The America COMPETES Act of 2022: rules.house.gov/bill/117/hr-4521 US ARK Article on the Lacey Act Amendments: usark.org/2022lacey/

Nice video, thanks for digging in a bit. the problem, is fish are all automatically black listed until proven safe and a local professor at University of Washington said that is a $40,000 to $150,000 just to fund that for one species... so they also said if it was imported in large amounts in the last year, it may be automatically white listed (which doesn't make sense either...I mean, maybe plecos should be illegal in states where they are thriving in the wild. I guess it's mostly frustrating because the act is so vague that it COULD be read as to mean- any organism that can survive in any part of our country, cannot be kept as a pet due to the threat of it getting out and ruining ecosystems. Apparently, carp and goldfish were specifically the spark behind this suggested change (in Minnesota they pulled 60,000 goldfish from a lake last year alone)...so they want to ban the ownership of those cool water species... Meteor minnows, cpds, weather loaches, paradise fish, and many livebearers / yet they also have made it clear that fish already making money (known species with taxonomic info on them, in the trade) can be spared by some yet to be determined ruling. I'm sad to hear how everyone is lining up with political party lines, which is silly, we just need to read it and think for ourselves...and seperate the partisan junk i keep hearing... i think We just need a surgical alteration to 3 pages (or Lacey Act Ammendments) ... apparently the secretary of the interior would be the person to clarify any details. For instance what is a "minimum import amounts." However they have no scientific schooling background. It will also apply to aquatic plants I've been informed as well. Which is another aspect I care about deeply as an aquascaper. According to my buddy who is a lobbyist, the Kaizer survey group and lobbyist organization had this inserted the day prior to the HR-4521 hitting the house vote floor. And that very company has been hired by Central Pet (petsmart, chewy,com and many other big brands). They would like to see 200 or 300 species allowed to be imported and transfered....(which have studies done or could be done with corporate grants, such as angelfish or neon blue tetras)... then they would have a monopoly on importing those species cheaply...LFS wouldn't be able to offer the oddball or specialized fish unless cleared to the white list, and any new species is automatically black listed until a 3 year probationary period AND a process to determine if it is "an injurious organism". Just because a fish would ruin Hawaii ecosystem, if it escaped or was released, they want to federally ban all species that could survive someplace in the USA (including the literal tropical regions of American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico...which in theory is all fish salt or freshwater.). I think they should just make it a felony to transport those fish to zones where ire a possible threat...just like with apples or fruit quarantine zones around the USA. (IE Apple Maggot QT here in Washington state.) But that same law doesn't need to be extended to Alaska for instance. No matter what, this Act just needs more clarity. It is so incredibly vague that it could mean almost no changes, or could cause the collapse of the entire Aquaria hobby...and we need to sort that info out ..and preferably vote on it with it's own bill or initiative and not a collaborative ACT of Congress 2,971 pages long. -Alex

The thing that drives me crazy about this is that they bury it in a 3,000 page document that has nothing to do with the Lacy act and list it under the section 'miscellaneous'. It's almost like they are tricking people into signing something they don't really know about. It should be separated into it's own document so people know what they are supporting.

I believe that states do a better job regulating these things. For example, the aquarium society in Missouri has a good relationship with fish and wildlife. MASI follows all state restrictions as well as passing new restriction information to members and the community.

I won't be able to order a simple Betta fish from anywhere but my own State. Not Florida. Not Washington. Not Oregon. Three very popular business sources for hobby tropical fish. We've had enough control of our personal lives by good-for-nothing government bureaucrats. We've had enough.

You left out some important aspects. Everything exotic/non-native (exempting non-native cats/dogs), or non-domestic farm animal by default is banned from inter-state travel and import. Species under those category are by default on a black list until they get reviewed and proven to be non-injurious. In the bill there's a timeline of 3 yrs to review species, but no indication of what species will receive review nor is it likely that they'd get to everything within that timeframe. The ban also comes into effect before the review timeline is up. If a species is missed during that review, or if they can be considered injurious in one state (eg; florida), they could be on the blacklist for every state, regardless of their potential to become invasive. There's also a provision exempting species that have been previously imported in certain "minimal amounts", but what counts as minimal is left to be defined in later legislation. I thought this might have been overblown too, until I read through the whole thing a few times and took in the scope and ambiguity of what was being proposed.

Important difference exists between the America COMPETES Act -- which passed the House on a near party-line vote on Friday, Feb. 4 -- and the Senate's companion bill, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which passed the Senate with a large bipartisan majority in June. The two bills will now go to conference committee to reconcile their differences. The Senate bill does NOT contain the Lacey Act Amendments that have raised alarm among some aquarists. The House bill, also known as H.R. 4521, will not become law as written because the Senate will not agree to it. We do not yet know what the final, agreed-upon bill will look like. But if you're concerned, you may wish to call your U.S. senators and ask them to keep the Lacey Act Amendments out of the final bill.

Thank you so much for this video. I watched it when it first came out and I recommended for others to check it out as well!! So I had to come by and leave you a comment 🤗 I've been a little bit in lurking mode myself! Good stuff my friend!! When it comes to sources you can trust I always want to hear what you have to say and Alex of the Secret History Living in Your Aquarium!! You already know how much I love would you bring to this hobby!! I hope you're having an amazing weekend!! Thanks for all you do! 🌿🐟🌿🙏💚

I understand trying to prevent species from being invasive, but the way they are going about it just seems like the wrong way to do it.

Awesome video! I like how you gave such an awesome explanation and kept it real and fair and did not just bad mouth the whole amendment

Reading and comprehending the amendment is fundamental. It is NOT banning or affecting anything that is in common place in the exotic pet trade.

Here in WI the DNR had to put koi and goldfish on the restricted list. Why? Irresponsible people releasing them into natural waterways. They survive the colder Winters here too. If the problem isn't under control eventually, they will be banned and illegal to own. I can see both sides of the issue but the amendment is too broad. My nano fish aren't hurting a thing. Also, people need to be better educated about the fish they are looking at buying. I'm sure if some people found out that tiny little fish they bought could get huge and live 8-15 years, they wouldn't buy them. This is why we have a goldfish (aka pretty carp) problem in WI.

Glad to see you back man

Shared brotha! Glad you're back. Look forward to more from you. Maybe we can explore what we were talking about doing a while back. It could effect me possibly. Priscilla and I fly back and forth with fish and shrimp 🤔

Yes let's please get information! Thanks for this video 📹 😎

Thank u for letting us know I wasn’t aware until today and the idea of the potential ban

Great to see you back 🙂

Great video! Glad you’re back!

Earned a sub from me. Appreciate that someone went directly to the legislation to try and explain it. Think I'll take a look tomorrow at specific wording to try and get a better handle on it. My initial reaction from this though, is that while it might not end the hobby altogether, with how it's set up it could make things significantly more complicated, which means things could also get a lot more expensive. Not to mention that this feels like it's handing power over to politicians that haven't the slightest clue about the aquarium trade, nor the impacts this could have, and certainly don't care.

It's true. I am also talking about this. It's all because of Peta and Tiger King

Thank you!

Good to have you back on youtube

HE'S ALIVE

Thank you for the balanced viewpoint.

Go be reptiles too. Make my stomach sick. am in UK but what happen there and else where in world probaly happen here too. Been lot negative heated beat about exotic pets and we come long way in hobby lot rare species been saved by private keepers

OMG the water box is back!

Good to see you again

Thanks Chung, I knew that it is only a matter of time before my killer guppy strikes again and put more people in danger. The fact that Americans can not own asian arowana because they are being caught in somebody's pond in Asia is troubling enough. Apparently someone in the government can not distinguish between the wild and the pond gives me worry that this will be a broad sword being swong to kill an ant (which is our rights). Maybe it's just me, but I can see the parallel.

good to know youre alive

Chung ... Good to see you again !

Thanks for a well informed video

They banned Mary Jane and look how available that is.

Well explained. Thank you.

Here in Western Australia we already have these strict import laws, and are not able to get much of anything from any other states. It makes our hobby very restricted with what we are able to source. We can send things anywhere we like, but nothing alive can be shipped here. It's all about money because if we want to pay huge quarantine fees or buy import licenses, then we can have some things shipped here. Once again, this is all about money and power and governments trying to reap more revenue. I'm sorry it's happening to you. They use fear and safety as a way to restrict more and more freedoms.

So I do think regardless if this one passes or not people do need to take it seriously cause the more you don't take it seriously the more eventually they could slip through the cracks of us lowering our guard.

awesome video. this is a serious problem

It's personal now... viva la revolution

I have not heard about this act untill now but i have been concerned all these good doers in the hobby lately will invite the nanny state in our homes .They may have the best of intensions but are unaware of potential consequences .

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Kudos for encouraging people to do their own research and not just pushing a one-sided narrative. Good to see you again and looking forward to your future uploads.

Yeeeess!!!!! Come baaaaaackkk!!!!

So a fish store won’t be able to ship certain fish to other states within the USA. That’s crazy… Someone within a particular state will be able to import in to the country but then not be able to ship domestically to another state?

Why just why I was seriously planning on getting a green tree monitor

I wonder if it can be fought on the basis it can't be enforced. Like someone moving across state lines, or just driving across with their animal. How will law enforcement know that animal wasn't already in that state?

When will we find out if it passes or not?

Good balanced video. The others are scaremongering doomsayers or naive government trusting idiots. Although these days my sympathies lean more towards the scaremongers 😀

So there is a lot of bullshit on the aspect of the Competes Act that deals with the Lacy Act and our continued ability to keep animals other then dogs and cats.....Although I think that there is a great deal of overreaction on this, I contacted my Senator John Cornyn and sent this message............................................................................................ I am so tired of politicians sticking crap into bills that has NOTHING to do with the bill as a whole. The current COMPETES ACT has a part that deals with the LACY ACT and USFW. This part of the bill has nothing to do with the bill itself - NOTHING. People in America keep a wide variety of animals and have done so legally for many years. This includes reptiles, rodents(hamsters,.ect...), waterfowl, peacocks, finches other birds like pheasants, and exotic animals on hunting ranches. This aspect of the Competes Act is a threat to everyone in the USA that keeps ANYTHING other then dogs or cats and the USFW Service is basically a NAZI CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION. I personally keep birds and reptiles, many of which are listed on USFW Appendix I & II. To give you an idea of the overreach of the USFW Service, I have kept and breed Animas Ridge-Nosed Rattlesnake s(Crotalus williardi obscurus) since the 1970's. I legally documented them as being collected prior to their protection status and I have legal notarized documents to support this. Several years ago an AZA registered Zoo wanted to buy some of my offspring and I sent them a copy of my documentation to forward to USFW.. USFW told the Zoo that my documents and specimens were legal, but if they bought then the USFW Service would seize them. WHY?This part of the bill could potentially give an already out of control government agency the ability to continue their overreach and cause and unprecedented death of animals currently held in captivity by legal owners. There are already laws in place that deal with wildlife trafficking, invasive species and species listed in Appendix I & II. The Competes Act is a good bill, but there is always something potentially dangerous placed into bills to cater to special interest like PETA. PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO OTHER GOP SENATORS AND DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS BILL AS LONG AS IT CONTAINS THIS CLAUSE. Thank you for your time Sir...

Not good it is a ban not a restriction. It is designed to help end captivity not protect animals.

not all tarantulas/scorpions/Bugs more or less if it's in the hobby already and has ben for years your fine. (Unless it's one of the ones we are only now learning are a danger)

What if you have a "bad" fish, and you move to another state? What if you have 50 and you move states? What if you buy a fish in the state next door, can you take it home?

I don't see how you're so calm about this. You literally cannot ship anything across state lines. This will completely kill the pet trade. The only thing we're allowed to have are animals that are from our state or country. In a lot of states have already made that illegal. So everybody that invested in reptiles for breeding, it's done.

Time to say YES.... Profiteering on YouTrurd is disgusting. I say YES to the ACT.

I dont know, I think if people were more responsible this wouldn't be a thing. I was looking into a plant (trying to identify it) and ended up going off the mark reading into Parrot Feather and how it first got introduced and how its illegal here. Now I still don't know what my plant is but definitely learned a lot about what a wetlands & aquatics quarantine list is and why it exist. Maybe there needs to be more regulation 🤷‍♀️

So it's only if it's considered invasive?

I’ve been keeping hygro polysperma since it was banned. Seems like the government has always had this power.

Let's say you got some banned fish. Let's say you move. How are they gonna know the fish are from out of state? I own a boa constrictor and I am planning to move soon, it doesn't seem too hard to hide, eh?

Thanks for trying,BUT 3,000 pages is plenty to hide whatever they want

Why are there so many fear mongering youtube videos on this subject when the lacey act has been in effect since the year 1900? Does anyone seriously think the amendment will ban hobby fish? Sorry but this is bs.

Yet another kick in the balls, is anyone really surprised?

Why is 3000 pages!

I hope, our government here in the Philippines will not follow Florida. Or else, I can't buy betta fish, angel fish, guppy etc....Yes piranhas are not allowed in our country since those kind of fish are so deadly but I hope they will not ban my favorites if that law will reach our country.😒

How dare you belittle the efforts to stop these amendments to the Lacey act.

This might make breeding in USA profitable. Hopefully ethically

Also I feel like let's say we don't take it seriously like one of these dimes we're not going to win 1 of these times they're going to probably trying to get rid of the exotic animals completely. We have a lot of people that don't like that we have them in a lot of times these bills happen because they want to get rid of them for good. Baby not all of them but there's no good with the government trying to regulate our pets because then they'll just want more and more.

cmon. that even can work good for comunity. If seling by internet will became ilegal - you will meet more you will have comunity. I remember in 1990 - ies you was going to meeting to tell others that you echinodorus uruguaensis have few sprauts, and imediately somone was reserving them and was waiting for monts to get it. Same with fish.

Let's go Brandon!