Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 23, 2017 03:48 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Gerald J. Mullery |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Legislation Regarding Hunting Without a License |
| In the near future, I will be reintroducing legislation from last session (House Bill 1359) that would amend Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes relative to hunting without a license. Currently, under Title 34, hunting without purchasing a license and the act of forgetting to carry a valid license into the field are both considered a summary offense of the third degree are punishable by a fine of $250-$500. The legislation that I will be introducing would let stand the summary offense of the third degree for individuals who hunt illegally without first purchasing a hunting license. However, the penalty for a hunter who is stopped without having possession of their legally purchased license would be lowered to that of a summary offense of the seventh degree and carry the penalty of a fine of $50. Hunting illegally without first purchasing a license is quite different than an individual forgetting to carry a valid license with them into the field. Although forgetting one’s license may be negligent, it is far different than knowingly and willfully breaking the law by engaging in illegal hunting and therefore should be treated differently. Both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Trappers Association have supported this measure in the past. I hope you will join me in supporting this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB1291