Mitch Landrieu: “Taking that advice to heart, Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 1004. I would like to speak about that amendment…”

“Taking that advice to heart, Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 1004. I would like to speak about that amendment now. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To require the Food and Drug Administration to permit the sale of baby turtles as pets so long as the seller uses proven methods to effectively treat salmonella) At the end of the bill, add the following: TITLE __--DOMESTIC PET TURTLE MARKET ACCESS SEC. __. SHORT TITLE. This title may be cited as the ``Domestic Pet Turtle Market Access Act of 2007''. SEC. __. FINDINGS. Congress makes the following findings: (1) Pet turtles less than 10.2 centimeters in diameter have been banned for sale in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration since 1975 due to health concerns. (2) The Food and Drug Administration does not ban the sale of iguanas or other lizards, snakes, frogs, or other amphibians or reptiles that are sold as pets in the United States that also carry salmonella bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration also does not require that these animals be treated for salmonella bacteria before being sold as pets. (3) The technology to treat turtles for salmonella, and make them safe for sale, has greatly advanced since 1975.”