PRINTER'S NO. 1435
No. 222 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY STABACK, BEBKO-JONES, CAPPELLI, COY, CRAHALLA,
DeLUCA, GERGELY, GODSHALL, GRUCELA, HORSEY, JAMES, LAUGHLIN,
LEVDANSKY, LEWIS, McGEEHAN, PETRARCA, PHILLIPS, PISTELLA,
READSHAW, SCRIMENTI, SHANER, SOLOBAY, SURRA, THOMAS, TIGUE,
WALKO, WANSACZ, WASHINGTON, WHEATLEY AND YOUNGBLOOD,
APRIL 21, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, APRIL 21, 2003
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Joint State Government Commission to study the
2 feasibility of transferring the law enforcement functions of
3 both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania
4 Fish and Boat Commission to a new Bureau of Law Enforcement
5 within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
6 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth currently utilizes at least four
7 different types of officers to enforce State laws pertaining to
8 wildlife and natural resources: State park rangers, State forest
9 rangers, wildlife conservation officers and waterways
10 conservation officers; and
11 WHEREAS, The overlapping jurisdictions of these officers begs
12 the question of whether it would make sense to combine these
13 officers under one directorate; therefore be it
14 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
15 State Government Commission to study the feasibility of
16 transferring the law enforcement functions of both the
17 Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
1 Commission to a new Bureau of Law Enforcement within the
2 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; and be it
3 further
4 RESOLVED, That this study address the following questions:
5 (1) How would the budgets of the Pennsylvania Game
6 Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the
7 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and
8 the General Fund be affected by consolidating the law
9 enforcement responsibilities under one directorate in DCNR?
10 What start-up costs would be necessary? How much revenue
11 would the commissions save under this merger?
12 (2) How would the existing work force be merged into the
13 new system? Would retraining of existing personnel be
14 necessary, and if so, how would it be done? What type of
15 training program should be available for new employees?
16 (3) What criteria would be used to determine how
17 officers are stationed around this Commonwealth? How large
18 should each law enforcement district be? How many officers
19 would be needed to adequately cover this Commonwealth? Should
20 deputy enforcement officers be used?
21 (4) How would the new bureau be structured?
22 (5) How would the two commissions communicate with DCNR
23 regarding their needs and concerns?
24 (6) How would law enforcement functions be coordinated
25 between the new bureau and other law enforcement agencies;
26 and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the report of the Joint State Government
28 Commission be submitted to the House of Representatives by
29 December 31, 2003.
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