Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council Lobbies for Reptile Owners in Ohio Legislature

PIJAC Amendments Included in final version of the “Dangerous Animals Bill”
 
May 31, 2012 - PRLog -- The ability of reptile owners in Ohio to continue to own their pets of choice was in doubt since 2010, when previous Governor Ted Strickland, in his last days in office, issued an Executive Order banning the ownership, breeding, selling, trading and bartering of large constrictors and venomous snakes. Then, the issue took center-stage in October 2011 with the unfortunate incident of the release of many exotic animals in Zanesville, Ohio, prompting Governor John Kasich to take legislative action. The Ohio Dangerous Wild Animals Task Force was formed to come up with recommendations for legislation to regulate exotic animals. Throughout the legislative process that followed,  PIJAC worked diligently to protect the rights of reptile owners and businesses in the Buckeye state -- and their tireless efforts were reflected in the final version of Ohio Senate Bill 310, now on Governor Kasich’s desk awaiting his signature into law.

On May 22nd, the Ohio House passed an amended version of SB 310, which was immediately agreed upon in concurrence by the Senate.  When originally introduced, SB 310 would have banned ownership of many snakes common to the reptile owners in Ohio. PIJAC successfully lobbied many key legislators and the Governor’s office to amend SB 310 in a way that allows continued ownership of these animals.

To aid efforts, PIJAC also hired a Columbus-based lobbyist, Bill Byers of Bill Byers and Associates.  PIJAC argued that reptiles and snakes should not be included in this legislation and no such animals were involved in the Zanesville incident. When it became apparent that snakes were not going to be removed from the legislation, PIJAC proposed a list of amendments necessary to ensure the safety of reptile owners and businesses in Ohio.  

“In the early stages of this legislation many snake species, including boa constrictors and reticulated pythons, were going to be banned in the state of Ohio,” said PIJAC President, Mike Canning.  

“PIJAC worked alongside the Ohio legislature to ensure the rights of reptile owners and businesses, the protection of snakes and the establishment of safe, healthy and reasonable restrictions to protect the general public,” said Canning.  “We are very pleased with the outcome.”

PIJAC was successful in:
•   having Boa constrictors removed completely from list of restricted snakes
•   ensuring that any species of constricting snake listed as a ‘restricted’ snake may be  
       owned WITHOUT a permit if the snake is less than 12-feet in length
•   exempting constricting snakes from liability insurance/surety bond mandate
•   allowing employees and volunteers of permitted facilities to not be considered
       “members of the public”
•   permitting public contact with constricting snakes for educational purposes for
       school-aged students  
•   prohibiting the Director of Department of Natural Resources to add new animals to
       the restricted list by going through the legislative process, and
•   reducing signage requirements to only require owners of restricted snakes to post
       signs on the cage of the snake or any vehicle transporting the snake.

PIJAC is pleased with the efforts made by legislators, and the Governor, to work with the pet industry on this issue.  PIJAC supports reasonable regulation of animals that may pose a threat to public health or safety, but does not believe absolute bans are sound public policy.  PIJAC believes that it is only appropriate to promote sound ownership of certain species, not generally kept as pets, by ensuring that the owners of these animals have the specific knowledge and facilities to properly maintain them.  Many of the snakes listed as “restricted” pose little to no threat to the public. While we would have preferred snakes be removed from the bill completely, the bill including out amendments allows for continued ownership of these animals and allows business to continue operating.

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) provides its members a voice in state and national legislative issues through advocacy and timely information regarding upcoming policy issues that affect the pet industry, pet owners, and the animals they care for.  Join PIJAC today at www.pijac.org.
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