LEGISLATION

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2000:

The Conservation and Reinvestment
Act, approved on May 10 by 314 of
the 435 members of the House of Representatives
and now before the Senate, would
allocate $45 billion in federal oil leasing revenues
to buying land for parks and green
space, wildlife protection, and beach maintenance.
Backed by most leading conservation
groups, it is opposed by John Eberh
a r t of the Georgia Earth Alliance, who
argues that the matching funds it would
grant to state wildlife agencies might remove
their incentive to seek support from the nonhunting
and trapping public, not just the
license-buying hunters and trappers.
The California State Assembly
on May 30 voted 55-18 in support of A B
2 4 7 9, which would prohibit dismembering,
flaying, or scaling live turtles, frogs, and
birds sold as food––notably at the so-called
“live markets” serving mostly ethnic Asian
clientele in San Francisco, Oakland,
Stockton, Sacramento, and Los Angeles.
Illinois Governor George Ryan
on June 9 signed into law HB 3254, the
Dissection Alternatives Act, which enables
students to opt out of school dissection labs.