Trending
The first hurdle for any bill becoming a law is the Committee Room. If a bill fails to gain the support of the appropriate committee, it is all but dead. For any potential laws affecting hunting or fishing, that hurdle is the House Game and Fisheries Committee, which met in Harrisburg earlier this week.
On the agenda were three bills, all related to hunting.
House Bill 1431 -- empowering the Game Commission to decide the number of Sundays open to hunting, which is currently limited to three days by law. It would also update how farmers report deer they kill for crop damage, require at least one member of the PGC Board to be from the agricultural industry and strengthen trespassing penalties.
House Bill 1507 -- allowing out-of-state college students to qualify for less-expensive resident licenses. College students are currently prohibited from purchasing a resident permit if they hold a driver's license from their home state, even if they reside in Pennsylvania full-time while attending school. Although a significant break for students, the overall impact on license revenue is unknown, as there is currently no means of tracking this hunter; however, it is thought to be nominal. Such a change may even encourage out-of-state students to hunt here in Pennsylvania.
Senate Bill 518 -- aimed at allowing hunters to remain silent when questioned by game wardens.
Although most encounters with law enforcement are subject to the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees the right to remain silent, some encounters with conservation officers are not, or at least not technically. Under the current laws, to "refuse to answer, without evasion, upon request of any representative of the commission, any pertinent question pertaining to the killing or wounding of any game or wildlife killed or wounded, or the disposition of the entire carcass or parts thereof." Similar wording is repeated in specific sections regarding the reporting, safekeeping, and investigation or seizure of wildlife.
Although it was highly anticipated that each of these bills would receive committee support, there was considerable concern that amendments would derail one or more of them. Of specific concern was the possibility that either would have an amendment attached requiring a return to a Monday opening day of deer season. As I am sure everyone is aware, this has been a contentious topic for several years, and attempts to address it directly have failed; therefore, an amendment to an otherwise non-controversial bill would be a logical step.
As it stands, this did not happen, and all three bills passed the committee without any amendments. This does not mean that further attempts to add amendments will not be made. I would be surprised if this did not happen -- especially when it comes to when opening day should be. But, for now, that is not being considered.
The next step is consideration by the full House of Representatives. Although it is too early to tell when this may happen, I do not believe that the House leadership will allow either of these bills to die without reaching the floor. Until then, we will need to wait and see what happens.