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 Home > News and alerts > You are here: Bill to federalize wildlife laws scheduled to be heard in Senate committee Bill to federalize wildlife laws scheduled to be heard in Senate committee (11/13/2002) Legislation that could federalize hunting laws
and jeopardize game programs across the country will be heard on
Thursday, November 14 in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Bill 1655 would put a “one size fits all” policy
on wildlife management activities that ignores America’s diverse
hunting culture. Sportsmen
across the nation must contact their U.S. Senators in opposition to this
bill. Senate Bill 1655 purports to ban the hunting of
exotic animals in enclosures. Titled
the Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act, it also allows the federal
government to define “fair chase,” ignoring the hunting culture, as
it exists in different states. It
opens the door for the federal government to begin regulating hunting
and fishing. Until now, it
only intervened on wildlife issues that concerned endangered or
migratory species. For example, congressmen from California and
Massachusetts would have a voice in the management of wildlife in South
Dakota or Tennessee. This
is not the duty of Congress - it is the responsibility of state wildlife
agencies, which exist to manage wildlife in their own states. Senate Bill 1655 was originally written to ban
all hunting in enclosures, but the bill’s sponsors could not muster
support for legislation that would ban hunting on some of the largest
ranches in the country. It
was scaled back, and now applies only to exotic mammals, such as lions. The anti’s are relying on sportsmen to
concentrate on the notion that the bill will simply ban hunting of
exotic animals within enclosures. They
hope that hunters will overlook the dangers Senate Bill 1655 presents to
the future of hunting. Senate
Bill 1655 must be defeated in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Call your two U.S. Senators today!
Contact them by calling (202) 224-3121 and asking to be connected
to their offices. Ask each of your senators to vote against Senate
Bill 1655 because it undermines wildlife conservation across the
country. Also, if you are a
resident of any of the states below, contact your member of the Senate
Judiciary Committee and ask him or her to vote against Senate Bill 1655
because it is vague and would adversely affect sportsmen. The members are: Patrick Leahy
(D-VT)
(Chairman) 202-224-4242 CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
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