In hunting and furtaking licenses, further providing for resident license and fee exemptions.
Summary
HB1507 amends Pennsylvania’s Game Code to expand resident hunting license eligibility to certain college students attending a college or university located in the Commonwealth. Under the bill, an eligible student may obtain a resident hunting license if they apply through an issuing agent or the Pennsylvania Game Commission, present a valid college ID as proof of enrollment, and pay the applicable license and issuing-agent fees.
The bill also limits this student-based eligibility to no more than four consecutive years. It does not create a new license category so much as it clarifies that qualifying in-state college students may be treated as residents for purposes of hunting license and fee exemptions, subject to the bill’s conditions and the existing fee structure in Title 34.
Impact
HB1507 would amend Title 34 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, specifically section 2706 governing resident license and fee exemptions in hunting and furtaking. Its practical effect is to broaden access to resident hunting licenses for college students enrolled at Pennsylvania institutions, while preserving the requirement to pay the standard license and issuing-agent fees. The bill affects the Pennsylvania Game Commission, issuing agents, and college students who hunt in the Commonwealth, and it would take effect 60 days after enactment.
Sentiment
The available voting record shows strong support for the bill throughout the House process. It was reported favorably from the House Game and Fisheries Committee, then re-reported by House Rules and House Appropriations, and ultimately passed the House by a wide margin of 198-5. No committee transcript was provided, but the unanimous committee votes and overwhelming floor passage indicate broadly positive sentiment and little organized opposition.
Contention
The main policy question appears to be whether college students attending Pennsylvania schools should be treated similarly to residents for hunting-license purposes, and whether that eligibility should be limited to students enrolled in-state and capped at four consecutive years. Because the bill requires payment of the normal license and issuing-agent fees, it does not eliminate all costs, but it does extend resident eligibility to a defined student population. The near-unanimous committee votes and large floor majority suggest any objections were limited and did not center on major controversy.
In fishing licenses, providing for law enforcement; and, in hunting and furtaking licenses, further providing for resident license and fee exemptions and for license costs and fees.
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