Action Alert
February 21, 2007
Call the House Speaker
and the Chair of the
Committee on Natural Resources
TODAY!
We need to put pressure on the leadership of the Oklahoma House immediately! The committee substitute for HB 1842 has been introduced, but we have heard that it will not be scheduled for a hearing. If HB 1842 is not scheduled for a hearing by the close of business on Thursday of this week, the bill is dead for this session.
Call the Representatives listed below TODAY. You should also call
your own Representative. If you don't know who that is, go to:
www.okhouse.gov/Information/Info_FAQ.aspx
The most important step is to call the Representatives listed below immediately.
Tell them, "I want the committee substitute of HB 1842 to get a hearing before the Committee this session." Additional talking points and a sample email are provided below, after the contact information. Remember, always be polite. Because of the tight deadline, calls are the best approach! If you must use email, put "Give HB 1842 a hearing" in the subject line.
Important: This is not the original, "shell" version of HB 1842 that was filed. The committee substitute of HB 1842 is a much better anti-NAIS bill. Please be sure that you are clear about the fact that you are supporting the amended version of HB 1842. If you or your Representative need a copy of the committee substitute version, click here.
Key Contacts:
- Rep. Cargill, Speaker of the House, (405) 557-7400,
lancecargill@okhouse.gov - Rep. DeWitt, Chair of the Committee on Natural Resources, (405)
557-7332,
daledewitt@okhouse.gov - Rep. Armes, Chair of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, (405)
557-7307,
donarmes@okhouse.gov
Talking points:
Begin with: "I want the committee substitute of HB 1842 to get a hearing before the Committee this session." Then you can talk about the reasons NAIS should be stopped and this bill should be heard:
NAIS will hurt Oklahoma's economy:
- There has been no cost analysis by USDA or Oklahoma Department of Agriculture
- Costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor
- Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs
- Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business.
- Remaining farmers will pass the costs on to consumers, lowering demand for local foods
Neither the USDA nor the state agency has scientific proof show that NAIS will improve disease control:
- It does not address the cause, treatment, or transmission of disease, in domestic or wild animals.
- It does not significantly improve on current methods for identification and tracking of disease.
NAIS is not necessary for the market. Age- and source-verification is already available through the USDA's Process Verified Program.
NAIS will not improve food safety:
- USDA itself has stated that this is not a food safety program
- Contamination of food with e. coli and other bacteria occurs at the slaughterhouse or afterwards, while NAIS will stop before that point.
NAIS will not protect against terrorism:
- The microchips chosen by the state can be cloned, destroyed, or infected with computer viruses, and reprogrammed. Any terrorist or thief can use this.
- The database of information, created by the state agency and available to USDA, will provide a target for hackers.
NAIS infringes on people's constitutional rights, including due process, privacy, and religious freedom.
USDA states that NAIS is voluntary at the federal level, so there is no "federal mandate" requiring Oklahoma to implement this program
Other states are also rejecting or limiting NAIS, so Oklahoma will not be disadvantaged by refusing to participate.
Sample email:
Subject line: "Give HB 1842 a hearing"
Dear Representative ___:
I want the committee substitute of HB 1842 to get a hearing before the Committee this session. The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is an issue of great importance to Oklahomans, and we expect our legislators to hold a full and fair hearing on the issue.
I am a ____ (small farmer, consumer, taxpayer - tell them a sentence about yourself). I am opposed to NAIS because it will impose heavy burdens on our rights and our economy, without providing any real benefits. Neither the USDA nor the Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture has provided any scientific basis for the claims of improved disease control. NAIS is an unprecedented expansion of the government bureaucracy into people's private lives and infringes on our property rights. NAIS will drive many small and medium-size farmers and ranchers out of business and discourage people from owning horses and other livestock as pets, resulting in far-reaching effects on our economy. The only winners in this program are the microchip manufacturers, the associations that will manage the databases, and the government employees. Please schedule the committee substitute of HB 1842 for a hearing as soon as possible.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Name
Address
City, State, Zip