Bill Text: CA AB2364 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: State amphibian: California red-legged frog.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-06-28 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 77, Statutes of 2014. [AB2364 Detail]
Download: California-2013-AB2364-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 2364 CHAPTERED BILL TEXT CHAPTER 77 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 28, 2014 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR JUNE 28, 2014 PASSED THE SENATE JUNE 19, 2014 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY APRIL 24, 2014 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2014 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member V. Manuel Pérez FEBRUARY 21, 2014 An act to add Section 422.7 to the Government Code, relating to state government. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2364, V. Manuel Pérez. State amphibian: California red-legged frog. Existing law establishes the state flag and the state's emblems, including, among other things, the poppy as the official state flower, the California redwood as the official state tree, and the California desert tortoise as the official state reptile. This bill would establish the California red-legged frog as the official state amphibian. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The California red-legged frog is the largest native frog in the western United States and is found almost exclusively in California with a few sightings in Baja California and Mexico. (b) The California red-legged frog is particularly well known as a result of Mark Twain's famous short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," which featured the species. (c) The California red-legged frog's unique place in California's history extends as far back as the 19th century Gold Rush. Miners, known as forty-niners, consumed nearly 80,000 frogs per year, nearly eating the species into extinction. (d) While the California red-legged frog no longer has to fear the fork, the species continues to face myriad natural and manmade threats, including the introduction of invasive species into the California red-legged frog's habitat, as well as habitat loss. In fact, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, populations of the California red-legged frog have disappeared from nearly 70 percent of its historically known habitat. In May 1996, the species was listed as a federal threatened species, with the state also classifying it as a species of special concern and subject to protection in June 1996. (e) Declaring the California red-legged frog as the official state amphibian of California will acknowledge the species' important place in the ecology, culture, and history of California, as well as broadcast and reinforce the state's commitment to protecting endangered species. SEC. 2. Section 422.7 is added to the Government Code, to read: 422.7. The California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) is the official state amphibian.