Things have been heating up in Ohio, and we in the hobby are on the cusp of another bout of knee-jerk legislation as follow-up to the Lacey Act. The outcome of that original act amendment was that at least there was going to be a 2 year maratorium on adding any more than the 4 species of snake that were proposed. Now comes an amended version on the state level that seeks to undermine those few protections put in place and threatens to open it wide up and without a vote!
This new piece of legislation in Ohio; called SB 310 in its current version would be one of the most restrictive on reptile keeping of any in existance Nationwide.
Representative Jim Buchy proposed some changes recommended by USARK (United States Association of Reptile Keepers) which were rejected by Governor Kasich, Senator Balderson, and others. These changes included a proposed $25.00 registration fee instead of permitting of animal facilities, would institute safety and secure housing protocols instead of requiring cost prohibitive surety bonds and liability insurance.
Although the conterproposal was supported by several in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, it was rejected by the above mentioned leaders.
HSUS, the Columbus Zoo, and Jack Hannah oppose USARKs suggested alternatives, and with elections coming up in November for all House Committee Members, alot of them are under pressure to hurry this bill on through just so that it doesn't interfere with their campaigne plans.
This comes down to a vote today! Please write one of these people in the Ohio legislature and ask them to vote no on SB 310 .
We need to nip this in the bud before this type of extreme restriction comes rolling into all our towns, States, and cities.
I wrote Representative Debbie Phillips and asked that she write back to keep me informed on the vote. She has a background in mediation, so I figured that she would be more likely than some of the others to see the logic in working with USARK and the alternate solutions they proposed instead of the current version.
If this does not work, and the opposition gets its way, many people would be financially unable to keep their beloved pets due to inordinate fee requirements, (and that seems to be the bill writers' objective in adding the requirements). This would be a real shame.
Imagine a child crying because he had to give up his favorite snake he has had for years. And imagine there is no shelter that can take this snake that up until now has been loved and cared for, safe and secure, and a part of the family just like the dog and cat that share the home with it. It gets shuttled around from one temporary place to another where nobody really has experiece with snakes, it gets stressed out, stops eating, and tragically dies.
All this unecessary turmoil would be because of some bureaucrats who are trying to get re-elected, because of political power games between people fighting over money, many of whom have no idea what kind of added problms this legislation will cause snakes like this, little children, and taxpayers, and worse, they could care less! These are people who see snakes as nothing more than vermin to be reviled and driven out of our communities and the eco-system. They are ignorant people who insist on keeping their ignorance; sucking on it like a mother's teat.
Earlier I saw a video on Youtube that really took the cake showing to what lengths HSUS and PETA will go to further their anti-animal agenda. From all the warm and fuzzy TV commercials the general public would never guess that these "animal rights" organizations resort to such militant and unethical tactics. It has truly reached a new low and has gotten way out of control! It is long but please watch the whole thing. It is done in several segments put together;
Save animals by protesting this travesty!
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