The Right-To-Ride Bill, introduced to Congress by Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.) last winter, has remained stagnant throughout this legislative session.
The reason, said Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council, has nothing to do with the bill. It\’s mostly caused by the current legislative backlog as senators and representatives deal with the war in Iraq, the budget deficit, the Patriot Act, and more.
The Right-To-Ride Bill first entered the House of Representatives on Feb. 2, 2005. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) followed suit by introducing an identical Right-To-Ride Bill to the Senate on April 14.
The bill\’s purpose is to preserve access for horses on public lands. The legislation mandates that federal lands should be managed by federal agencies “to preserve and facilitate the continued use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on such lands, including wilderness areas, national monuments, and other specifically designated areas, where there is a historical tradition of such use.”
ADVERTISEMENT
And the bill requires that “as a general rule, all trails, routes, and areas used by pack and saddle stock, shall remain open and accessible for such use.” But since the House bill was referred to both the Natural Resources Committee and the Agriculture Committee, there\’s been no action. The same fate awaited the Senate bill, referred to the Energy and Natural Resources committees.
Hickey advised riders to contact their congressmen and ask them to become co-sponsors of the Right-To-Ride Bill to get it moving. Go to the AHC website (www.horsecouncil.org) and look for “Right-To-Ride Legislation—Action Requested” on the home page. You can copy draft letters to your representative and to your senators, which you can then send as e-mail through links provided there, or you can send via fax or regular mail.
Hickey also suggested meeting with congressman during their Christmas recess, when almost all of them will be in their home districts, listening to their constituents. “Go see them—it\’s a great way to explain to them how important this is,” said Hickey.
