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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 24, 2020 02:04 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Steven R. Malagari |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Banning Balloon Releases |
| Balloons have long been used as party decorations or released en masse during one celebration or another. They may look nice in the moment, but what happens to those balloons that float away? Unfortunately, they eventually land somewhere else. When they do, they litter the habitats of animals that may mistake them for food and eat them or get entangled in the strings attached to them. When this happens, it can mean a slow and painful death for these animals as the balloons leave them immobile, block their digestive tracts, or strangle them. To help protect innocent animals from such a fate, I will be introducing legislation that would ban the release of more than 50 balloons into the atmosphere within any one-hour period. Anyone found in violation would be subject to a maximum fine of five dollars per balloon released. The legislation would exempt hot air balloons that are recovered after launch, as well as balloon releases authorized by the Commonwealth or United States government for scientific or meteorological purposes. Please join me in protecting our wildlife and supporting this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2357