USP Makes Substantial Legislative Progress

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USP Makes Substantial Legislative Progress ©

By Jim Slinsky
06/02/07

Contrary to what you may have heard our legislators are deeply concerned with the issues of our times. Of course, you can probably bring to my attention a few legislators who could care less, but they don’t last very long. Elections weed out the self-serving. In the past three months of traveling to Harrisburg and accompanying Dr. Charles Bolgiano, Legislative Liaison for the Unified Sportsmen of PA (USP), I have been impressed with the interest and response of our state representatives to our contentious wildlife related debates. We certainly have good legislators and smart legislators on the payroll.

Dr. Bolgiano has done an outstanding job of identifying the problems of the PGC, our PGC Commissioners and our deer management program. He has articulated these core problems to our state representatives and they have responded. Just two weeks ago no less than six pieces of curative legislation was passed out of the House Game and Fisheries Committee. The entire meeting took seventeen minutes and there wasn’t a single dissenting vote. All six legislative reforms are headed to the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee for their approval. It seems times have changed since the days of SR Bruce Smith.

The book is still out on how receptive and responsive the Senate will be to passing these reforms. I am no political pundit, but I would caution our Senators not to be apathetic or appear to be lap dogs for the PGC. There is a tidal wave of support for curative legislation to level the playing field. I know what I would do if I were involved in the process. I would create a system where our sporting class would have real clout; a system where our sporting class could hold the PGC accountable without relying on legislative intervention in the future.

Game and Fish Majority Chairman SR Ed Staback and Minority Chairman Sam Rohrer have been outstanding in their quest to resolve the PGC’s tendency to abuse their management discretion. Frankly, all of the House committee members have been impressive. There are so many heroes evolving I don’t have the space to mention them all. I will cover the individual legislation as it passes and certainly let you know who your friends and enemies are.

Interestingly, while all of this plays out and our state representatives are exercising their right to reign-in a state agency gone wild, the PGC has activated their propaganda machine. It seems a week doesn’t pass without an editorial appearing in some newspaper that our legislators are about to undermine the independence of the PGC and scientific wildlife management. Hogwash! The need for reform is obvious to even the casual observer and it is the responsibility of our legislators to pass those reforms.

It is equally amusing to watch the surrogates for the PGC such as the PA Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the United Bowhunters of PA and the National Wild Turkey Federation scream like proverbial stuck pigs. If the PGC declared the sky is purple these so-called sportsmen’s clubs would issue a proclamation that it is so. The reality is special interest agendas have already undermined the PGC and threaten their independence. Our legislators are about to put the PGC back on track.

Speaking of surrogates, how about the outdoor writers who vehemently defended the PGC, Dr. Gary Alt and the deer program for the last six years? The deer program is an obvious failure, yet those same outdoor writers now scream to prevent any reform of the PGC from occurring. How pathetic. It is the responsibility of the press to be objective and print the truth.

The Unified Sportsmen of PA were practically the lone voice of dissent opposing the PGC’s direction six years ago. They have evolved as prophets in their predictions. Now the USP leads the charge to correct by curative legislation the many ills of the PGC and our legislators are responding.

Contrary to the propaganda, Unified and our legislators are going in the right direction.

Jim Slinsky is the host and producer of the “Outdoor Talk Network”, a nationally syndicated, outdoor-talk radio program. For a station near you or to contact Jim, visit his website at www.outdoortalknetwork.com.

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