Washington, DC – September 1st, 2020 – Late last night after passing on the Assembly floor, Senate Bill 1175 died before a concurrence vote could happen on the Senate floor. An earlier release sent by SCI in the fog of last-minute legislative action was misinformed by a report that the Senate had passed the bill when in fact, time expired before a Senate vote could take place.
The unexpected demise of SB 1175 ended the relentless effort by Senator Stern and animal rights groups to punish law abiding sportsmen and women while negatively impacting rural African communities and financially straining California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Safari Club International played a key role in helping to defeat this bill from the moment it was introduced, all the way down the last minutes of the legislative session. SCI members sent more than 7,500 emails and phone calls to legislators in the weeks leading up to yesterday opposing this bill, and those efforts helped spark critical debates in committee hearings and the Assembly floor about the hypocrisy of this legislation that ultimately helped kill it.
SCI also helped coordinate and amplify key voices in Africa through testimony and strategic communication opposing this legislation. These crucial voices from the front lines of conservation in Africa included testimony from government officials like Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and the Namibian Association of Community-Based Conservation Organizations. Like SCI, the affected countries and rural communities did not take the threat of this legislation lightly, but vehemently opposed the proposed legislation at every step.
“We are pleased to see this bad legislation fail in California and take pride in knowing our members helped move the needle on it.” said W. Laird Hamberlin, SCI CEO. “Safari Club International remains vigilant in defending the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide.”
Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI’s approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page www.SafariClub.org or call (520) 620-1220 for more information.
International Headquarters Washington, District of Columbia • Tucson, Arizona • Ottawa, Canada
