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Public Hearing: Exotic Animals in Traveling Shows 2023

Please join us Monday, July 24, at 10am for a hearing before the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development for S. 2197/S. 2189/H. 3245, An Act relative to the use of elephants, big cats, primates, giraffes, and bears in traveling exhibits and shows. Learn more about this legislation.

Can’t join us? You can still take action by contacting your state senator and state representative and asking them to support these bills, especially if they sit on the Tourism Committee. Learn who your State Senator and State Representative are here. If your legislators are already co-sponsors (scroll to bottom to check) you can thank them for their support!

Below are details about the hearing, tips for testimony, and information about the Committee and co-sponsors. Please let us know if you plan to testify and we can help coordinate!

Hearing Information

  • The hearing is on Monday, July 24, 2023 at 10am in room A-1 at the State House in Boston. View the hearing notice.
  • If you want to testify, please sign up with the Committee by July 21 at 10am.
  • You can testify in person or remotely. If you choose remote, you will receive an email with details on how to do that after you sign up.
  • The traveling act bills are the only ones being heard on this day, which means you will not have to wait around for your issue to come up.
  • Following is information from the Committee’s official hearing notice:

The Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development is holding a public bill hearing on July 24th at 10am. Both in-person and virtual testimony will be heard at the discretion of the chairs.

The purpose of this meeting is to provide interested members of the public an opportunity to provide input to the Committee on the following pieces of legislation related to Traveling animal shows as they pertain to the Tourism, Arts and Cultural sectors.

To submit written testimony, please email testimony to Derek.Dunlea@mahouse.gov and Gabrielle.Hanson@masenate.gov with the subject line “Written Testimony – TACD 7/24/23”.

To provide oral testimony, please fill out this form https://forms.office.com/g/iKyTzUCYAh by 10am on July 21st. Please be advised that the schedule and agenda are subject to change at the discretion of the Chairs. 

If you have any questions or concerns about this hearing you may contact Derek Dunlea or Gabrielle Hanson at Derek.Dunlea@mahouse.gov and Gabrielle.Hanson@masenate.gov

What Should I Expect?
Hearings generally start with testimony from legislators, likely the bill sponsor/co-sponsors (legislators will be taken out of turn during the hearing, too). The Committee Chairs will then call the names of people who have signed up.

You will be speaking to members of the Tourism Committee. The Tourism Committee members are online; check the list to see if your legislator(s) are on the Committee. If they are, that means your voice is all the more important! Be sure to let them know that you are a constituent at the start of your testimony. (If you’re not sure who your State Senator and State Representative are, you can look them up here.

What Should I Say?
When providing testimony, whether oral or written, it’s usually best to tell your unique story. For example, you could talk about why these bills matter to you and how it affects the animals you care about. This also helps you avoid repeating what others have already said.

Each person has THREE (3) MINUTES to testify, and it is very important to stay within that time limit.

You will be able to testify on all three traveling acts bills—S. 2197/S. 2189/H. 3245—at the same time because they are identical. Committee members may ask you a question during or after your testimony; if you don’t know the answer, it’s perfectly fine to say so and that you’ll get back to them. Let us know if you need help finding the answer! Learn more about testifying.

If you cannot make the hearing, you can submit written testimony by emailing it to Derek.Dunlea@mahouse.gov and Gabrielle.Hanson@masenate.gov with the subject line “Written Testimony – TACD 7/24/23”. Written testimony can be submitted for up to two weeks after the hearing.

What else can I do to prepare?

How do I get there?
If you are coming to the hearing in person, please allow time for traffic, parking, and going through security. See here for a map and directions to the State House. The least expensive parking option is the garage underneath Boston Common (see map and rates). Please be aware that parking at the Boston Common requires walking several blocks uphill to the State House.

To get to the hearing room, please note that the Ashburton Entrance (entrance closest to the hearing room) is closed, so you will need to use the General Hooker Entrance. Walk past the statue of General Hooker (he’s on a horse) up the stairs and through security. There is an accessible entrance on Bowdoin Street. When you go through security, let them know you’re looking for room A-1 and they will point you in the right direction.

What else can I do?
Share information about the hearing and issue on social media with these images.

Questions
If you have any questions, send us an email or call: advocacy@mspca.org or 617-541-5104.

Co-Sponsors

State Senators:

Name District/Address
Bruce E. Tarr First Essex and Middlesex
Adam Gomez Hampden
Edward J. Kennedy First Middlesex
Michael O. Moore Second Worcester
Patrick M. O’Connor First Plymouth and Norfolk
James B. Eldridge Middlesex and Worcester
Brendan P. Crighton Third Essex
Rebecca L. Rausch Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex
Susan L. Moran Plymouth and Barnstable
Joan B. Lovely Second Essex
John C. Velis Hampden and Hampshire
Sal N. DiDomenico Middlesex and Suffolk
John F. Keenan Norfolk and Plymouth

State Representatives:

Name District/Address
Carole A. Fiola 6th Bristol
Bradley H. Jones, Jr. 20th Middlesex
John Barrett, III 1st Berkshire
Hannah Kane 11th Worcester
Steven Owens 29th Middlesex
Lindsay N. Sabadosa 1st Hampshire
Joseph D. McKenna 18th Worcester
Patricia A. Duffy 5th Hampden
Brian W. Murray 10th Worcester
Paul J. Donato 35th Middlesex
Jack Patrick Lewis 7th Middlesex
F. Jay Barrows 1st Bristol
Jessica Ann Giannino 16th Suffolk
Vanna Howard 17th Middlesex
Paul A. Schmid, III 8th Bristol
Thomas M. Stanley 9th Middlesex
Ruth B. Balser 12th Middlesex
Steven George Xiarhos 5th Barnstable
Brian M. Ashe 2nd Hampden
Natalie M. Higgins 4th Worcester
Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. 12th Hampden
David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf 17th Worcester
Adrian C. Madaro 1st Suffolk
William C. Galvin 6th Norfolk
Michelle M. DuBois 10th Plymouth
Paul McMurtry 11th Norfolk
Tricia Farley-Bouvier 2nd Berkshire
Denise C. Garlick 13th Norfolk
Samantha Montaño 15th Suffolk
David F. DeCoste 5th Plymouth
James C. Arena-DeRosa 8th Middlesex
David Allen Robertson 19th Middlesex
Josh S. Cutler 6th Plymouth
Angelo L. D’Emilia 8th Plymouth
Patrick Joseph Kearney 4th Plymouth
Kate Lipper-Garabedian 32nd Middlesex
James K. Hawkins 2nd Bristol
Rodney M. Elliott 16th Middlesex
Tram T. Nguyen 18th Essex
Kimberly N. Ferguson 1st Worcester
David Paul Linsky 5th Middlesex
Marcus S. Vaughn 9th Norfolk
Kate Donaghue 19th Worcester
Adrianne Pusateri Ramos 14th Essex
Simon Cataldo 14th Middlesex
Carmine Lawrence Gentile 13th Middlesex
William J. Driscoll, Jr. 7th Norfolk
Margaret R. Scarsdale 1st Middlesex
James Arciero 2nd Middlesex
Mathew J. Muratore 1st Plymouth
James B. Eldridge Middlesex and Worcester
Jennifer Balinsky Armini 8th Essex
Kevin G. Honan 17th Suffolk
Tommy Vitolo 15th Norfolk
Christine P. Barber 34th Middlesex
Tackey Chan 2nd Norfolk
Natalie M. Blais 1st Franklin
Michael P. Kushmerek 3rd Worcester
Aaron L. Saunders 7th Hampden
David T. Vieira 3rd Barnstable
Marjorie C. Decker 25th Middlesex
Mike Connolly 26th Middlesex
Smitty Pignatelli 3rd Berkshire
Kristin E. Kassner 2nd Essex
Rob Consalvo 14th Suffolk
Mark J. Cusack 5th Norfolk

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