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Fish & Boat Commission presents 2024 report, outlines federal funding and reserve policy
Summary
At a House Game and Fisheries Committee hearing, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Tim Schafer summarized the agency's 2024 annual report, explained federal funding from the Dingell-Johnson program, and described the commission's 70% reserve rule and current fund balances.
Tim Schafer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, told the House Game and Fisheries Committee that the commission's 2024 annual report summarizes major initiatives and that roughly 25% of the commission's revenue comes from federal sources under the Dingell-Johnson excise-tax program.
The report, delivered to the committee as required by statute, also summarized the commission's reserve policy. Schafer said the board imposed an internal "70% rule" to keep roughly 70% of annual revenues in reserve to cover revenue interruptions, catastrophic events and cash-flow timing. He said the commission's available cash balance is about $9,000,000, restricted reserves total about $80,000,000, and unrestricted reserves are about $56,000,000.
"There's a 70% rule where we would keep no more than 70% of annual revenues in reserve," Schafer said in his presentation. He told members that restricted reserves include committed funds for specific projects, such as dam repairs, hatchery trucks, feed contracts and previously awarded grants.
Schafer also reviewed the commission's authority to set license fees. He thanked committee members for passage of House Bill 1409, which he said became Act 129 and extended the commissioner's authority to set license fees through 2035. He said the commission has used that authority twice since it was granted and has no current plans to raise fees next year.
Schafer said commission staff are discussing with appropriations staff whether some state boat-fuel-tax revenue could be used with federal fuel-tax dollars to allow increased flexibility between the boat fund and fish fund. He said that change could, if approved, help the commission avoid a fishing-license increase in the foreseeable future.
Schafer closed by inviting legislators to visit hatcheries, habitat projects and training events to see commission work firsthand.
Why it matters: The mix of federal excise funding and the commission's reserve policy affect how the agency can respond to emergencies, maintain hatcheries and avoid license increases that would affect anglers and program revenue over time.
