Action Alert
May 3, 2007
CONTACT THE SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
HB 461 has been assigned to the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture. It's time to focus our efforts on the Subcommittee members!
The victory in the House shows that we can win this fight - if enough people call and write, then the legislators will pay attention!!! But a lot has to happen for HB 461 to make it to the Governor's desk: A Senator has to sponsor the bill; the Subcommittee has to hold a hearing and vote to approve the bill; the Natural Resources Committee has to approve the bill; and the full Senate must vote on the bill.
We have come a long way already, but the fight is not over yet! So please take action now.
- Call the five Senators who are on the Agriculture Subcommittee. Tell them you want HB 461 to have a hearing as soon as possible, and that you want them to vote yes on the bill. Contact information and talking points are at the end of this alert.
- Call your Senator. Ask him or her to contact Senator Estes,
who chairs the Subcommittee on Agriculture. The message is: "I want
HB 461 to get a hearing as soon as possible." If you don't know who
your Senator is, go to:
www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/ or call the Capitol Switchboard at 512-463-4630 - Call or write Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst:
Capitol Station
P.O. Box 12068
Austin, Texas 78711
512-463-0001 (phone)
512-463-0677 (fax). Ask him to support the bill.
TIPS:
Always be polite. Offer to follow-up with more
information, which we can provide. We gain nothing by antagonizing
people or being rude, so remember that you can disagree politely!
In-person visits, calls, and faxed or mailed letters are the most effective methods. If you e-mail your legislator, put what you want in the subject line ("Support HB 461" for example). As always, if you have any questions, contact us noah@libertyark.net.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE SUBCOMMITTEE
Below are the telephone and fax numbers for the Senators on the Agriculture Subcommittee. The area code is (512). You can also email each Senator at: firstname.lastname@senate.state.tx.us.
Chairman Estes, 463-0130 (p), 463-8874 (f)
Senator Hegar, 463-0118 (p), 475-3736 (f)
Senator Hinojosa, 463-0120 (p), 463-0229 (f)
Senator Jackson, 463-0111 (p), 475-3727 (f)
Senator Uresti, 463-0119 (p), 463-1017 (f)
TALKING POINTS FOR MEETINGS OR CALLS
- NAIS is a major issue for me. It's not just one issue among many, it's an election issue.
- NAIS will hurt Texas' economy. There has been no cost analysis by USDA or Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC). The costs of the program include the cost of the tags, hardware, software, time and labor. Many small farmer and ranchers cannot afford these costs and will go out of business. Service providers (veterinarians, feed stores, auction houses, meat processors, etc.) will be harmed when the farmers and ranchers go out of business. Ultimately, the costs will be passed on to consumers, driving inflation.
- Neither the USDA nor the TAHC 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. The database of information, created by TAHC 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 Texas to implement this program.
- Other states are also rejecting or limiting NAIS, so Texas will not be disadvantaged by limiting it to a voluntary program. The Arizona Governor has just signed a law that bars NAIS from becoming mandatory in Arizona. The Missouri Senate has passed a complete bar on any government-run NAIS, and the Tennessee House Committee on Agriculture has unanimously approved a bill that would bar a mandatory NAIS.
SAMPLE LETTER
Be sure to personalize your letter for the greatest impact
Dear Senator _______:
I am a _________ (small farmer, consumer of local foods, horse owner, taxpayer. Tell them a little bit about yourself and why you care about this issue). I ask that you support HB 461, which would limit the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) to a truly voluntary program in Texas, including provisions for full disclosure, the right to withdraw, and non-discrimination. HB 461 has been assigned to the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, and I ask that you contact Chairman Estes' office to request that he give it a hearing as soon as possible and send it on to the full Committee on Natural Resources.
I am opposed to NAIS because it will impose heavy burdens on our rights and our economy, without providing any real benefits. NAIS is an unprecedented expansion of the government bureaucracy into people's private lives and infringes on our property rights. Neither the U.S. Department of Agriculture nor the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has provided any scientific basis for the claims of improved disease control. Neither agency has done a cost-benefit analysis of the program, either. There are many more effective, less expensive, and less intrusive methods for improving animal health and addressing animal disease.
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. If the federal government ultimately decides to implement NAIS, it can do so - our state should not.
HB 461 is critical to protecting the rights of Texans, the health of our animals, and the health of our economy. Please tell the Subcommittee on Agriculture that you support this bill.
I look forward to your response. Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Email, if you have it