Sunday hunting is up for debate again in the state House
A white-tailed deer is seen at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming on Aug. 8, 2015. (Tom Koerner/USFWS/CC BY 2.0)
The latest effort to expand hunting on Sundays in Pennsylvania passed a key House committee with bipartisan support Tuesday.
State Rep. Mandy Steele (D-Allegheny), sponsor of House Bill 1431, described the effort to repeal Pennsylvania's Sunday prohibition on hunting as a 'groundbreaking collaboration' of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Game Commission, and multiple advocacy groups.
The bill passed by a 18-8 vote in the House Game & Fisheries Committee, with every Democrat voting in favor and four Republicans supporting. It will next be considered by the full House.
'In my busy family with four active kids, Sundays are often our only free day of the week,' Steele said. 'Sunday could be an opportunity to educate our children about the great American tradition of protecting wild places and the deep connection to the land that comes through responsible and respectful hunting, a core value among hunters.'
Steele said when delving into the issue, she learned that farmers and wildlife biologists think expanding hunting on Sundays would reduce crop damage and help the state's woods by better managing the deer herd.
'We must heed this call from so many so intimately connected with the land,' Steele said, while asking for support to end what she described as the state's 'archaic and harmful prohibition on Sunday hunting.'
Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law in 2019 to allow deer hunting on three Sundays: One during archery season, one during rifle season, and one selected by the Game Commission.
That law was sponsored by Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), who authored Senate Bill 67, a companion bill to Steele's proposal.
Both Steele and Laughlin's bills would require at least one member of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Board of Commissioners to have an agriculture background.
For years, Pennsylvania's 'blue law' prohibition of hunting on Sundays has been a hot-button issue. Supporters argue that expanding hunting on Sundays could help grow the sport, while organizations representing hikers and horseback riders have made the case that Sundays are best left without it, so they can enjoy the outdoors without concerns for their own safety from those hunting.
The House passed Steele's proposal to repeal Pennsylvania's Sunday hunting ban last June by a 129-73 vote, although it did not pass the Senate.
Laughlin and Steele told the Capital-Star earlier this year they're optimistic this is the session the bill could get across the finish line.
State Rep. David Maloney (R-Berks), minority chair of the House Game and Fisheries Committee, voted against the proposal on Tuesday and spoke at-length about his concerns. He discussed his issues with the language about trespassing penalties, the requirement for a member of the agriculture community to be on the Game Commission Board, questioned the effectiveness of the law combatting crop damage and protecting forests, and free time.
'I don't really buy into this idea that another weekend day is going to clear up all the woes of the sportsmen and the Game Commission,' Maloney said.
He added that he has never taken a position about whether or not he'd hunt on Sunday, but asked for a no-vote, believing the legislation 'complicates the issue.'
In response to Maloney's concerns, Steele emphasized that the bill is being backed by a wide variety of organizations that include the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists, and Hunter Nation.
The committee also unanimously approved House Bill 1507, authored by Steele, to allow out-of-state college students living in Pennsylvania to purchase a hunting license for the same price as residents.
Steele argued it could boost hunting participation in Pennsylvania. The Game Commission, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists support the bill.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission also offers fishing licenses to out-of-state college students for the same price as residents, but Game Commission license fees must be approved by the General Assembly, according to a co-sponsorship memo.
'For a student surviving on ramen noodles … this could be a deciding factor between participating in the great American outdoor tradition or being priced out entirely,' she added.
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