IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, March 23, 2006

STRAYHORN Calls for A Halt to the National Animal Identification System and Perry’s Mandated Participation of this New Fee-or as most Texans call it a Tax

STRAYHORN WANTS IT ADDED TO SPECIAL SESSION

(AUSTIN)  Texas Independent Candidate for Governor Carole Keeton Strayhorn today said Gov. Rick Perry should stop the state’s participation in the National Animal Identification System and that the whole program should be looked at from top to bottom in the upcoming special session of the Legislature.

“No half-baked solution should be accepted and the Texas Animal Identification System should be rescinded and repealed,” and Strayhorn stated that “the Texas Legislature should clearly state that it will not fund any such program and is against the federal NAIS.

“This program is big government tax mandates at its worst,” Strayhorn said. “This unfunded tax mandate threatens the livelihoods of ranchers and places unreasonable burdens on every animal handler from veterinarians to livestock show organizers to children raising prized livestock.”

Perry signed into law House Bill 1361 that directs the Texas Animal Health Commission to create rules administering the government ID program that could require each horse, cow, steer, bull, pig, sheep, goat, turkey, chicken and other domestic and exotic livestock be registered and tagged with an electronic identifier.

It also requires each rancher – cattle, horse, chicken, etc. – to register with the state and pay a fee.

Strayhorn said Perry, who once served as Texas Agriculture Commissioner, should not be suppo rting this intrusion into rural Texas life and lifestyle. “Maybe he didn’t understand just how intrusive this program is when he signed it into law,” she said. “But now that the Texas Animal Health Commission is debating rules to implement the program, it is clear this unwieldy tax program needs to be abandoned.”

She said lawmakers should be given the opportunity during the special session Perry has called to begin April 17th to abolish Texas’ participation in the program.

“The USDA is already slowing this program and is essentially letting states impose the animal tracking systems,” Strayhorn said. “Texas should just say no, now.”

Carole Keeton Strayhorn has always fought for less mandates and less government regulation and especially against unfunded and u nnecessary mandates that create new layers of taxes and unnecessary burdens on our farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians, and even tries to tax our school children raising prize livestock for competitions.

“I strongly oppose the overly burdensome and intrusive NAIS because it is another tax on our agriculture community, which should be taxed less not more, unduly burdens our veterinarians, and because it is certainly not well thought out. It appears to be another example of special interest legislation being crammed down Texans throats.”

“Our children and grandchildren, who are competing with their prized livestock, should not be so burdened,” she said. “I am still strongly fighting the governor’s still secret agreement with a foreign company to take our land and put toll roads all over Texas with Trans Texas CATASTROPHE,” Strayhorn concluded.