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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 28, 2016 10:49 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative William C. Kortz, II |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Fishing Licenses and Permits – Fee Increases |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to assist the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) in continuing to deliver adequate services to anglers and boaters by providing for an incremental increase in certain license and permit fees over a six-year period. This legislation would help to provide some inflationary stability to the PFBC by implementing the first increase in fees since 2005 for fishing licenses, trout/salmon permits, and combination trout/salmon and Lake Erie permits. In addition, under this proposal, the word “salmon” would be removed from the name of the trout/salmon permit since the PFBC no longer adds salmon to water used for fishing purposes. My home county of Allegheny annually leads Pennsylvania in the number of fishing license sales and boat registrations, so I am thoroughly aware of the importance of maintaining the fiscal health of the agency that serves Pennsylvania’s anglers, boaters, and businesses that benefit from the $1.2 billion in statewide fishing-related expenditures each year. Fees from fishing licenses and associated permits comprise the largest portion of annual Fish Fund revenue – nearly 70% – for the PFBC’s work on behalf of anglers and aquatic resources. While I support efforts of the PFBC to diversify its funding base, the core revenue stream of license and permit sales are expected to continue to be fundamental to the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission of protecting, conserving, and enhancing aquatic resources and providing fishing and boating opportunities. I hope you will join me in sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB609