Pennsylvania Rethinks Hunting License Structure

Pennsylvania's House Game and Fisheries Committee just moved two hunting license bills to the full House floor — one that reshapes how the state funds wildlife management, another that reopens deer season to people who left.

Driving the news: House Bill 2690 would give the Pennsylvania Game Commission the same authority the Fish and Boat Commission has had since 2020 — setting its own license and permit fees without waiting for a legislative vote each time. Right now, Pennsylvania hunters have paid the same $20.97 resident license fee since 1999.

Catch up quick:

• The Fish and Boat Commission got fee-setting authority in 2020, raised fishing licenses $2.50 in both 2023 and 2024, and is considered a success story by bill supporters
• The PGC currently sits on a game fund reserve around $500 million — supporters argue there's no financial pressure to raise fees anytime soon
• The legislature and governor retain veto power over any proposed rate increases; this isn't a blank check

The other bill is Senate Bill 1313, amended significantly from its original form. The original would have let anyone born in Pennsylvania buy a resident license at $20.97 regardless of where they live now. What passed committee instead is narrower: a five-day rifle deer season license for $30, available to former Pennsylvania residents who can prove birth or prior residency in the state. Current nonresident license cost is $101.97 for the full year. If signed into law, the five-day license wouldn't be available until the 2027–28 hunting season.

Yes, but: Not everyone on the committee is sold. Rep. David Maloney opposed giving the PGC fee authority, pointing to what he called a track record of trust issues — specifically referencing changes to how the agency handles pheasant production. His concern isn't about fiscal conservatism alone; it's about legislative oversight as a check on agency decisions he views as inconsistent.

"If we don't have oversight in the legislature to be able to weigh in or keep certain costs down, then we lose a part of the voice of the people that elect us." — Rep. David Maloney, Berks County

The Game Commission supports both bills and issued a statement after the committee vote backing HB 2690. Supporters note that even if the PGC gets this authority, any fee increase would still face committee disapproval and a gubernatorial veto — the same guardrails that apply to the Fish and Boat Commission.

What to watch: Both bills now go to the full Pennsylvania House. The five-day license bill has bipartisan support and a Senate sponsor already on board with the amended version, which helps its odds. The fee-authority bill is more politically complicated — expect the floor debate to revisit the pheasant farm controversy and the size of that $500 million reserve.