by Erin C. Healy - Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Today the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 144 to 54 to advance Senate Bill 147, which allows for three Sunday hunting days for hunters and beefs up trespassing laws for farmers. The bill now heads back to the Keystone state’s senate for a concurrence vote addressing the three amendments added in the house version. A vote is expected the week of Nov. 18. Hunters remain hopeful that Gov. Tom Wolf will sign the bill within 10 days following the Senate passage.
Hunters have been trying for approximately two decades to get some form of Sunday hunting approved through the Pennsylvania legislative process, but the Pennsylvania Farmers Bureau has vehemently opposed the effort, citing trespassing issues as a main concern. As hunter numbers continue to fall, with a lack of time being the No. 1 deterrent to further hunting involvement, the hunting community remains hopeful that this compromise package will be favorably received by the governor. Support has been fully bipartisan for the historic measure.
About the Author: Erin C. Healy is the associate editor of the NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum. She edited a lifestyle magazine on Cape Cod for 14 years and provided marketing services for her local guntry club prior to working for BLADE magazine and a regional recreational fishing magazine. She served in the U.S. Army, is an NRA Life Member, a National Wild Turkey Federation member and sends her Jack Russell Terriers to ground as often as possible.
Follow NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum on Twitter @HuntersLead.