State Rep. Brett Miller wants to strip the Game Commission of the power to terminate hunting licenses.
Currently, hunters accused of violating the state’s Game Code must appear in magisterial district court to face criminal charges. If the court convicts the hunter of a crime, the court or the Game Commission can suspend or revoke the hunter’s license.
Miller introduced legislation Tuesday that would take the power away from the Game Commission and give local courts the sole ability to penalize a hunter. Courts would be able to punish hunters for a maximum of five years before their eligibility to obtain a license is restored (current rules allow lifetime bans).
Miller, whose 41st District includes Columbia Borough and all of East and West Hempfield townships, declined to comment or accept questions from LNP — LancasterOnline about his bill. In September, he sent a memo to his colleagues framing the bill as a “transfer” of authority from the commission to the courts.
Section 2741 of the state Game Code already gives magisterial district courts the ability to revoke a hunting license.
Jason Raup, assistant counsel at the Game Commission, said while the courts can take away licenses, judges leave the “lion’s share” of cases to the commission. Since it’s “very rare” for a judge to cancel a license, Raup said Miller’s proposal opens the door for serious offenders, such as poachers, to walk away without punishment.
He said his agency reserves revocation of a license for the most serious Game Code violations, taking away about 1,000 licenses per year.
In the past 10 years, the number of general hunting licenses sold in Pennsylvania has been declining steadily. From 2012 to 2022, sales numbers dropped from 938,000 to 844,000. Archery license sales have increased since 2012, from 297,000 to 335,000 in 2022.
Raup said he found fault with Miller’s framing of the legislation as a civil rights bill because Pennsylvania does not guarantee the right to hunt.
Miller wrote, “This legislation will recalibrate the proper balance of powers across the separate branches” in his memo. He also wrote that the bill would “ensure that a hunter’s privileges are immediately restored upon charges being dropped, dismissed or the hunter being found not guilty.”
Mike Kriner, director of government affairs for the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists, said there was no record of a complaint within his organization from any hunters in relation to this bill and that he hasn’t spoken to Miller about it.
He said his group isn’t taking a position on the bill until the House holds public hearings on the legislation.
Republican state Reps. Tom Jones, of East Donegal, and Dave Zimmerman, of East Earl, co-sponsored the bill. Jones did not respond to a request for comment.
In a written statement, Zimmerman said he signed onto the bill to protect the separation of powers between the branches.
