October 23, 2019
Harrisburg – October 23, 2019 – State Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland), who co-authored Senate legislation to permit hunting on three Sundays per year, today said he is encouraged by the bill’s advance toward a final vote in the state House of Representatives.
Brewster said the House Game and Fisheries Committee’s approval (21-4) of Senate Bill 147 is an excellent step forward as the measure works its way through the legislative process.
“There has been plenty of discussion and a thorough examination of this proposal in both the Senate and now the state House,” Brewster said. “House committee approval puts the legislation on a path toward it ultimately becoming law.”
Brewster, who worked with co-author Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) to push the measure through the Senate (36-14) earlier this year, said strong support from sportsmen and women plus changes made to the proposal to accommodate farmers and property owners helped build a strong coalition in support of Sunday hunting.
“As a lifelong sportsman, I support Sunday hunting,” Brewster said. “I also recognize that farmers and landowners have issues related to Sunday hunting that deserve consideration. The bill strikes a good balance and will be widely accepted in communities across the state.”
If the bill is approved by the House, Brewster said it must return to the Senate. Given the bipartisan authorship and support across the Senate chamber, he predicted that the Senate would accept the current House amendments and advance the bill to the governor for his signature.
-30-
Contact: Tim Joyce
Phone: 412 380-2242
Email: Timothy.Joyce@pasenate.com
February 6, 2019
Harrisburg – February 6, 2019 – Legislation to permit the Pennsylvania Game Commission to authorize hunting on a limited number of Sundays throughout the year (Senate Bill 147) was approved yesterday by the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee, said Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland), who is one of the prime sponsors of the measure.
“This is the necessary first step in the legislative process to authorize hunting on three or four Sundays throughout the year,” Brewster said. “Our goal in moving the bill is to generate dialogue and compromise on the number of days allowed for hunting, protections for farmers, management of public lands and dealing with chronic wasting disease.”
Brewster joined with Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) in authoring the legislation.
“If Sunday hunting is ultimately approved, it will open a new revenue stream – without raising taxes – to better protect our public lands, preserve habitat and provide funds to study Chronic Wasting Disease, which is impacting Pennsylvania’s deer herd,” Brewster added.
The bill was approved by the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee by an 8-3 vote.
“Hunting on a very limited number of Sundays will open our state game lands and generate more tourism and economic dollars,” Brewster said. “Taking this initial step is important because we can now engage the full Senate and forge a compromise with farmers, environmentalists and others who expressed interest in the issue.”
Brewster said he envisions a scenario where the game commission would authorize Sunday hunting on three or four days. He said he is open to further changes in the measure to address concerns expressed by farmers, the environmental community and property owners.
“We have a chance to work with groups across the state to develop a well-honed piece of legislation that meets the needs of all concerned,” Brewster said. “The first step was to move the bill from committee and build momentum.”
Brewster said he is hopeful the Senate will consider the legislation when it returns following several weeks of budget hearings.
-30-
