PRINTER'S NO. 3883
No. 743 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY GERGELY, STABACK, SURRA, BARRAR, CAPPELLI,
DERMODY, FABRIZIO, FORCIER, FRANKEL, GOODMAN, HANNA, HARPER,
JAMES, KOTIK, LESCOVITZ, MANDERINO, MANN, O'NEILL, PALLONE,
PISTELLA, SCRIMENTI, TIGUE, WASHINGTON, WEBER AND YOUNGBLOOD,
MAY 24, 2004
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, MAY 24, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to
2 conduct a study on the economic impact of providing expanded
3 hunting opportunities on Sundays in this Commonwealth.
4 WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians traditionally work Monday through
5 Friday and pursue some form of recreation on Saturday and
6 Sunday; and
7 WHEREAS, Sporting activities of all forms provide
8 participants a healthy way to escape hectic lifestyles and spend
9 more time with family and friends; and
10 WHEREAS, With the exception of hunting, the Commonwealth
11 places no limits on sporting activities during the first day of
12 the week, a day frequently set aside specifically for sports;
13 and
14 WHEREAS, It has become increasingly evident that
15 participation in hunting is in decline, especially among young
16 people; and
17 WHEREAS, Young residents of this Commonwealth, including
1 students from grades seven through graduate school, are finding
2 it increasingly difficult to free their schedules from Monday
3 through Saturday to find time to hunt; and
4 WHEREAS, Working Pennsylvanians from all walks of life
5 routinely cite lack of time as the primary reason they do not
6 participate in hunting more frequently; and
7 WHEREAS, Many Pennsylvanians are required by their employers
8 to work through all or a portion of the weekend; and
9 WHEREAS, Various labor unions throughout this Commonwealth
10 have previously expressed concern with how little their members,
11 especially those with lower seniority, are able to hunt on
12 Saturday and have noted that allowing them to hunt on Sunday
13 would greatly enhance their quality of life; and
14 WHEREAS, Expanded Sunday hunting opportunities would enhance
15 the ability of our sportsmen and sportswomen to pass down their
16 love of the outdoors to the next generation; and
17 WHEREAS, Many hunters only have the opportunity to hunt on
18 Saturday, and on many Saturdays the weather is inclement; and
19 WHEREAS, There is a downward trend in the sale of hunting
20 licenses, the revenues from which are a primary means of support
21 for the programs and overall mission of the Pennsylvania Game
22 Commission; and
23 WHEREAS, The sale of hunting licenses has brought innumerable
24 benefits to the Commonwealth by preserving land, habitat and
25 multiple game and nongame species; and
26 WHEREAS, More than 40 states allow hunting on Sunday; and
27 WHEREAS, The ban on Sunday fishing was lifted in 1937; and
28 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania currently allows limited Sunday hunting
29 for crow, coyote, fox and hunting on noncommercial regulated
30 shooting grounds; and
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1 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is second only to Texas in the total
2 number of hunters, many of whom would enjoy being able to
3 participate in hunting seven days a week; and
4 WHEREAS, Limiting Sunday hunting has placed the Commonwealth
5 at an economic disadvantage in terms of competing with
6 neighboring states that allow Sunday hunting, including Ohio,
7 New York and Maryland; and
8 WHEREAS, According to the Congressional Sportsmen's
9 Foundation, more Pennsylvanians hunt or fish each year than
10 attend Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia
11 76ers games combined; and
12 WHEREAS, According to the Congressional Sportsmen's
13 Foundation, Pennsylvania hunters and anglers had total
14 expenditures of more than $2 billion, providing a ripple effect
15 on the State economy of $3.89 billion; and
16 WHEREAS, Lost profits in the private sector are considered to
17 be staggering when one considers the total economic impact our
18 hunters have during the six days of the week they can hunt; and
19 WHEREAS, The economic loss associated with not allowing
20 expanded hunting on Sundays in terms of lost license fees, gas
21 tax receipts, sales tax receipts, hotel tax receipts, income tax
22 receipts, job creation and the like is thought to be staggering
23 but has never been measured; and
24 WHEREAS, We live in a free society where many people believe
25 that the government should not impede a person's ability to
26 enjoy an activity which is legal Monday through Saturday; and
27 WHEREAS, The issue of Sunday hunting is a recurring one that
28 the Legislature and the Governor may be expected to act on in
29 the future; therefore be it
30 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the
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1 Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the issue of
2 Sunday hunting in terms of the economic advantages the State
3 could realize if it repealed the ban and the losses suffered by
4 not allowing greater hunting opportunities on Sunday; and be it
5 further
6 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
7 consider the impact of Sunday hunting on private landowners and
8 examine possible remedies for landowners who would like to
9 exclude their land from Sunday hunting; and be it further
10 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee,
11 upon completion of its report, make a public presentation to the
12 members of the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee and make
13 committee staff available, upon request, for public
14 presentations to the Game and Fisheries Committee, the Commerce
15 Committee and the Tourism and Recreational Development
16 Committee; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
18 report to the House of Representatives on its activities,
19 findings and recommendations within 180 days of the adoption of
20 this resolution.
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