As the state with the second most licensed hunters in the nation, with over 840,000 hunting licenses sold and over 825,000 fishing licenses, Pennsylvania relies greatly on its hunters and fishers for both economic activity and contributions to our state’s culture. Accordingly, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission are entrusted with key responsibilities in our state, as millions of Pennsylvanians rely on them to oversee our hunting and fishing seasons and protect the wildlife that are key to these pastimes. Our hunters and fishers deserve to have the best possible individuals represent them in these commissions.
 
Currently, Title 34 and Title 30 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes allows the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to name a new executive director without conducting a job search. The commission exercised this option when The Game Commission named the current Executive Director as the successor for previous executive director Bryan Burhans without considering other candidates and on the same day Burhans resigned. This important and responsible position was not posted, and no job interviews were held. This is not transparent, and we must ensure this does not happen again. As state legislators, we have a responsibility to ensure that our hunting and fishing agencies and their respective policies are executed by the most qualified candidates, and no positions are more important in this regard than the executive directors of these commissions. As state legislators, we have a responsibility to ensure that our hunting and fishing agencies and their respective policies are executed by the most qualified candidates, and no positions are more important in this regard than the executive directors of these commissions. That is why I plan to introduce legislation that would require both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission to conduct a publicly advertised, national job search to fill future vacancies for the executive director positions of these commissions.
 
Pennsylvania’s scenery and wildlife, as well as our culture of hunting and fishing, are some of our state’s most important attributes, and the qualifications and dedication of the individuals overseeing these aspects of our state should reflect the same dedication that our hunters and fishers possess. Please join me in supporting this important legislation to ensure our treasured pastimes get the attention they deserve.