Tennessee Rep. John Crawford (R) and Sen. John Lundberg (R) have introduced legislation that would authorize municipalities to regulate the use of baited traps within their jurisdictions. House Bill 231 and Senate Bill 232 will receive the following hearings:
- H 231 will be heard at 12 p.m. on March 19 in the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources subcommittee – House Hearing Room II of the capitol building.
- S 223 will be heard at 11:20 a.m. on March 20 in the Senate Committee on Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources – Senate Hearing Room I of the capitol building.
Take Action Today! Tennessee members should contact their state senators and representatives and ask them to vote NO on HB 231 and SB 232. New Jersey members can contact their state senator by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
By removing the authority to manage wildlife from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), legislators would put the wildlife management into the hands of untrained politicians with little or no experience in proven practices and policies. Even more alarming, without proper management of wildlife such as trapping, rabies from wild animals like raccoons and skunks could surge and spread to pets and humans.
Straight from the TWRA: “In Tennessee and elsewhere in the U.S., the number of rabies cases in domestic animals has declined dramatically due to mandatory vaccination laws for dogs and cats. However, rabies among wildlife (especially skunks, bats and raccoons) has become more prevalent. The higher the incidence of rabies in wildlife, the greater the risk to domestic animals who act as a buffer zone between wildlife and humans.”
“Allowing local governments to manage wildlife is a terrible precedent that will create differing regulations from one town to the next,” said Luke Houghton, associate director state services. “Tennessee’s wildlife experts know best how to balance the needs of the public, maintain healthy wildlife populations and protect public safety, including disease prevention. A statewide system of management ensures this will continue.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.