Posted By: Jtrapper
Wake Up Texan's - 04/17/07 05:21 AM
U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
Sportsmen Alert!
For information about the following message, please contact:
U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229
Phone: 614 888-4868 Fax: 614 888-0326
Email: info@ussportsmen.org Website: http://www.ussportsmen.org
April 16, 2007
Animal Cruelty Bill Will Wreck Hunting in the Lone Star State
Texas sportsmen are urged to oppose an animal cruelty bill that puts hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife management at risk.
House Bill 2328, introduced by Rep. Beverly Woolley, R-Houston, and SB 1100, sponsored by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, are bills that provide a major rewrite of the animal cruelty statutes by combining previously exempted wildlife with domestic animals. Blurring the line between wildlife and domestic animals will leave sportsmen open to prosecution. Texas sportsmen should contact Speaker Tom Craddick and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst to oppose the bills.
House Bill 2328 passed the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and it could be on the House floor within the week.
Rep. Woolley has made efforts to resolve issues in HB 2328. The bill attempts to clearly exempt hunting, fishing and trapping, population and depredation control and normal agricultural practices.
However, the proposal remains unacceptable in that it constitutes a major change to the existing statute. The change leaves the wildlife side open to new administrative and judicial interpretation. It leaves unanswered questions relating to wildlife management and feral animals, and provides a new landscape for animal activists to criminalize currently accepted activities.
Current statutes provide reasonable avenues for prosecution of animal cruelty and the changes to the law are unnecessary.
The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and others are also working to defeat the bills.
Take Action! Texas sportsmen should ask Speaker Tom Craddick and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst to not let these bills come to the House or Senate floors for a vote. Sportsmen should also contact their state representatives and senators to oppose the bills. Use the Legislative Action Center at http://www.ussportsmen.org to make contact.
The Honorable Tom Craddick, Speaker
Texas House of Representatives
(512) 463-1000
The Honorable David Dewhurst, Lieutenant Governor
Texas Senate
(512) 463-0001
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, http://www.ussportsmen.org.
Sportsmen Alert!
For information about the following message, please contact:
U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229
Phone: 614 888-4868 Fax: 614 888-0326
Email: info@ussportsmen.org Website: http://www.ussportsmen.org
April 16, 2007
Animal Cruelty Bill Will Wreck Hunting in the Lone Star State
Texas sportsmen are urged to oppose an animal cruelty bill that puts hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife management at risk.
House Bill 2328, introduced by Rep. Beverly Woolley, R-Houston, and SB 1100, sponsored by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, are bills that provide a major rewrite of the animal cruelty statutes by combining previously exempted wildlife with domestic animals. Blurring the line between wildlife and domestic animals will leave sportsmen open to prosecution. Texas sportsmen should contact Speaker Tom Craddick and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst to oppose the bills.
House Bill 2328 passed the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and it could be on the House floor within the week.
Rep. Woolley has made efforts to resolve issues in HB 2328. The bill attempts to clearly exempt hunting, fishing and trapping, population and depredation control and normal agricultural practices.
However, the proposal remains unacceptable in that it constitutes a major change to the existing statute. The change leaves the wildlife side open to new administrative and judicial interpretation. It leaves unanswered questions relating to wildlife management and feral animals, and provides a new landscape for animal activists to criminalize currently accepted activities.
Current statutes provide reasonable avenues for prosecution of animal cruelty and the changes to the law are unnecessary.
The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and others are also working to defeat the bills.
Take Action! Texas sportsmen should ask Speaker Tom Craddick and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst to not let these bills come to the House or Senate floors for a vote. Sportsmen should also contact their state representatives and senators to oppose the bills. Use the Legislative Action Center at http://www.ussportsmen.org to make contact.
The Honorable Tom Craddick, Speaker
Texas House of Representatives
(512) 463-1000
The Honorable David Dewhurst, Lieutenant Governor
Texas Senate
(512) 463-0001
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, http://www.ussportsmen.org.