I was at the capitol Monday following our ferret amnesty bill, and want to
let you know where we stand.  (After sitting in the Senate Appropriations
committee hearing for about an hour, I checked with Assemblyman Cunneen's
office to see what the status is.)
 
A fiscal analysis published by the finance dept. for the Senate
Appropriations Committee states that the Dept.  of Fish & Game estimates
that the cost of a 1-year study to determine whether ferrets can go feral
is $212,000.  This estimate means that our bill was a candidate for the
'suspense file' -- exactly where our previous bill died last year.  To
avoid this possibility, our bill's author (Assemblyman Cunneen) withdrew
AB854 from committee and opted to make it a 2-year bill, or "carry-over
bill"; meaning that it will be held over until the next legislative session
after the first of next year.  We won't lose any progress and our bill will
remain in the Senate, and won't have to begin again in the Assembly.  The
direction our bill will take will be determined when the Jeanne & Floyd
Carley (Californians for Ferret Legalization) return from vacation.
 
While it's not the news that everyone was hoping to hear, we are still in
the fight for our pets' freedom in this state.  It only means that we'll
have to work a little longer to attain it.
 
-- Debby G.
Capitol City Ferret Club
NOT Fish, NOT Game, Housepet!!
[Posted in FML issue 2785]