HR 669: Aquarists Please Take Action

[saltwaterfish.com]

HR 669 is a bill introduced in the house that, if passed, will dramatically impact our ability to keep our aquariums. The bill is so far reaching that it impacts a wide variety of pet owners, not just aquarists. Like most in the trade, Saltwaterfish.com is opposed to this bill in its current form. We recognize the need for responsible pet keeping, but believe government intervention to this level will effectively destroy the hobby. We are asking you to educate yourselves about this bill, and ask you to take action in opposition.
Please read about this bill in this week's blog at: www.saltwatersense.com
You can take action and contact congress through this site: www.nohr669.com
We hope you will get involved with this prior to the congressional meetings on this subject on April 23rd.
Thank you!

 

[crimzy]

I may get involved... what's it worth to you???

 

[fish are good]

lol if this does pass who cares its called "Breaking the rules" i say if it does pass "lets take a stand" lol get on good mornin america if we have to lol who's in?????

 

[beth]

I don't find this particular issue amusing, but

There is a lot at stake, and I am for regulation. However, regulation costs taxpayers money, and our current economic climate is such that no one is going vote for more taxes to fund oversight. Too bad such was not on someone's pet-pork spending attached to the economic stimulus.
I think it would be very difficult for this to pass, as it would cripple the pet industry, stores would be shut down on a mass scale. And who will tolerate that in our current economic crisis? Millions of exotic animals would have to be put down, if not because this bill would require that, but because there would no longer be a source for supplies (pet shops) to maintain these animals.
Dogs and cats are ok? In my view dogs and cats pose greater issues to humans than reptiles, birds, and hamsters.
I'm beginning to wonder if we still live in the USA?
There is another topic here on this issue:
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=355840

 

[paulyd1978]

Yet another freedom they try to take away.

 

[salt210]

sent my message to them yesteraday. before this is all is said and done all of my rights are going to be taken away

 

[salt210]

has any news came in about this yet?

 

[hypancistrus]

Here is a rough transcript of the events today. You should notice the number of times they bring up various fish species and inverts that we DO keep in our aquariums.
http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/...H.-R.-669.html
If I am reading this correctly, the proposal according to its subcommittee and the reccomendations proposed today would create automatically a limited white list. Folks-- the only aquarium fish that would be on that list to start out would be the common goldfish (which is a terrible inasive in many areas! Again! The lies!)
In order to add more tiger barbs, cichlids, catfish, and any other non-native species in our tanks, that species would have to be added to the approved list. The USFWS currently takes about 4 years to add an animal to the injurious list under the Lacey Act, in order to prohibit a species. With a much larger pool of basically every non-native to go through, how long do you think it will take for them to add even harmless fish onto the "approved list?" What will your LFS do for money in the meantime, when all they can sell legally for years is goldfish?? Think about it folks!
The guy from Israel said the way to fund this is to make the person who wants to import the non-native species pay for the study out of their own pocket. That means you and I would be paying somehow to fund the study that would "prove" that our aquarium fish will cause no harm anywhere in the country. Now given that Florida and a few other regions are sub-tropical and provide the optimum environment for many aquarium fish, this will be at best an uphill battle and at worst futile.
I am NOT trying to be alarmist here, but I am trying to get everyone here to wake up. The US Association of Reptile Keepers sent nearly 50,000 letters to the subcommittee members this week. Thousands of phone calls were logged in the representatives offices, to the point that some committee members changed their minds.
Reptile keepers are but one relatively small facet of the pet trade-- the tropical fish and marine hobby dwarfs us in comparison. Please, friends, if you value your hobby and your right to keep aquarium fish in a lawful manner-- use this 10 day comment period to your advantage. CALL your congressmen. CALL the representatives on the list provided. MAIL a letter to them. I sent 22 letters to every member of the committee last week. I will send 22 more letters tomorrow, ones that I wrote myself that deal with the impact this bill could have on my personal life. Please consider doing SOMETHING... we have a membership here of hundreds! If everyone here mailed just one $.42 cent letter... that would take HOURS of staff time, and it would make our voices heard.
10 days, folks!!! Do your part!

 

[salt210]

WTF????
the fact that our government feels they have the right to even think about doing this is BS!
and yes, I have sent letters to my representatives
looks like I will sending a lot more

 

[meowzer]

I received this today from my congressman
Dear Mrs. Beller:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. It is always pleasure to hear from fellow Oklahomans.
The Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act would require the Secretary of the ******** to establish a process for assessing the risk of all nonnative wildlife species proposed for importation into the United States. This legislation was introduced in response to the many exotic animals that are brought into the United States each year. Some say the introduction of these animals into the United States has a negative impact on the environment, economy, and human health. I believe it is important to maintain and protect our environment while at the same time protecting those who make a fair living from the import of exotic animals. For this reason and as a member of the House Committee on Resources, you can rest assured I will closely monitor this legislation.
Again, thank you for taking the time to share your views on this legislation. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully Yours,
Dan Boren
Member of Congress

 

[renogaw]

from a guy there yesterday:
I apologize for not being able to blog from the hearing today. No cell phones were allowed into the hearing and since this was my first time at a Congressional hearing … I had no idea. After the hearing I was tied up in meetings all day long … I’d like to think of them as both victory meetings and meetings about the future!
In my opinion, the hearing went very well for us. It was abundantly clear that the Subcommittee members heard our voices … many comments were made about phone calls, emails, and letters. Hopefully, that was the reason for the numerous mentions about this only being a first step in the opening statements. There was definitely real concern about the feelings of pet owners, and we made that difference.
The witness testimony was very interesting and it was pretty easy to see all of the different agendas at play. All agreed that invasive species are a problem that needs to be dealt with. Many wondered if HR 669 was actually an achievable way of tackling invasive species. It seems like there needs to be a lot of discussion and back and forth to find some common ground that achieves he goal of providing a real solution to the invasive species problem and protects our pets at the same time. Marshall Meyers of PIJAC did an outstanding job of representing the interests of the entire pet industry and was hands down, the hero of the day!
Make no mistake … HR 669 is still on the books in Congress … In reality, the only way it can actually go away is for it to expire at the end of the 111th session of Congress with no further action. Until then, it will linger out there. It seems that the plan of the subcommittee at this point is to get together all of the relevant parties and have them sit down and work out real solutions to the problems with HR 669 in an attempt to go forward responsibly. How long will that take? Well, stand by … it could be a two weeks, a month, or 6 months … but at some point, and in some form, I’m sure that we’ll see HR 669 again. Of course, NOHR669.com will be ready to get everyone rolling, so keep checking back for updates about what we’re going to do NEXT!
I would like to take a second to give a direct and heart felt thank you to each and every person that sent an email, made a phone call, mailed a stack of letters, handed out a flier, sat down with a Congressman/woman or staffer, or did whatever else it took to make today a great day. The only person that can take credit for this success is YOU, and the guy/gal standing next to you in this fight.
We are ONE, and we cannot be defeated.
-adam
Adam Wysocki
www.nohr669.com

 

[salt210]

hopefully they get the idea that this is not the way to stop the invasive species from getting out of hand. all they will be doing is hurting the people who love their animals and the people who make money from them animals

 

[saltwaterfish.com]

Our thanks to all of those who spoke out on the issue. I think that the congressmen heard from the pet community and it certainly had an impact.

 

[salt210]

has there been any other news about this?