Pennsylvania
More Sunday hunting for Pa. earns approval of Senate panel, amid deer urine debate
A Pennsylvania Senate committee Tuesday narrowly backed a proposal already passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to open more Sundays for hunting.
The Senate Game & Fisheries Committee amended a portion of the proposal, House Bill 1431, that would permit hunters to use natural deer urine as an attractant. The amendment removes a testing requirement designed to ensure it’s free from Chronic Wasting Disease, which has been spreading in Pennsylvania.
Members of the Senate committee passed an identical bill, Senate Bill 67, with the same amendment related to deer urine testing.
If approved by the full Senate, HB 1431 as amended would require another vote by the House before going to Gov. Josh Shapiro to be signed potentially into law. SB 67 would need to be passed by the full Senate before consideration in the House.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission in 2020 began allowing hunting on three Sundays under legislation signed into law as Act 107 of 2019.
The Game Commission supports the intent of both bills now pending to fully repeal the state’s prohibition on Sunday hunting. It would then be up solely to the state Board of Game Commissioners to decide which Sundays are open to hunting.
“I think this is a giant step forward as far as the freedoms of Pennsylvanians,” SB 67 sponsor Sen. Daniel Laughlin, R-Erie, said during Tuesday’s committee meeting. “The ban on Sunday hunting has been in place since this was a colony … . I think it’s been roughly 300 years that you have not been allowed to have full access to going hunting on Sunday in Pennsylvania. So this is, I think, a pretty big watershed moment.”
HB 1431 is sponsored by state Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Allegheny.
Senators split their votes 6-5 to approve both proposals during Tuesday’s committee meeting.
North-central Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Chris Dush opposed the measures to expand Sunday hunting. Saying “traditions are being destroyed” and small businesses are being harmed, he compared it to the Game Commission’s decision in 2019 to move the start of the regular firearms season for white-tailed deer to the Saturday from the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Sen. Judith Schwank, D-Berks, also voiced opposition.
“Somebody has to speak for the people who like to walk in the woods, the bird-watchers, the folks who trail-ride, the people who talk to me as well about their grave concerns about opening this up without any restrictions — without restrictions where they weren’t brought to the table to discuss this,” she said.
During the debate of testing of deer-urine attractant, Sen. Lisa Boscola pushed back against arguments from committee staff that “the likelihood of spreading Chronic Wasting Disease through deer urine is extremely low, if any at all.”
“Says who?” asked Boscola, D-Lehigh/Northampton. “Not the Game Commission, because they’re concerned about the spread of” CWD “and having deer urine out there, I mean, that’s why they don’t allow it to begin with, to protect these areas, to protect us from further spread.”
CWD spreads through direct animal-to-animal contact, as well as indirectly through environments contaminated by the disease-causing agent, called a prion, according to the Game Commission. CWD-infected deer shed these prions through saliva, urine and feces. In addition, infected carcasses contribute to environmental contamination. Once in soil, CWD prions remain infectious for decades.
Boscola also likened the use of deer urine “to take, attracting or scouting wildlife,” as the bills’ language states, to the illegal practice of hunting over bait.
Laughlin countered her arguments by saying hunters would only use “a couple drops on your boots or whatever.”
“And, you know, CWD is already out in the wilds of Pennsylvania,” he said. “That’s why we have these maps where it shows where it’s active. I think it’s probably pretty similar to shutting the barn door after the horse is out.”
Additional elements of HB 1431 and SB 67 would require at least one member of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners to represent agricultural interests and strengthen penalties for trespassing on private property.
Prior to the 2025-26 legislative session, legislation to expand Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania passed the House Game & Fisheries Committee but failed to become law.
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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — A major downtown street will be repaved under a resurfacing contract awarded this week by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
Borough officials, who have lobbied for years to have East and West State Street resurfaced, announced the news on Wednesday via its Facebook page.
When the project happens later this year, the work will be fully paid for under a major $8.3 million project bid award by PennDOT to repave 16 miles of state highways in Bucks County.
This marks the first time that State Street will be resurfaced since the 1990s, said borough officials, who credited an organized lobbying effort by local leadership and the community for pushing the project forward.
In its Facebook posting, the borough thanked State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, State Rep. Tim Brennan, Borough Council, Mayor Noni West, residents and business owners who brought the street’s condition to PennDOT’s attention.
State Street runs through the heart of the borough and serves as a heavily used business, tourism, and residential corridor for the town. It is home to the County Theater, a popular local and regional tourist attraction, the historic Doylestown Inn, and many other businesses.
More detailed timing and work plans are expected once the state finalizes its construction schedule.
One person is dead, and two others were taken to the hospital after a crash involving multiple vehicles in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The crash happened around 4:45 p.m. at East Bristol Road and Brownsville roads, police said.
Police said a person driving a Toyota RAV4 was involved in a domestic-related incident in Lower Southampton Township before the crash.
The person driving the Toyota RAV4 was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed, crossed into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle while attempting to pass a Hyundai Kona, according to police.
The Toyota then became airborne, struck a Honda SUV and a Ford pickup truck and rolled over. The driver of the Toyota died in the crash, police said.
The driver of the Hyundai Kona left the road and came to a rest after striking a fence on Bristol Road, according to police.
It’s unclear if any drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, police said.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Bensalem police.
Pennsylvania
Digital News Publishers Launch Pennsylvania Independent News Association (PiNA) to Advocate for Local News Organizations – Saucon Source
The publishers of two dozen local news brands across Pennsylvania today announced the official formation of the Pennsylvania Independent News Association (PiNA).
The new Harrisburg-based organization is dedicated to bringing together digital-first local news organizations to strengthen the independent press, modernize laws and policies, and ensure the long-term sustainability of community news.
“The news industry is in a period of profound transformation, and digital news publishers need a seat at the table,” said Tom Sofield, PiNA’s president and publisher of LevittownNow.com.
PiNA’s mission is to provide these publishers with a collective voice, advocating for policies that reflect the modern reality of news consumers, local businesses and civic organizations.
An immediate focus for the new association is the reform of Pennsylvania’s outdated public notice laws, which currently prohibit digital outlets from publishing legal notices. PiNA seeks the right for qualified and established digital outlets to compete against incumbent print outlets and for local municipalities to choose the publication and medium that’s best for their communities. PiNA’s proposed amendment draws from similar legislation in Virginia that was signed into law in 2024.
“PiNA publishers have long been ready to compromise and find policy solutions that work for all Pennsylvanians,” said PiNA secretary and treasurer Davis Shaver, publisher of LebTown. “When lawmakers and local government organizations say they want the ability to self-publish notices, it’s a result of legacy newspapers treating the print monopoly over public notices as a profit center.”
PiNA’s position is that independent outlets can provide the third-party affidavits of publication required to demonstrate compliance with public notice mandates–an essential role of the notice process that would not be possible if agencies were allowed to publish on their own websites.
“We understand why self-publication is desirable, but it’s not the only way to provide urgently needed financial relief for the onerous print newspaper tax on public notices,” said Shaver. “We’re tired of waiting for legacy newspapers to disrupt themselves. Enough is enough, let’s move on.”
PiNA has already engaged with state legislators from across the Commonwealth. PiNA leadership said that the group has been encouraged to learn that its position has widespread support. In particular, PiNA commends Representative Robert Freeman (D-136) for his leadership on this issue.
PiNA represents a group of serious-minded news organizations and leaders. Its membership spans the Commonwealth, from the most rural area to the suburbs and to the neighborhoods of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. PiNA member outlets are read by millions of Pennsylvanians monthly.
“We are coming together to advocate for our staffs, our readers and common-sense policies–like public notice reform–that support a free and modern press,” said Sofield. “By combining our strengths, we can ensure that every community in Pennsylvania has access to reliable local news.”
The association will work to bring collaboration among the locally-owned Pennsylvania small businesses to share ideas and solutions for growth, technology and sustainable revenue models.
“We believe in the power of local news to build stronger communities and improve lives,” said Sofield. “By forming PiNA, we’re creating a base for independent publishers to thrive together.”
PiNA is focused on ensuring that high-quality, trustworthy local news is a permanent fixture in Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. The founding members of PiNA include Burb Media, EYT Media Group, Fideri News Network, Lazerpro, Lebanon Publishing Company, NCPA Media LLC and Street Light Media Group. The first associate members include West Hills Gazette and Saucon Source.
Member Outlets: AroundAmbler.com, CentralBucksNews.com, explore814.com, exploreClarion.com, exploreJeffersonPA.com, exploreVenango.com, GlensideLocal.com, HorshamNow.com, LebTown.com, LevittownNow.com, MediaPANow.com, MoreThanTheCurve.com, NewHopeFreePress.com, NewtownPANow.com, NorthCentralPA.com, NorthPennNow.com, PerkValleyNow.com, PhillyDaily.com, SauconSource.com, StateCollege.com, WestHillsGazette.com, WillowGroveNow.com, and WissNow.com.
About PiNA
The Pennsylvania Independent News Association (PiNA) is a trade association representing digital-first local news publishers. PiNA works to promote the health and sustainability of independent news outlets through advocacy, collaboration and innovation.
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