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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Edward G. Staback |
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Staback: Poaching legislation clears state House
HARRISBURG, July 21 – State Rep. Ed Staback, D-Lackawanna /Wayne, announced today that his bill written to combat poaching of big game animals in Pennsylvania passed the state House of Representatives and now awaits the attention of the Senate.
House Bill 1859, the latest version of legislation that includes stiff fines and penalties for poaching and the illegal trade of wildlife in Pennsylvania, won House approval along with the support of nearly all organized statewide sportsmen organizations. The bill was the product of nearly two years of work. It rewrites much of the penalties section in the state Game Code, being the first such serious review since the 1980s.
"House Bill 1859 is the end product of a lot of work," Staback said. "The final product is a bill that includes misdemeanors, felonies, and for the first time, a possibility of jail time; a bill that treats poaching as the serious crime it is; and a bill that has earned the support of a wide variety of outdoor groups ranging from the NRA to the Humane Society of the United States."
Staback said the new penalties for shooting game at night with a light, over the bag limit or out of season are treated in H.B. 1859 much like they are treated in other states with strong outdoor traditions like Pennsylvania. The stiff penalties and serious grading of offenses in the new language are lacking in the current penalty structure in Title 34, which is based on only summary offenses with comparably low fines and no threat of jail time.
"These new penalties for the unethical acts of poaching are to serve first as a deterrent," Staback offered. "My hope is that each individual considering poaching a game animal, whether for the first or hundredth time, will stop and reconsider his actions due to the high price that will be paid if he or she is caught."
House Bill 1859 now goes to the state Senate for consideration.
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