HB 1917 — An Act amending Titles 30 (Fish) and 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in fishing licenses, providing for indigenous Americans fishing licenses; and, in hunting and furtaking licenses, further providing for resident license and fee exemptions.

PRINTER'S NO.   2400

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                          HOUSE BILL
                          No. 1917
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY BRIGGS, GUZMAN, FREEMAN, HILL-EVANS, BURGOS,
        PIELLI, KHAN, SANCHEZ, HOWARD, SHUSTERMAN AND GREEN,
        OCTOBER 3, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAME AND FISHERIES, OCTOBER 6, 2025


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Titles 30 (Fish) and 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in fishing licenses, providing for
 3      indigenous Americans fishing licenses; and, in hunting and
 4      furtaking licenses, further providing for resident license
 5      and fee exemptions.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8      Section 1.      Title 30 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 9   Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
10   § 2707.3.      Indigenous Americans fishing licenses.
11      (a)   Acknowledgment.--The General Assembly acknowledges that:
12            (1)    The Commonwealth is unceded territory to the
13      federally recognized Lenape, Shawnee and Seneca-Cayuga
14      nations.
15            (2)    Hunting and fishing rights were never ceded by
16      native nations to the Commonwealth.
17            (3)    The citizens of the federally recognized Lenape
18      tribes, Shawnee, Seneca-Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk and
19      Tuscarora nations should be granted the right to hunt and
 1      fish freely in this Commonwealth.
 2      (b)   Issuing of licenses.--Indigenous American fishing
 3   licenses shall be issued by the commission, county treasurer or
 4   issuing agent to an individual who is a formally recognized
 5   member of a federally recognized indigenous tribe. Before the
 6   issuance of a license under this chapter, an individual must
 7   provide at least one of the following forms of documentation in
 8   addition to a valid photo identification card:
 9            (1)   A certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaska Native
10      Blood.
11            (2)   A written statement from an official of the
12      federally recognized indigenous tribe from which the
13      individual or the individual's ancestors originated.
14            (3)   Genealogical documentation showing that the
15      individual:
16                  (i)    lineally descends from an ancestor who was a
17            member of a federally recognized indigenous tribe from
18            which the individual claims descent; or
19                  (ii)    was legally adopted or married into the
20            federally recognized indigenous tribe from which the
21            individual claims descent.
22      (c)   Fee.--The commission, county treasurer or issuing agent
23   may not charge a fee for a license after presentation of the
24   required documentation under this section.
25      (d)   Definition.--As used in this section, the term
26   "federally recognized indigenous tribe" means an American Indian
27   or Alaska Native tribal entity that is recognized as having a
28   government-to-government relationship with the United States,
29   with the responsibilities, powers, limitations and obligations
30   attached to that designation.

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 1      Section 2.         Section 2706 of Title 34 is amended by adding a
 2   subsection to read:
 3   § 2706.    Resident license and fee exemptions.
 4      * * *
 5      (i)    Indigenous Americans hunting licenses.--
 6             (1)   The General Assembly acknowledges that:
 7                   (i)    The Commonwealth is unceded territory to the
 8             federally recognized Lenape, Shawnee and Seneca-Cayuga
 9             nations.
10                   (ii)    Hunting and fishing rights were never ceded by
11             native nations to the Commonwealth.
12                   (iii)    The citizens of the federally recognized
13             Lenape tribes, Shawnee, Seneca-Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida,
14             Mohawk and Tuscarora nations should be granted the right
15             to hunt and fish freely in this Commonwealth.
16             (2)   Indigenous American hunting licenses shall be issued
17      by the commission, county treasurer or issuing agent to an
18      individual who is a formally recognized member of a federally
19      recognized indigenous tribe. Before the issuance of a license
20      under this subsection, an individual must provide at least
21      one of the following forms of documentation in addition to a
22      valid photo identification card:
23                   (i)    a certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaska
24             Native Blood;
25                   (ii)    a written statement from an official of the
26             federally recognized indigenous tribe from which the
27             individual or the individual's ancestors originated; or
28                   (iii)    genealogical documentation showing that the
29             individual:
30                          (A)   lineally descends from an ancestor who was a

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 1              member of the federally recognized indigenous tribe
 2              from which the individual claims descent; or
 3                  (B)   was legally adopted or married into the
 4              federally recognized indigenous tribe from which the
 5              individual claims descent.
 6        (3)   The commission, county treasurer or issuing agent
 7    may not charge a fee for this license after presentation of
 8    the required documentation under this subsection.
 9        (4)   As used in this subsection, the term "federally
10    recognized indigenous tribe" means an American Indian or
11    Alaska Native tribal entity that is recognized as having a
12    government-to-government relationship with the United States,
13    with the responsibilities, powers, limitations and
14    obligations attached to that designation.
15    Section 3.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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