Rep. Causer Named Chairman of House Game and Fisheries Committee

HARRISBURG – As you heard first on Monday on 1490 WESB's LiveLine, State Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) has been named chairman of the House Game and Fisheries Committee for the 2013-14 legislative session by Speaker-designate Rep. Sam Smith (R-Punxsutawney).

“Hunting and fishing play an important role in our state and regional economies, but more importantly, these activities are a vital part of our heritage,” Causer said. “As chairman of the committee, my top priority will be to protect and preserve that heritage for future generations of sportsmen and sportswomen.”

The House Game and Fisheries Committee is responsible for reviewing legislative proposals that impact hunters and anglers in the Commonwealth. The committee also receives and reviews annual reports from both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

During the 2011-12 session, the committee worked on several bills that are now law, including:

Enhancements to the Mentored Youth Hunting Program, which is designed to help get more young people involved in hunting activities.
Improving access to military-specific hunting licenses by allowing them to be sold by all licensing agents rather than just at commission offices and county treasurers’ offices.
Removing the requirement that sportsmen and sportswomen must wear back tags while hunting (Pennsylvania was one of only two states that still had the requirement).
Offering multi-year fishing licenses and permits.

According to the most recent study conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, participation in wildlife-related recreation (hunting, fishing and wildlife watching) nationwide increased from 87.5 million people in 2006 to more than 91 million in 2011. More than 1.1 million anglers and 775,000 hunters to took the waterways and the woods of the Commonwealth, spending nearly $1.6 billion in 2011. Pennsylvania also ranks in the top five in the nation for the most in-state hunters.

“Hunting and fishing are long-standing traditions for many Pennsylvania families, including my own,” Causer said. “It is my goal to ensure those traditions continue.”

This assignment is Causer’s first as a committee chairman. He has served as representative for the 67th legislative district since 2003. During the prior legislative session, he was a member of the House Appropriations, Health, and Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committees. He also served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Parks and Forests within the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Causer invites area residents to visit www.RepCauser.com to sign up for periodic updates on hunting and fishing news. He also maintains a legislative Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/RepCauser.

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947