General Snake topics forum

Video How To Fight HR669Here is a step by step video done by Ralph Davis of USARK on how to most effectively fight HR669. This is what the Folks on Capitol Hill suggested we do when USARK President Andrew Wyatt and USARK Lobbyist Tom Wolfe met with key figures from the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans & Wildlife... including Ranking Republican Representative Harry Brown's office. Old fashion letter writing is still one of the most effective ways to lobby congress. Marshal Myers from PIJAC agreed; real letters are irreplaceable as a tool to lobby congress. If you are doing other things to try and reach the committee thats great. We want to pursue all efforts to defeat HR669. The NoHR669.com campaign is commendable. USARK supports it... but you need to write your letters first. There is no easy way out... there just isn't. WRITE YOUR LETTERS!

Click here to watch Video http://usark.org/hr669.php

Click here to get written instructions http://usark.org/hr669.php

Click here for sample letter and contacts http://usark.org/hr669.php

Posted April 11, 2009 23:24 by ReptileMan27 (18

) In response to ReptileMan27

Updated April 11, 2009 23:25

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Thanks a lot Jason, I hope that we can get everyone involved in opposing this bill. No one realizes the effect it's going to have on the nation - businesses, families, and lives alike. I can't believe they are trying to rid a multi billion dollar industry with the way the economy already is. (as if we're not hurting enough!) Thanks for posting this, you beat me to it

Posted April 12, 2009 22:49 by UpstateNYPets (36

) In response to ReptileMan27

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Thanks Jason!

H.R. 669 stands for House Resolution 669 and is titled "The Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act". It is a bill currently before Congress that if passed will change the way that the US Government classifies animal species that are not native to the United States. H.R. 669 will make it illegal to breed and sell many animals that are very common in the pet trade.

What you can do
You are able to directly email and also place phone calls to local representatives. Also, old fashioned letter writing is still one of the most successful ways to lobby congress. Tell them that you oppose H.R. 669 as well as the financial and/or emotional effect it will have on you, or your friends, or your family members if it passes.

Go to NOHR669.com for help in creating a letter or email.

Posted April 13, 2009 20:54 by earthling (44

) In response to ReptileMan27

Updated April 13, 2009 20:56

Yes, this comment is helpful (1)

Oh, here is a link to an explanation of HR 669 from PetAlert (an admittedly pro-pet publication from the Pet Industry Advisory Council).

HR 669 summary and Representative contact information pdf:
CONGRESSIONAL HEARING BANNING NONNATIVE SPECIES

Posted April 13, 2009 21:03 by earthling (44

) In response to earthling

Updated April 13, 2009 21:03

H.R. 669 (What is it?) - H.R. 669 is a bill that is currently going through consideration that will end ALL non-native wildlife from being imported, exported, kept as pets, bred, and traded. In other words, those cute little hamsters, ferrets, exotic parrots/birds, your well loved salt water amd freshwater fish, and nearly all reptiles and amphibians will no longer be available for you to purchase and own. This bill is banning them from coming into the US, thus in turn banning them from our ownership and our right to own pets. Once your pets die, that's it... You will not be able to own another. Pet owners also will not be able to breed these species. Please don't let the irresponsible pet owners ruin the rights of owning pets for others. Lets do something about this bill today. DO NOT LET IT GET PASSED!

Again, write an email, place a phone call, and write to your local representatives. Whether you post one email/call or 100 emails/calls and send in 100 postal letters, it will help. Let our voices as responsible pet owners be heard.

Here are some facts to think about:

The trade in Reptiles is a 2 billion dollar a year business (closer to 3 billion if you include all the ancillary businesses that support the animals).

More than 11 million reptiles are being kept as pets in the US.

More than 1 in every 25 households has 1 or more reptiles.

There are close to 2 million Pythons and another 2 million Boas in captivity in the US right now. Many worth thousands of dollars each.

There are more than 7 million geckos, turtles, lizards and other reptiles in captivity in the US right now.

The US is the world leader comprising 82% of the reptile trade worldwide.

HR669 is currently being considered by the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans & Wildlife.

There is a hearing scheduled for April 23rd.

Posted April 13, 2009 21:13 by UpstateNYPets (36

) In response to earthling

Updated April 13, 2009 21:15

WE DID IT FOLKS!!!! Victory over HR669! You can thank yourselves and the Reptile Nation, for a hard fought Victory! Our nearly 50,000 grassroots letters and 1,000s of phone calls to the offices of the subcommittee members clearly prevailed at today's Insular Affairs Subcommittee hearing on HR 669. HR 669 in it's current form is finished. For anything to go forward it MUST be re-written from the ground up....and USARK will have a seat at the table along with other stake holders.

Delegate Faleomavega from Samoa said, "The letter and phone campaign hit the subcommittee like a BUZZ SAW". Harry Burroughs, of the subcommittee staff said, "I haven't seen a letter writing campaign like this in 30 years! You should be proud of yourselves." Take heart in the fact that the Reptile Nation stopped HR669 in it's tracks!!

We also need to thank Congressman Henry Brown, SC for helping us to focus our fight on the Subcommittee as opposed to the full House of Representatives. He is the one who instructed us to write real letters to be truly effective. He said emails are fine if that is all you can manage, but they can be filtered and deleted. There is no denying the weight of thousands of paper letters from American citizens. The Reptile Nation was responsible for 49,229 letters delivered to the Subcommittee in less than two weeks. Congressman Brown's staff made sure they all got in the door. 38,000 of those letters will be entered into the permanent record. Thank you my friends!

-from the email generated by USARK

Posted May 04, 2009 13:14 by UpstateNYPets (36

) In response to UpstateNYPets

We gained an important preliminary victory... but this is far from over. It was just round one.

USARK has learned that the Defenders of Wildlife, Humane Society of the United States and The Nature Conservancy are going to meet with Delegate Bordallo's Subcommittee Staff in early May. The word is that they will be discussing a rewrite of HR669. They are expected to actually change the bill very little. The idea is to cut deals with the biggest opponents of the bill. We believe any proposal that involves a "white list" or a complicated permit system is a Deal Breaker for the Reptile Nation. That scenario we believe would eliminate the majority of animals and most hobbyist breeders. USARK will never endorse a deal that sacrifices any of our brothers and sisters.

This NEW bill is likely to be reintroduced under a new number in order to lose the stigma of HR669 as a tainted bill.

-taken from email by USARK

Posted May 04, 2009 13:16 by UpstateNYPets (36

) In response to UpstateNYPets

I remember this, and honestly didn't really fear it for some reason. I felt that confident. Weird. Hasn't this tried to pass before and has always failed miserably? Im being overconfident aren't I?

Posted June 29, 2009 16:13 by pettastic (0

) In response to ReptileMan27

Yes, this comment is helpful (0)

It's okay to be over confident, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be aware and shouldn't help try to stop the people who are trying to ruin our hobby. Even if you think the law is so far outta wack that it won't pass, doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about it. Weird things happen within the government, so you never know what's going to happen.

Yes, they've tried passing similar laws before and they are actually already having hearings for this same law again. The fight for our hobby rights is not over nor will it ever be. I suggest you visit and sign up for email notifications through USARK. They inform everyone what's going on everywhere. Keep an eye out for things you can do to help keep our hobby going strong.
USARK (United States Association of Reptile Keepers) - http://www.usark.org/

Posted June 29, 2009 16:41 by UpstateNYPets (36

) In response to pettastic