Consequences of Section 71102 (or Lacey Act amendments) in house bill H.R.4521 for the U.S. pet hobby

• Outlaws >98% of all pet species in the US trade (birds, mammals, amphibs, fish, reptiles, plus invertebrates such as corals, spiders, insects, crustaceans, etc., by declaring them invasive/injurious wildlife by default within 1 year after signing of the final law
• Wild and captive born animals are treated the same
• Import/Export and moving with most pets across state lines become illegal
• Lacey Act is federal law; any species deemed a risk anywhere is outlawed nationwide
• Legal species aside of cats and dogs limited to a small handful
• Legal status designated by USFWS=conflict of interest: fewer species → less work
• Importers, wholesalers, breeders, fish farmers, coral growers, etc. go bankrupt
• Most local pet shops close, so will many specialist manufacturers and equipment suppliers
• Thousands of mostly small businesses cease operation, diminishing property values
• Tens of thousands of jobs lost, diminishing income tax revenue
• $20 billion in annual sales lost, diminishing sales tax revenue
• Black marketing and criminal smuggling increase, how did alcohol prohibition turn out?
• Prices for legal species increase as overall market is smaller
• Equipment and foods disappear as manufacturing is no longer profitable
Current status:
• Sec 71102 was added by to H.R.4521 without debate in early Feb 2022
• H.R.4521 with Sec 71102 passed the house of representative 221:210 on Feb 4, 2022
• Senate bill S.1260 passed the senate 68:32 on Jun 8, 2021, but lacks these amendments
• Reconciliation of both bills is likely and there are enough votes to pass a reconciled bill
• Our only chance is to remove Sec 71102 during reconciliation

It is so important that people in the United States write to their representatives and senators to oppose this bill. If it passes the Senate, there is a very real chance that President Biden will sign it and start chaos in the worlds of our favorite animal, bird, insect, aquatic, and arachnid friends. 
I own three aquariums with fish and snails, and I hope to get more in the future. However, if this bill with the Lacey Act included is signed into law, all production and sale of aquatic products will end, along with the items needed for the care of almost every other “unusual” kind of pet.

Please, sign this petition to stop the passing of bill H.R 4521 with the Lacey Act Amendment!

(credit to Stephan Tanner for the simplified explanation of the Lacey Act Amendment)