PRINTER'S NO. 371
No. 72 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY HALUSKA, BELFANTI, BIANCUCCI, CALTAGIRONE,
CAPPELLI, CAUSER, DeLUCA, FABRIZIO, GERGELY, GOODMAN,
HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, KOTIK, PRESTON, RAPP, SONNEY, STABACK,
STERN, SURRA, VULAKOVICH, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD AND
SCAVELLO, FEBRUARY 9, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, FEBRUARY 9, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study
2 the fiscal impact of future increased value of the assets of
3 the Pennsylvania Game Commission in relation to the cost of
4 licenses issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
5 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Game Commission is funded through a
6 combination of sources entirely supported by hunters and
7 trappers and assets procured with license dollars; and
8 WHEREAS, Those sources include hunting and furtaker license
9 sales, State game land timber, natural gas, oil and mineral
10 revenues and a Federal excise tax on sporting arms and
11 ammunition; and
12 WHEREAS, The commission does not receive General Fund
13 appropriations; and
14 WHEREAS, More than half of the commission's annual revenue
15 comes from license sales, which is a relatively fixed income
16 source; and
17 WHEREAS, License fees cannot be increased without approval of
1 the General Assembly, and fee increases historically come about
2 every ten years; and
3 WHEREAS, Each year the Game Fund receives about 16% of its
4 operating budget through royalty payments from its many mineral,
5 oil and gas leases and timber operations on State game lands,
6 and such payments help to fund numerous projects and programs,
7 including land acquisition and habitat improvement, while
8 keeping the cost of a Pennsylvania hunting or furtaking license
9 reasonable; therefore be it
10 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
11 be directed to study the fiscal impact of future increased value
12 of timber, natural gas, oil and mineral revenues generated by
13 assets controlled by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and how
14 increased revenues can be used to offset funding obligations now
15 met through the purchasing of Pennsylvania hunting licenses; and
16 be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
18 submit a report summarizing the study to the General Assembly by
19 December 31, 2007.
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