Just a few minutes ago, on the House floor, Delegate Frank Hargrove (R-55, Hanover), on the debate on making the Eastern Box Turtle the state reptile, whose Latin species and sub-species name both include “Terrapene (Terrapin) Carolina,” and which is the state reptile for North Carolina:
“Why would we make one of these things our state reptile when at the first sign of trouble it shrinks back into its shell — and we run over them on our roads all the time anyway!”
And later, from Delegate Steve Shannon (D-35, Fairfax), sensing growing resistance for the bill from the ribbing his colleagues couldn’t resist giving him:
“I will remind the body that this is a Senate bill. … Yesterday Delegate Bulova carried it. Today I drew the short straw.”
The bill failed 28-69.
