Gin, I reached out to my Congresswoman, I wanted to show you the letter I received in response!!
June 2, 2009
Ms. Rebecca Luce
Chicago, Illinois 60613
Dear Ms. Luce: Thank you for contacting me to urge that I oppose H.R. 669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. I appreciate hearing from you. I understand and appreciate the complexity of this issue. Every year, thousands of nonnative wild animals are legally imported to the United States to supply the pet, aquarium, live food, live bait, and other industries. While the overwhelmingly majority of these animals are handled properly, by responsible pet and store owners, some of these animals are irresponsibly released into the wild and become invasive species in their new surroundings. An excellent example of that phenomenon is the Asian Carp, which were imported by catfish farmers in the 1970's to remove algae in ponds, but have since wreaked havoc on Lake Michigan's ecosystem. H.R. 669, is intended to address the phenomenon, however, I agree with you that in its current form, the legislation does not do enough to protect the rights of responsible pet and store owners. Therefore, I will contact Representative Nick Rahall, Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, and relay my concerns with the bill. Again, I appreciate hearing from you. If I can be of assistance to you in the future, please let me know.
Sincerely, Jan Schakowsky,Member of Congress
P.S. I've created an Email Newsletter to provide periodic updates on a variety of issues. You can sign up for it by going to my website at
View from the Hill Online - Representative Jan Schakowsky, 9th District, Illinois
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