PRINTER'S NO. 1866
No. 1549 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY GEIST, BAKER, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI, HERMAN,
HERSHEY, LAUGHLIN, LEH, McCALL, S. MILLER, ORIE, PETRARCA,
PLATTS, PRESTON, SAINATO, SEYFERT, SHANER, B. SMITH, STABACK,
WOJNAROSKI AND ZUG, MAY 24, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, MAY 24, 1999
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, providing for a special youth hunter and angler
3 education registration plate, for the Youth Hunter and Angler
4 Education Fund and for expenditures from that fund and for
5 the issuance of additional personal registration plates.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 finds and declares as follows:
8 Conserving our State's natural and wildlife resources is one
9 of the most important responsibilities we have to this and
10 future generations of this Commonwealth.
11 Hunters and anglers were among the first to realize this
12 responsibility nearly 100 years ago when they saw firsthand how
13 expanding civilization and unregulated exploitation has caused
14 disastrous declines in wildlife population throughout this
15 Commonwealth.
16 Hunters and anglers took steps to reverse this trend of
17 exploitation, helping found the conservation movement,
18 supporting laws to stop the uncontrolled exploitation of
1 wildlife and helping establish game and fish laws and
2 enforcement and management practices.
3 Hunters and anglers also suggested and supported laws to
4 establish special hunting and fishing license fees and special
5 taxes on their equipment to pay for conservation programs.
6 Junior hunter and angler youth conservation programs
7 supported and financed by this Commonwealth's hunters and
8 anglers have benefited hundreds of wildlife species by teaching
9 our children the ethics of the great outdoors.
10 As individuals and through their organizations, hunters and
11 anglers volunteer countless hours of their time and money for
12 local youth conservation programs.
13 The Commonwealth recognizes the importance of junior
14 conservation programs and the need for additional funding to
15 ensure that these programs continue to educate our youth on the
16 importance of our wildlife resources.
17 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
18 hereby enacts as follows:
19 Section 1. Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
20 Statutes is amended by adding sections to read:
21 § 1361. Youth hunter and angler education plate.
22 The department, in consultation with the Youth Hunter and
23 Angler Education Board, shall design a special youth hunter and
24 angler education plate. Upon application of any person,
25 accompanied by a fee of $35 which shall be in addition to the
26 annual registration fee, the department shall issue the plate
27 for a passenger car, motor home, trailer or truck with a gross
28 vehicle weight rating of not more than 9,000 pounds.
29 § 1362. Personal special registration plates.
30 (a) General rule.--Subject to the same standards and
19990H1549B1866 - 2 -
1 restrictions under section 1341 (relating to personal plate),
2 the department may, upon application of any person and upon
3 payment of the additional fee under this section, issue a
4 personal special registration plate to applicants for special
5 plates under this chapter.
6 (b) Additional fee.--
7 (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), the
8 department shall collect an additional fee of up to $300 for
9 any personal plate issued under subsection (a).
10 (2) For any personal plate issued under section 1352
11 (relating to wild resource conservation plate), 1353
12 (relating to preserve our heritage registration plate) or
13 1354 (relating to Flagship Niagara commemorative registration
14 plate) or where a special fund is specified under section
15 1905 (relating to payments to special funds), the department
16 shall retain one-half of the fee and one-half of the fee
17 shall be deposited in the appropriate funds as provided in
18 sections 1352, 1353, 1354 and 1905.
19 (3) For any personal plate issued under sections 1338
20 (relating to handicapped plate and placard), 1342 (relating
21 to veteran plates and placard) and 1347 (relating to hearing
22 impaired plates), the department shall collect only an
23 additional fee of $20.
24 Section 2. Section 1905 of Title 75 is amended by adding a
25 subsection to read:
26 § 1905. Payments to special funds.
27 * * *
28 (d) Youth Hunter and Angler Education Fund.--
29 (1) Fifteen dollars of each fee received under section
30 1361 (relating to youth hunter and angler education plate)
19990H1549B1866 - 3 -
1 shall be credited to the Youth Hunter and Angler Education
2 Fund.
3 (2) There is established a special account in the
4 Treasury Department which shall be known as the Youth Hunter
5 and Angler Education Fund. The purpose of the Youth Hunter
6 and Angler Education Fund is to assist this Commonwealth's
7 nonprofit sportsmen's clubs, Commonwealth natural resource
8 agencies and other organizations in conducting youth field
9 days, conservation schools and other related hunter or
10 trapper or angler youth education programs which are approved
11 by the Youth Hunter and Angler Education Board.
12 (3) All moneys in the Hunter and Angler Youth Education
13 Fund are annually appropriated, subject to the approval of
14 the Governor, to the Department of Conservation and Natural
15 Resources and shall be expended for the purposes authorized
16 under this subsection.
17 (4) The State Treasurer shall not honor any requisition
18 for expenditures by the Department of Conservation and
19 Natural Resources in excess of estimates approved by the
20 Governor or in excess of the amount available for the
21 purposes for which the requisition was made, whichever is the
22 lesser amount.
23 (5) (i) A 15-member Youth Hunter and Angler Education
24 Board must approve all education programs and projects.
25 (ii) The board members are as follows:
26 (A) The Secretary of Conservation and Natural
27 Resources.
28 (B) The Executive Director of the Pennsylvania
29 Fish and Boat Commission.
30 (C) The Executive Director of the Pennsylvania
19990H1549B1866 - 4 -
1 Game Commission.
2 (D) The chairman and the minority chairman of
3 the Game and Fisheries Committee of the Senate and
4 the chairman and the minority chairman of the Game
5 and Fisheries Committee of the House of
6 Representatives.
7 (E) One designee of the Governor.
8 (F) One representative for each of the following
9 organizations appointed by the Governor:
10 (I) The Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania.
11 (II) The United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania.
12 (III) The National Rifle Association.
13 (IV) The Pennsylvania Chapter of the
14 National Wild Turkey Federation.
15 (V) The Pennsylvania Chapter of Trout
16 Unlimited.
17 (VI) The Pennsylvania Sportsmen for Youth.
18 (VII) The Pennsylvania Federation of
19 Sportsmen's Clubs.
20 (iii) The chairmanship of the board will rotate on
21 an annual basis among the members.
22 (iv) All members of the board may appoint a designee
23 to serve in their absence.
24 Section 3. This act shall take effect as follows:
25 (1) The addition of 75 Pa.C.S. § 1905(d) shall take
26 effect in 30 days.
27 (2) This section shall take effect immediately.
28 (3) The addition of 75 Pa.C.S. § 1362 shall take effect
29 upon the publication by the Department of Transportation of a
30 notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
19990H1549B1866 - 5 -
1 (4) The remainder of this act shall take effect in six
2 months.
C8L75MRD/19990H1549B1866 - 6 -