03/17/2022
URGENT: Oppose Amendments to Lacey Act in House COMPETES Act HR4521
PVAS is asking its members to write to their state senators asking them to remove the Lacey Act Amendments from the COMPETES Act before it goes to a vote in the US Senate. The club is not expressing an opinion about the COMPETES Act itself. Each member's political opinions are their own private business. The club's position is limited to the Lacey Act Amendments which would greatly alter the aquarium hobby and severely curtail fish club's ability to hold auctions or any other activity where wet pets are bought or sold.
PIJAC (Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council) is a great place to get up-to-date, accurate information about the Lacey Act Amendments and how their passage will affect the pet industry as a whole. If you're a subscriber to Amazonas magazine, you've been getting regular updates from the editorial staff.
The Lacey Act Amendments would:
--Prevent interstate transport of species listed as injurious
--Create a whitelist of approved species that can be imported, where any animal not listed is treated as an injurious species by default and banned from importation into the U.S.
--No species of fish could be imported unless it were demonstrated to not be injurious in any state in the continental US. Yes, that means from Florida to Minnesota.
How can you take action right now? PIJAC has made it incredibly easy and fast. Go to the PIJAC website. Go to Legislative Action Center under Government Affairs. Click the Take Action button which will take you here: https://cqrcengage.com/pijac/app/write-a-letter?3&engagementId=513850
The link takes you to an easy online form to fill out with your name, address, email, and phone number (required by the offices of the state senators). Click the submit button. Another window will pop up with your State Senator's names. In MD, I was given an opportunity to write a brief note to my senators. Then I clicked submit. It took me no more than 5 minutes.
If you love your fish and shrimp, if you love this hobby, if you love your fish club, then you will take the 5 minutes required to let your state senators know that you do not support the Lacey Act Amendments impacting the pet industry.
Thank you for your attention, Patchin Curtis
President, Potomac Valley Aquarium Society
URGENT: Oppose Amendments to Lacey Act in House COMPETES Act HR4521 Take action now UPDATE: The COMPETES Act bill (H.R. 4521) passed the House on Friday, February 4 and it is now headed to the Senate for consideration. Use the form below to contact your Senator and oppose today! Download Fact Sheet...
