Legislation advancing in Pennsylvania will give sportsmen a more powerful voice in decisions made by the state Game Commission. The pro-sportsmen bill contrasts many recent efforts by anti-hunters to stack state wildlife rulemaking bodies with animal rights sympathizers.
House Bill 2650 introduced by Rep. Bruce Smith, R-Lewisberry, will add a seat to the current panel of eight that makes up the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The extra seat is to be given to an individual, knowledgeable on wildlife matters, who currently holds a hunting or trapping license and has done so for the last 10 years. The bill passed the House of Representatives 198-0 on July 1, and heads to the Senate for committee assignment and debate.
The added member will ensure sportsmen’s interests are considered when decisions are made regarding wildlife issues. The odd number of members will prevent tie votes on critical issues that could impact the state’s hunting heritage.
Sportsmen across the country have recently had to protect seats on state wildlife commissions and game boards. Animal rightists have been trying to stack the committees with anti-hunters and environmentalists and make them propaganda pulpits for the animal rights movement.
In New Jersey, sportsmen are working to defeat legislation that will add three seats to the Fish and Game Council. These seats could potentially be given to anti-hunting interests. Massachusetts recently defeated a bill that would have replaced sportsmen on the state Fisheries and Wildlife Board with anti-hunting representatives. Anti’s even went to court in a failed attempt to remove hunters and trappers from the Alaska Board of Game and replace them with non-sportsmen.
Topic: Pennsylvania Bill Adds Additional Hunter to Game Commission (Read 1354 times)
