In hunting and furtaking licenses, further providing for resident license and fee exemptions.
Summary
SB1020 amends Pennsylvania’s Game Code provisions governing resident hunting and furtaking license fee exemptions for disabled veterans. The bill expands the definition of qualifying military service for these exemptions to include not only war or armed conflict, but also other periods of military service such as training exercises, noncombat military operations, peacetime service activities, and other hazardous duty not classified as armed conflict.
Under current law, a resident disabled veteran who lost one or more limbs, lost the use of one or more limbs, or is certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as 100% disabled may receive a free regular hunting or furtaking license if otherwise qualified. SB1020 keeps that free-license category in place, but clarifies and broadens the service circumstances that can qualify a veteran for the exemption. It also preserves the separate provision allowing disabled veterans with a VA disability rating between 60% and 99% to receive a resident hunting or furtaking license for $1, while updating the same military-service language for that category.
The bill’s practical impact is limited to Title 34 and the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s licensing rules, but it affects disabled veterans who hunt or trap in Pennsylvania by potentially making more veterans eligible for reduced-cost or free licenses. It does not create a new program; rather, it revises eligibility language and definitions tied to existing resident license exemptions.
The available voting history shows strong, unanimous support in committee and on the Senate floor, with no recorded opposition in the votes provided. That suggests the measure was broadly viewed as a veterans’ benefit and a technical/clarifying update to existing law rather than a controversial policy change.
The main point of policy significance is the broadened definition of “other period of military service,” which could expand eligibility beyond traditional combat-related service. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded debate in the provided materials, but any potential contention would likely center on how far the exemption should extend and whether the expanded definition could increase the number of qualifying applicants.
Impact
SB1020 amends Title 34 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, specifically section 2706 on resident license and fee exemptions, by broadening the qualifying military-service language for disabled veterans seeking hunting or furtaking license exemptions. It preserves the existing free-license and $1-license categories for disabled veterans, while expanding the statutory definition of covered service to include training exercises, noncombat military operations, peacetime service activities, and other hazardous duty not classified as armed conflict. The bill primarily affects disabled veterans, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and county treasurers who process these licenses.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received very positively. It advanced unanimously through the Senate Game & Fisheries Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and final Senate passage, with no recorded nay votes in the provided history. The vote pattern indicates broad bipartisan support and little to no visible opposition, consistent with a measure framed as a veterans’ benefit and a clarification of existing licensing exemptions.
Contention
No committee transcripts were provided, and the recorded votes show no opposition, so there is no documented controversy in the available materials. The only likely point of contention is the expanded definition of qualifying military service, which could be seen as broadening eligibility for free or reduced-cost hunting and furtaking licenses beyond combat-related service. Any debate would likely involve whether the change appropriately recognizes service-related sacrifice or unnecessarily expands a fee exemption program.
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.
In fishing licenses, providing for indigenous Americans fishing licenses; and, in hunting and furtaking licenses, further providing for resident license and fee exemptions.
In hunting and furtaking licenses, further providing for license requirements; and, in special licenses and permits, further providing for regulated hunting grounds permits.