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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 21, 2023 09:16 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative David M. Maloney, Sr. |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Protecting the Game Fund |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation amending Title 34, the Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code, to further protect money held in the Game Fund on behalf of our valued sportsmen and sportswomen. As you know, the PA Senate recently added a provision to HB 1300 (Fiscal Code Vehicle) that would transfer $150 million of oil and gas revenue from the Game Fund to the Clean Streams Fund. Title 34 specifically allows Game Fund moneys to solely be used for “any contingent, incidental or other expenses of any kind or description reasonably necessary in carrying on the work of the commission, including, but not limited to, the purchase of land, the costs of activities for the promotion of public interest in recreational hunting and furtaking, nongame species, endangered or threatened species and all other game or wildlife in this Commonwealth and administration of the Game and Wildlife Code.” This transfer to the Clean Streams Fund in no way falls under those allowable uses. Additionally, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that this transfer of Game Fund money is a “diversion of funds” and puts Pennsylvania at risk of losing our share of federal Pittman/Robertson funding, which is over $41 million for 2023 alone. Game Fund money does not belong to the state or the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC). It belongs to our sportsmen and sportswomen and is held in trust and used by the PGC on their behalf for hunting, trapping, wildlife, and wildlife habitat purposes. My legislation would further strengthen the language in Title 34 by providing that the Game Fund may only be used by the PGC for those specific purposes, and that money in the Game Fund may not be transferred by an entity other than the PGC for a use not consistent with these specific purposes. Thank you for your consideration of this proposal. |
Introduced as HB1719