Political Quotes

“today I would like to enter into a colloquy with the senior Senator from Connecticut to discuss the Big Cat Public Safety Act. Section 3 of the bill amends title 16 of the U.S. Code, section 3372(e) by striking the entire subsection and inserting new prohibitions on private ownership of big cats, registration requirements for existing private owners, and new regulation parameters for facilities that display these animals to the public. Striking all of subsection (e) to insert the bill's proposed language eliminates a standing protection of State authority to enact and enforce their own laws in this area. Section Sec. 3372(e)(4) currently states that ``nothing in this subsection preempts or supersedes the authority of a state to regulate wildlife species within that state.'' By striking this protection against Federal preemption, Federal authorities and regulators would have the ability to supplant any State action or policy unless there are other sections of U.S. Code that protect the rights of States. Senator Blumenthal, do you understand this to be the case?”