{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=125", "Rep. Balint Introduces House Resolution to Designate \u201cBat Week\u201d", "2023-10-24", "2023", "2023-10", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Becca Balint", "B001318", "balint.house.gov", "balint", "https://balint.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Resolution acknowledges the important role bats play in national ecosystems\n\nWashington, D.C - Today, Rep. Becca Balint introduced a resolution designating October 24 \u2013 31, 2023 as \u201cBat Week.\u201d The resolution highlights the vital role that bats play in the sustainability of our ecosystems and human health as pollinators. Vermont farms rely on the pest control provided by bats to sustain their crops and keep forests and fields healthy. The resolution also calls for a robust response to white-nose syndrome which has killed millions of bats in North America and has spread to 40 states. Senator Welch (D-VT) and Braun (R-IN) lead the Senate companion resolution.\n\n\u201cBats play a critical role in Vermont\u2019s ecosystem. Our environment and local farms depend on bats to keep forests and fields pollinated and healthy,\u201d said Rep. Becca Balint. \u201cVermonters care deeply about conservation and our diverse ecosystem. This resolution stands to highlight the importance of bats and support the conservation work it takes to protect them.\u201d\n\n\u201cOver half of Vermont\u2019s bat species are endangered, and the spread of White-nose Syndrome accompanied by human development poses a grave threat to the environmental and health benefits bats provide,\u201d said Sen Welch. \u201cThis resolution calls on the Senate to sink its fangs into conservation efforts to protect bats and their habitats, and encourages national observance of \u2018Bat Week\u2019 to highlight the vital role bats play in the health of Vermonters and our environment.\u201d\n\nText of the resolution can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=125"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8201459422707558, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}