Maloney Named Chairman of House Game and Fish Committee
HARRISBURG – In his 50th Pennsylvania-licensed hunting year, Rep. David Maloney (R-Berks) has been assigned chairman of the House Game and Fisheries Committee for the 2023-24 Legislative Session. He has been at the forefront of combatting Chronic Wasting Disease, securing $1 million in the state budget for CWD research, and is eager to see the restoration of our state bird, the Ruffed Grouse.
Falling in love with Pennsylvania’s woods and waters at a young age, Maloney won a countywide school contest for hunting and trapping when he was 12 years old. He has tallied both Pope & Young bear and whitetail, as well as Pennsylvania’s coveted Triple Trophy – with a bow. He is also a longtime registered state wildlife agent and a member of the Pope and Young Club, Boone and Crockett Club, Theodore Roosevelt Association, Ducks Unlimited and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus
“Some people are honored to be named to head a major committee such as Game and Fisheries, but I take it as a duty,” Maloney said. “This committee should be focused on the sportsmen and sportswomen of our Commonwealth.”
Hunting and fishing are important economic engines for Pennsylvania, bringing in some $1.5 billion each year. As the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission are largely self-funded by fees and license purchases, most of the power of the Game and Fisheries Committee lies in oversight over how the monies of sportsmen and women are used, ostensibly, on their behalf.
In Pennsylvania alone, research shows that in 2020 $1.2 billion spent on hunting-related purchases that have supported 13,600 jobs. Another study determined 1,550,800 anglers spent $422.4 million to go fishing.
“The Game and Fisheries Committee is unique in that, yes, we can pass legislation, but much of what drives the concerns of hunters and anglers are the policies these agencies implement. We, as lawmakers, can and should influence those policies where and when appropriate. For example, after many years, the PGC now has the legal right to more opportunity to offer hunter safety/trapper education in all our public schools due to
Act 27 of 2020, which I authored.”