Your action is needed to support the Landowner Hunting Rights Bill - Senate Bill 345
Time is limited in the 2017 legislative session and SB 345 the Landowner Hunting Rights Bill (Sunday Hunting) is now at the last stopping point before being voted into law by the full House. We need you to begin calling each member of the House Judiciary committee and politely ask them to bring this bill to a vote and support its passage. This bill will return the rights of individual property owners to decide what is permissible on their own land. It is also estimated the addition of one hunting day a week during the hunting season will create over 2,000 jobs with a total economic impact exceeding $155 million annually. You can find the members of the House Judiciary committee by clicking this link: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/committees/house/HouseCommittee.cfm?Chart=jud
The counties listed below will be closed to Sunday hunting unless you make a call! · Cabell · Doddridge · Fayette · Gilmer · Grant · Greenbrier · Hampshire · Hardy · Lewis · Mineral · Monroe · Morgan · Pendleton · Pocahontas · Putnam · Raleigh · Randolph · Summers · Taylor · Tucker · Tyler · Upshur
You may not live in one of these counties, but your fellow sportsmen do and they need our help to make this law apply state-wide. If you do live in one of these counties you should be sure to contact your specific Delegate and let them understand your desire for the passage of this bill.
Please make a call to as many of these members as possible. If you get voice mail, leave your name, county you live in and your phone number along with a message to support Senate Bill 345 - the Landowner Hunting Rights Bill!
Little Bear's Link
I really hope this doesn't turn into one of those, "Oops fellers, we tried but we came up short. Really wish we had one more day."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A hard push by West Virginia sportsmen has finally paid off in Charleston. The House of Delegates on Thursday gave final approval to the bill which will authorize Sunday hunting on private land in all 55 counties.
Senate Bill 345 was approved by the House on a vote of 92-5. The bill had already won overwhelming approval in the Senate. The last action will be for the Senate to concur on a technical amendment added in the House, but the addition seems to be a formality and the bill will be on Governor Jim Justice’s desk awaiting signature .
The bill extends Sunday hunting to private property in 22 more counties. The allowance is already in place for 33 counties, several of which recently voted overwhelmingly for the idea.
Originally, the bill, which this year had the backing of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, was to be on all lands including public property like Wildlife Management Areas, State Forests, and National Forests. The public land allowance was amended out early in the process.
Sportsmen successfully took their request to lawmakers this year by framing the debate as one of a private property rights issue as much as a hunting bill. A number of powerful sportsman’s organizations got behind the measure and used their muscle and the backing of members to get the bill approved.
There was a back up plan in place in House Bill 2679. That bill would authorize the carrying of firearms on park property in the state and won approval in the House, but the language of the Sunday hunting bill and an additional plan to forbid fishing within 200 feet of a stock truck was added when the bill came up in the Senate. The House concurred with the changes and that bill is expected to soon be discharged to the governor as well.
Governor Justice has indicated he will sign the Sunday hunting legislation. It’s unknown where he stands on HB 2679, but if the Sunday hunting bill is already signed, the point is moot at least for those who advocated Sunday hunting legislation.
Now, what are you going to do, Dr. J.R.?
lol lol
