Thank G'd I don't live in the US. This type of legislation is so
widespread
through all walks of life
in your society already it has become draconian.
You all just go along with it like sheep to the slaughter.
That might not be too proverbial an analogy either!
Read it if you don't get too bored too easily.
Birdman.
@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
VIRGINIA COMMITTEE ADOPTS ANTI-PET
LEGISLATION
NEARLY ALL PETS RESTRICTED UNDER BILL
The Issue.
Without any advance notice of public hearing, the Senate Committee on
Finance passed one of the most anti-pet
legislative bills ever seen in this country. The measure, dubbed the West
Virginia Animal Regulation
Act, would define thousands of pet species as exotic animals and prohibit
their possession without a permit.
The ban would include nearly every species of bird, fish, reptile and
small
animal. Other than dogs,
cats and ferrets, very few species would escape this prohibition!
The bill would also regulate as a pet store anybody that sells or gives
away
an animal in the state. An Exotic
Animal Regulation Board established under the act would be granted
authority
to create standards for
operating pet stores, including standards of animal care, and to prohibit
im****t of “any exotic animal that
threatens the public health and safety” or is injurious to agriculture or
the environment.
The Impact.
In addition to sharply limiting the types of pets that people may own and
pet stores may sell, SB 277 creates
a strong disincentive to pet owner****p by highly regulating most animals
and
treating as a pet shop any
“facility where an animal is kept for the purpose of sale.”
This bill would establish the Exotic Animal Regulation Board, which would
be
empowered to promulgate
requirements for operating a pet store, create permit requirements and
procedures for “exotic animals,”
establish care standards for pet store animals and exotics, and prohibit
im****t of any exotic animal that “may
be injurious” to agriculture interests or the environment. The board could
impose standards for:
• Im****t and trans****t of animals
• Keeping pets
• Investigation of violations
• Holding hearings
• Seizure and destruction of animals
Pet stores would be required to register with the board and pay an annual
renewal fee. In addition to
notifying the board regarding the sale of animals, pet stores would be
required to notify all customers who
buy an animal of the permitting requirements.
SB 277 makes it illegal “for any person to possess or breed an exotic
animal” without a special permit.
An exotic animal is defined as any animal other than a “domestic animal or
wildlife.” But under the
bill’s definitions, almost no animal could qualify as domestic!
March 30, 2005
(WV SB 277)
A domestic animal for purposes of this law is:
“an animal which, through extremely long association with humans, has been
bred to a degree that
resulted in genetic changes affecting the temperament, color,
conformation,
or other attributes of the
species to an extent that makes the animal unique and distinguishable from
wild members of the
species and the animal has federally approved biologics for the treatment
and prevention of disease.”
A person could count on their fingers the number of species that fit this
definition. Birds, fish, reptiles and small
animals commonly kept as pets would be all but eliminated under this bill.
Recommended Action
SB 277 is painted as a measure to control disease but is so broadly
drafted
that it in effect bans the vast
majority of species in the pet trade. The bill was sent to the Senate
floor
on the final day for action on
the measure. A companion bill (HB 2635) is in the House Committee on
Agriculture and Natural
Resources. If that committee p***** the bill, West Virginia could become
the
first state to eliminate
almost all pet owner****p. Immediate action is necessary!
Attached to this PetAlert is a list of committee members, with contact
information. All members should be
immediately contacted by both telephone and email. Let them know that this
bill is poorly drafted and should
not be adopted. It would restrict large numbers of commonly kept pets such
as fish, birds, small animals,
reptiles and amphibians that are generally harmless but have been snared
in
the expansive net of this bill.
Many of these species have been kept as pets in West Virginia for decades,
and could not become established
in the state even if they were released into the environment.
Anybody wi****ng more information, or having additional questions about
this
legislation, may contact
PIJAC’s Michael Maddox at 202-452-1525.
State of West Virginia -- House Committee on Agriculture & Natural
Resources
Capitol Complex, #226E, Charleston, WV 25305
304/340-3173
DELEGATE TEL. # EMAIL
Robert D. Beach (Chair - Agriculture) (D-44 Monongalia) 304/340-3168
rbeach@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
C. Tabb (Vice Chair Agriculture) (D-56 Jefferson) 304/340-3274
rtabb@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
V. Evans (Minority Chair – Agriculture) (R-48 Grant) 304/340-3399
aevans@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Schoen (Minority Vice Chair – Agriculture) (R-14 Putnam) 04/340-3141
pschoen@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Stemple (Chair – Natural Resources) (D-33 Calhoun) 304/340-3116
wlstempl@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
L. Crosier (Vice Chair – Natural Resources) (D-26 Monroe)
304/340-3188 gcrosier@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Anderson (Minority Chair – Natural Resources) (R-08 Wood)
304/340-3168 eanders1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hamilton (Minority Vice Chair – Natural Resources) (R-39 Upshur)
04/340-3167 bhamilt@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Argento (D-35 Nicholas) 304/340-3183 sargento@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Canterbury (R-28 Greenbrier) 304/340-3131 rcanter1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Eldridge (D-19 Lincoln) 304/340-3160 eldridge@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
R. Ennis (D-02 Brooke) 304/340-3192 tennis@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Fragale (D-41 Harrison) 304/340-3392 rfragale@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
A. Leggett (R-07 Pleasants) 304/340-3195 oleggett@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Louisos (D-29 Fayette) 304/340-3111 tlouisos@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Martin (D-13 Putnam) 304/340-3126 dmartin1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Overington (R-55 Berkeley) 304/340-3148 john@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Paxton (D-13 Putnam) 304/340-3199 bpaxton@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Pethtel (D-05 Wetzel) 304/340-3149 dpethtel@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
M. Poling (D-40 Barbour) 304/340-3102 marypoli@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Roger Romine (R-06 Tyler) 304/340-3226 wromine@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Swartzmiller (D-01 Hancock) 304/340-3138 rswartzmiller@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Thompson (D-17 Cabell) 304/340-3158 rthompsn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Wells (D-30 Kanawha) 304/340-3146 dwells@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
A. Williams (D-45 Preston) 304/340-3337 lwillia1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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