Jun. 25, 2020
HARRISBURG – A bill to allow the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to set its own fees has passed the Legislature and is awaiting Gov. Tom Wolf’s signature to become law.
Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) introduced
House Bill 808 so that the commission no longer would need to have fees established by legislation.
“The Fish and Boat Commission is an independent administrative agency that deserves the flexibility and autonomy to set fees as it sees fit. The commission does not receive General Fund revenue and instead relies on fee revenue for its operations,” Mehaffie said.
Under House Bill 808, the General Assembly would retain the right to reject any fee change, and anglers and boaters would have the opportunity to offer comment during the two separate public meetings required to set fees by the board of commissioners.
House Bill 808 grants the fee-setting authority to the commission for three years. After that, authority would be reevaluated by the Legislature.
“This three-year period will be a time to determine whether the commission can uphold its financial responsibilities to the fishing and boating enthusiasts across the Commonwealth,” Mehaffie said.
The bill also removes the word “salmon” from the trout/salmon permit since the agency no longer stocks salmon. It expands the allowable use of funds from the sale of Lake Erie permits to additional projects like fish cleaning stations.
House Bill 808 overwhelmingly passed the House and the Senate.
Representative Thomas Mehaffie
106th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Fitch
717.260.6335
jfitch@pahousegop.com
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