Environment Committee advances bills on bear hunting, Sunday hunting, animal welfare and aquaculture; votes held open until 2 p.m.

State Representative John Michael Parker, chair of the Environment Committee, convened the March 28 meeting and steered the committee through nine agenda items, moving several to the House floor with committee recommendation after debate and roll-call votes.

The committee’s most contested discussions centered on changes to bear-management law and a proposal to allow limited Sunday hunting on private land. Lawmakers also debated a bill that combines requirements to expand non-animal testing methods with biodiesel blending mandates and considered bills on feral-cat handling, pet-store animal welfare, aquaculture, and PFAS study and coordination.

Representative Mashinsky, who opposed the bear measure, warned the committee that the bill “is deciding to kill a bear based on their behavior the previous year” and urged greater use of nonlethal tools. Representative Horn, who represents many farmers, said crop losses can be rapid and argued the bill gives producers “more tools to address” severe, immediate damage to fields. Representative Mashinsky also questioned protections for hikers under the Sunday-hunting language, noting that some blazed trails cross private property.

Committee members said they will continue working on language changes before the bills go to the House for further action. Several lawmakers described agency and stakeholder concerns that will require follow-up — for example, the aquaculture bill’s treatment of oyster-shell recycling was pared back after a report raised storage and burden…