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<p>A bill that would give the Pennsylvania Game Commission the authority to raise license fees was passed by the House Game and Fisheries Committee on Tuesday, but it may be a bit too early for the agency to be optimistic.</p><p>Senate Bill 1166, which would allow the PGC to establish the fees for hunting and trapping licenses, passed the Senate in June by a 46-2 vote. It was sent to the House Game and Fisheries Committee and it passed with a 17-8, moving onto the floor for final approval.</p><p>But state Rep. Gerald Mullery (D-Newport Township) said a state audit that will be performed on the PGC may stall the bill.</p><p>Mullery, who is a member of the Game and Fisheries Committee, said it&#8217;s likely the bill will be brought to the House floor next week, and it&#8217;s possible a vote to table the legislation until the audit is completed will pass. He said the audit should be finished in January.</p><p>While Mullery said he supports SB 1166, he would also be in favor of tabling the measure until the PGC audit is complete.</p><p>&#8220;Knowing the completion date for the audit is just a few months away and the effective date of this bill would coincide with that, what is the harm?&#8221; Mullery said.</p><p>If the bill is tabled pending the conclusion of the audit, Mullery expects a similar measure (SB 1168) that allows the Fish and Boat Commission to set license fees would be tabled as well. If the bills are tabled, they would have to be re-introduced and go through committee again before reaching the House floor, Mullery said, adding it would be up to the PGC to determine when any license fee increase would become effective assuming the bills pass.</p><p>But the bills don&#8217;t give the agencies complete freedom to implement fee increases without oversight. An amendment added to both bills calls for the Game and Fisheries committees in both the House and Senate to review any license fee increases, and a recommendation to approve or deny will be forwarded to the governor&#8217;s office for a final decision.</p><p>Also, there&#8217;s a provision that allows the General Assembly to review the bill after five years.</p><p>Despite the audit and amendments, Mullery said he&#8217;s supportive of granting both agencies the authority to set their own license fees. If the authority is abused, Mullery said, the agencies would just be hurting themselves.</p><p>&#8220;I know there are concerns about hiking fees and taking advantage of hunters, but I don&#8217;t see that as being plausible,&#8221; Mullery said. &#8220;They have to be reasonable with any increase for fear of losing their sole funding source - license buyers.</p><p>&#8220;These agencies are on life support financially, and I&#8217;m going to put faith in them that they&#8217;ll do this the right way.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Antlerless license bill could re-surface</strong></p><p>Mullery said he intends to introduce House Bill 231, which would allow hunters to purchase their antlerless licenses from outlets, including online, other than county treasurers, as an amendment to the SB 1166 when it reaches the House floor.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been told I have tremendous support from Democrats and the majority as well,&#8221; Mullery said.</p><p>He added that Sunday hunting legislation could also surface as an amendment to SB 1166 as well.</p><p><strong>PGC District 7 board seat</strong></p><p>The Northeast Region has been without representation on the Game Commission board since July 2015 when Jay Delaney&#8217;s term expired. Mullery said he&#8217;s concerned by the delay to fill the seat and he has recommended someone for the post.</p><p>According to a source, several names have been sent to the Gov. Tom Wolfe who will decide who to nominate and send to the Senate for confirmation.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Mullery </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Gerald-Mullery-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mullery </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Legislation allowing Pennsylvania Game Commission to set hunting license fees ready for vote