HARRISBURG, Pa. — The House Game and Fisheries Committee on Wednesday reported House Bill 1811, sponsored by Rep. Steele, a bill that would remove the statutory $400-per-acre cap on land acquisitions by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in counties of the first through fifth classes.

Under current law cited by the committee, the Game Commission is limited to paying $400 per acre in most counties; House Bill 1811 would eliminate that cap for counties in classes one through five while retaining the $400 cap for counties in classes six, seven and eight.

Rep. Steele described the Game Commission as a strong steward of wildlife and habitat and said the restriction has contributed to state game lands being concentrated in the Northern Tier, limiting access for residents in other parts of the Commonwealth. "If you've never been to Benazette on a cool misty fall morning to hear the bugling of wild elks, I suggest you go," Steele said. "It is a moment of beauty that you will always carry with you."

Steele said hunters' license dollars have sustained much of the commission's work and argued that lifting the cap would allow the commission to acquire land in the Southwestern and Southeastern parts of the state to create more equitable access to state game lands.

Rep. Maloney also supported the change but raised concerns about related fiscal implications and cited the commission's payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) arrangements. "The game commission has what's called the pill, payment in lieu of taxes. The other body saw fit to allow the game commission to use our property tax rent rebate in lieu of that, which to me is an extremely egregious act to private property owners," Maloney said, adding she wanted to be sure the policy focus remained on supporting sportsmen and sportsmen's land.

The committee recorded no negative votes and the bill was reported "as committed" for further consideration.

Discussion: sponsors framed the bill as a conservation and access issue; members noted property-tax and PILOT implications raised by other legislative action. Direction: none beyond reporting the bill. Formal action: the committee reported the bill out of committee; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

Less critical details: the bill preserves the $400-per-acre cap for counties in the sixth through eighth classes; proponents said the cap's removal is intended to redistribute access to game lands across the Commonwealth.