Nice local touch with this great tax return check-off funded bill.
Sea otter bill signed
By Jim Sanders - Bee Capitol Bureau Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, September 20, 2006
A plea by the 5-year-old son of a Sacramento assemblyman during a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium last year prompted legislation that was signed into law this week.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved the sea otter protection measure, Assembly Bill 2485, which will take effect Jan. 1.
The legislation, written by Assembly Democrats Dave Jones of Sacramento and John Laird of Santa Cruz, was prompted by Jones' son, Will, who cried upon learning that the threatened California sea otter population is not thriving.
AB 2485 would add a box to California tax returns for people to check if they want to contribute toward protecting sea otters, improving their habitat and boosting their population.
The measure also increases penalties for illegally capturing sea otters, and requires that containers of cat litter discourage consumers from disposing of the product in toilets, gutters or storm drains through which it could make its way to the ocean and potentially harm sea otters.
