| MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATIVE ALERT! Senate Bill 147 |
| LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: THANK YOU to everyone who wrote letters! We expect this bill to be amended in the future please check back frequently for information updates! YOUR letters will be needed! Read News Update below ... S147 AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE SALE OF UNWEANED BABY BIRDS |
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Copyright 2007 Aves Communications & Promotions
| The American Federation of Aviculture, Inc. has a position paper on “The Sale of Unweaned Baby Birds” on the AFA website at: http://afabirds.org/pos_unweaned.shtml Note that: “AFA OPPOSES any legislative or regulatory intrusion on issues of personal responsibility surrounding the transfer of unweaned baby birds by attempting to define or qualify who can or cannot provide proper care or hand rearing.” |
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OPPOSE
| LANGUAGE OF THE BILL: S147 (Exact Bill Text)
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| In 2006, at the end of the legislative session, Senate bill 2195/2651 died in summer session, however it has been reintroduced in the 2007 legislative session. A hearing is now set for APRIL 11, 2007 Wednesday, 10:00 AM Mass. State House Room B-2 We need YOUR letters to your state legislators prior to the hearing. We also need your support as dedicated aviculturists and bird owners to attend the hearing.This time, we will have the advantage of being able to testify, an opportunity denied to us when S2195 was so quickly introduced, without learning of it in time. Senator Morrissey continues to be the lead sponsor. |
| 1. WRITE LETTERS Send your letters to OPPOSE Senate Bill 147 to: 1) Senator Harriette Chandler Chair, Community Development & Small Business State House Room 312-D, Boston State House E-Mail Address: Harriette.Chandler@state.ma.us Telephone: 617-722-1544 Fax: 617-722-1357 2) Other members of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business (click green link for other committee members' names and contact info) 3) Your State Senator 4) A copy to your State Representative If you do not know your state legislators, you can find them online here: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php 4) Alert your club members and others in your area. We need your letters! Stay informed and also visit the AFA Legislative Link for updates at: http://afabirds.org/legislation.shtml 2. ATTEND THE HEARING ~ thanks if you did! Your presence counts (literally) and makes a difference! If you do NOT show up the committee WILL pass this bill!!! Update: We DID show up and it did NOT pass but we need to amend it still ... 3. RETURN HERE TO READ FUTURE UPDATES! |
WHAT TO DO
| Please check back frequently and/or check: AFA Legislative Link: http://afabirds.org/legislation.shtml |
For further information email: Linda S. Rubin or call 617-469-0557 |
| Intent: No commercial establishment, pet shop, firm or corporation shall import into the commonwealth for sale or resale in the commonwealth any Unweaned Bird. Effect: This will affect all pet shops and retail bird sellers including brokers prohibiting them from selling unweaned chicks. The Department of Food and Agriculture will establish rules and regulations as to what age and size each species of bird must be before being sold. Unweaned birds cannot be sold or transported into the State. Rules and regulations will be reviewed on an annual basis. |
| Should this bill pass, it will affect both bird breeders and hand-feeders within Massachusetts, as well as any state involved with the transporting of unweaned chicks across Massachusetts state lines because it requires chicks to remain with the breeder until weaned. It can also impact breeders and retailers by limiting them from utilizing experienced and talented hand-feeders with proven expertise that have been relied upon with past success. The USDA will also establish rules and regulations for age and size of each bird species, with annual reviews. |
READ "WHAT TO DO" BELOW!
| SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 11th at 10:00 A.M. at the MA State House! |
| NEWS UPDATE! "The Massachusetts Legislature is considering legislation that would ban the importation of unweaned birds in Massachusetts. Both the American Federation of Aviculture (AFA) and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) oppose the bill, NO. 147. Linda Rubin, a Massachusetts bird breeder and the AFA's Northeastern regional director, testified against the bill at an April public hearing. It would greatly affect bird breeders' ability to do their jobs well, and it would limit access to experienced hand-feeders within the state, Rubin said. Allen and Rena Fox of Bird Supply of New Hampshire and Janet and Gary Lilienthal, former AFA legislative vice president and legal counsel, respectively, also testified against the bill." BIRD TALK, JULY 2007, page 10 |