARK is contacting legislators and we are active on state issues, but they must hear directly from their constituents. West Virginia Action Alert House Bill 439 will ban common pet species including Boa constrictors and Hognose snakes. The bill also creates a "Dangerous Wild Animal Board" that will write an initial list of prohibited species and will then have authority to add any species they please. Complete the Action Alert at www.usark.org/campaign/west-virginia-house-bill-4393. It is also critical to send individual emails using the information at www.usark.org/2014-blog/2014-west-virginia-house-bill-4393. South Carolina Action Alert House Bill 3985 seeks to ban many species of herps including Boa constrictors, Reticulated pythons, and any species of animal listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This means chinchillas, prairie dogs, certain parrots/parakeets/macaws, some iguana species, and even species of small fish, salamanders, and toads would be considered "Dangerous Wild Animals." Even if these animals are captive bred, they will be illegal. Find the Action Alert at www.usark.org/campaign/south-carolina-h-3895-dangerous-wild-animals-act. It's crucial to send individual messages to legislators found at www.usark.org/press-releases/south-carolina-h-3895-dangerous-wild-animals-act. Wisconsin Action Alert Assembly Bill 703 will ban crocodilian species and some mammals. It will place financial burdens upon municipalities, encouraging them to place stricter regulations and potentially add species as prohibited. The Action Alert can be found at www.usark.org/campaign/wisconsin-assembly-bill-703. Be sure to send individual messages and get additional information at www.usark.org/uncategorized/2014-wisconsin-assembly-bill-703. Maryland Action Alerts There are two similar bills, SB 827 and HB 1124, in Maryland. These bills propose amendments to the current law. Both bills place additional restrictions on currently regulated facilities and also remove exemptions from Class C Exhibitors License holders. Find information for SB 827 at www.usark.org/2014-blog/2014-maryland-senate-bill-827-amendments and for HB 1124 at www.usark.org/2014-blog/2014-house-bill-1124. More State Issues Additional 2014 state issues can be found at www.usark.org/2014-legislation. National Reptile & Amphibian Advisory Council (NRAAC) Law Symposium The Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium & Workshop will be held March 7-8 in Washington, D.C. This is an essential event for anyone interested in the impact of law and regulation on the keeping, breeding, care, and conservation of reptiles and amphibians. Get more details at www.usark.org/2014-blog/nraac-law-symposium. USARK Federal Lawsuit Update and Q&A On Friday (2/21/14), the Department of the Interior (DOI) responded to USARK’s legal challenge on the current injurious species listings by filing a “Motion to Dismiss” our claims. This was expected and USARK has been preparing for this action. USARK counsel is currently working on our reply which is due within 14 days (March 7). Read the full post at www.usark.org/2014-blog/lawsuit-update-wv-action-alert-and-more. View this on our website at www.usark.org/2014-blog/state-alerts-3114.
