PRINTER'S NO. 4435

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No. 2863 Session of 2006

        INTRODUCED BY GODSHALL, BALDWIN, BELFANTI, CALTAGIRONE,
           FABRIZIO, GERGELY, GOODMAN, HERSHEY, HESS, KILLION, LaGROTTA,
           LEVDANSKY, METCALFE, READSHAW AND STABACK, JUNE 29, 2006

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, JUNE 29, 2006

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
     2     Statutes, further providing for recreational hunting on
     3     commission-owned lands.

     4     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     5  hereby enacts as follows:
     6     Section 1.  Section 722 of Title 34 of the Pennsylvania
     7  Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a subsection to read:
     8  § 722.  Use of property.
     9     * * *
    10     (d)  Recreational hunting.--
    11         (1)  Subject to valid existing rights, commission-owned
    12     lands shall be open to access and use for recreational
    13     hunting except as limited by the commission for reasons of
    14     public safety, fish or wildlife management, or homeland
    15     security or as otherwise limited by law.
    16         (2)  The commission shall exercise its authority,
    17     consistent with paragraph (1), in a manner to support,
    18     promote and enhance recreational hunting opportunities, to

     1     the extent authorized by State law. The commission is not
     2     required to give preference to hunting over other uses of
     3     commission-owned lands or over other water management
     4     priorities established by commission regulations or State
     5     law.
     6         (3)  Commission land management decisions and actions may
     7     not, to the greatest practical extent, result in any net loss
     8     of habitat available for hunting opportunities on commission-
     9     owned lands that exists on the effective date of this
    10     subsection.
    11         (4)  By October 1 of each year, the executive director of
    12     the commission shall submit to the General Assembly a written
    13     report describing:
    14             (i)  the acreage owned by the commission that has
    15         been closed during the previous year to recreational
    16         hunting and the reasons for the closures; and
    17             (ii)  the acreage owned by the commission that, in
    18         order to comply with paragraph (3), was opened to
    19         recreational hunting to compensate for the acreage closed
    20         under subparagraph (i).
    21     Section 2.  This act shall take effect immediately.






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