House Bill 5214 (H5214) in Rhode Island would ban all birds in the order Psittaciformes from being sold in pet shops. Over 350 species of birds would be affected, including parakeets, cockatiels, lovebirds, parrots, macaws, cockatoos, and many more.

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Pet shops would not be allowed to sell birds from breeders, even though some pet shops breed their birds or buy from select breeders.

 

Read the bill text at https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Billtext/BillText25/HouseText25/H5214.pdf. The bill was assigned to the House Corporations Committee. https://www.rilegislature.gov/Pages/CommitteeMembers.aspx?ComChoiceR=HCORP&CommitteeName=Corporations

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email list: rep-solomon@rilegislature.gov, rep-obrien@rilegislature.gov, rep-caldwell@rilegislature.gov, rep-casey@rilegislature.gov, rep-desimone@rilegislature.gov, rep-finkelman@rilegislature.gov, rep-kennedy@rilegislature.gov, rep-mcgaw@rilegislature.gov, rep-newberry@rilegislature.gov, rep-phillips@rilegislature.gov, rep-potter@rilegislature.gov, rep-quattrocchi@rilegislature.gov, rep-sanchez@rilegislature.gov, rep-serpa@rilegislature.gov, rep-voas@rilegislature.gov, HouseCorporations@rilegislature.gov

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NO to H5214

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I oppose House Bill 5214 as a Rhode Island resident and responsible animal owner. This bill paints all bird breeders and pet shops as being guilty of animal cruelty. Rhode Island already has animal cruelty laws, including Tite 4, Chapter 1, titled Cruelty to Animals (Gen. Laws, 1956, § 4-1). This and other laws can be enforced in cases of animal cruelty.

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Pet shops are heavily regulated, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates bird breeders. H5214 is a redundant and superfluous law. Animals in pet shops are already protected under multiple layers of law and regulation.

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Rhode Island legislators should be using our state’s resources on more important matters than writing redundant laws. Please stop H5214 before this bad bill further advances the radical animal rights agenda to remove all pets from our lives. Thank you for your time, and have a good day.

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Sincerely,

 

YOUR NAME and zip code