Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1380, the Big Cat Public Safety Act. At the beginning of this hectic year, many Americans were introduced to the issue before us today and this legislation for the first time through the ``Tiger King,'' which in addition to a plethora of colorful real-life characters also shined a spotlight on the dark side of keeping lions, tigers, and other big cats in captivity. The Big Cat Public Safety Act ends the ownership of big cats as pets and prohibits exhibitors from allowing public contact with big cats, including cubs. In 2003, Congress unanimously passed the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, which amended the Lacey Act to prohibit the import, export, buying, selling, transport, receiving, or acquisition of big cats across States to the U.S. border. However, the existing law did not include prohibitions for the private possession or breeding of big cats. Currently, State laws vary quite a bit. Some States have no restrictions; some simply require registration; and some completely prohibit ownership of big cats as pets. The Big Cat Public Safety Act builds on the Captive Wildlife Safety Act by making it illegal to privately possess or breed lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, or any hybrid. The bill is narrowly focused on privately owned animals and includes exemptions for exhibitors with U.S.…”