HB 1353 — An Act amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Pennsylvania Game Commission, further providing for Game Commission officers and employees; and, in enforcement, further providing for powers and duties of enforcement officers.

PRINTER'S NO.     1541

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1353
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY SCIALABBA, JAMES, LEADBETER, HAMM, ROAE, KAUFFMAN,
        SMITH, COOK, ROWE AND GILLEN, APRIL 30, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, APRIL 30, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 2      Statutes, in Pennsylvania Game Commission, further providing
 3      for Game Commission officers and employees; and, in
 4      enforcement, further providing for powers and duties of
 5      enforcement officers.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8      Section 1.    Section 303(c) of Title 34 of the Pennsylvania
 9   Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
10   § 303.   Game Commission officers and employees.
11      * * *
12      (c)   Power and authority.--[Every officer, employee or
13   representative] Except as provided in section 901(a.1) (relating
14   to powers and duties of enforcement officers), every officer of
15   the commission in the exercise of their powers and duties shall
16   have the right and authority to go upon or enter any property[,
17   posted or otherwise,] outside of buildings.
18      Section 2.    Section 901(a)(2) and (8) of Title 34 are amended
19   and the section is amended by adding a subsection to read:
 1   § 901.   Powers and duties of enforcement officers.
 2      (a)   Powers.--Any officer whose duty it is to enforce this
 3   title or any officer investigating any alleged violation of this
 4   title shall have the power and duty to:
 5            * * *
 6            (2)    [Go] Except as provided in subsection (a.1), go upon
 7      any land or water outside of buildings, except curtilage,
 8      [posted or otherwise,] in the performance of the officer's
 9      duty.
10            * * *
11            [(8)    Conduct administrative inspections of persons,
12      licenses and permits, firearms, ammunition and other
13      implements of taking, game bags, game, meat poles, tags,
14      clothing, waterfowl blinds, decoys, tree stands, immediate
15      hunting locations, or any means of transportation or its
16      attachments used as blinds or as hunting locations, and any
17      coolers or containers possessed at a hunting location when
18      prima facie evidence of hunting exists. Any officer
19      conducting an administrative inspection shall, if any person
20      is present, present a badge or other means of official
21      identification and state the purpose of the inspection.]
22            * * *
23      (a.1)     Prohibition.--An officer may not go upon any land as
24   to which notice against trespass is given by any of the
25   following:
26            (1)    Actual communication to the officer by the
27      landowner.
28            (2)    Posting in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably
29      likely to come to the attention of intruders.
30            (3)    Fencing or other enclosure manifestly designed to

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 1    exclude intruders.
 2        (4)   The placement of identifying purple paint marks on
 3    trees or posts on the property line that are:
 4              (i)    vertical lines of not less than eight inches in
 5        length and not less than one inch in width;
 6              (ii)    placed so that the bottom of the mark is not
 7        less than three feet from the ground and not more than
 8        five feet from the ground; and
 9              (iii)    placed at locations that are readily visible
10        to a person approaching the property and not more than
11        100 feet apart.
12    * * *
13    Section 3.      This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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