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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Jay Purdy |
State Rep. Harry
Readshaw |
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Readshaw joins Pa. Farm Bureau call for landowner liability fix
HARRISBURG, April 17 – At a Capitol news conference today, state Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny, supported a call by the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau for prompt legislative action to correct deficiencies in the state’s landowner liability law.
At the news conference, Farm Bureau President Carl T. Schaffer urged the General Assembly to pass Readshaw’s H.B. 13 and other House and Senate bills that would strength protection from liability for landowners who allow the public to use their property for recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking and snowmobiling.
Speakers included Dan and Pam Haas of Lehigh County. They recently reached a settlement with a woman who was injured by stray bullet fire from a hunter on the Haas’ property, a half mile away.
To protect them from similar liability litigation, a number of Pennsylvania landowners have posted their property against public use and, without increased liability protection, it is feared many more will do so.
“As a farmer, I take on many operating risks on a day-to-day basis, but the risk of an unwarranted lawsuit is simply too great. Farmers won’t gamble their farms if they know that the actions of others can put everything they own in jeopardy,” said Elder Vogel, president of the Beaver County Farm Bureau.
The proposal sponsored by Readshaw would remove landowners from liability for the safety of the people they allow to use their property for lawful recreational activities and from responsibility for accidents caused by the people utilizing their property.
Readshaw said that the feared closing of a great deal of private lands would impact more than just the people who use them for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities.
“The sale of sporting goods to anglers and hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts is a business that is important to many jobs in Pennsylvania,” Readshaw said. “We need to see the legislature act on my bill and other bills addressing landowner liability before the fall, or a lot of Pennsylvania hunters are going to find themselves staring at posted signs on property where they have hunted for years, even generations.”
Readshaw emphasized that the liability issues have been around for several years and is glad that that bipartisan support is galvanizing behind the latest push to fill in the gaps that could severely harm Pennsylvania’s long tradition of being one of the best states in the nation for enjoying the outdoors.
“My hope is that House Bill 13 will prove a lucky number that results in protecting the gracious property owners who allow hunters and anglers onto their property to continue the legacy of these outdoor traditions of Pennsylvania,” Readshaw added.
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