Friday, January 20, 2012
Bill on Sunday hunting clears its first hurdle
The measure to allow the activity on private property won bipartisan approval from a Senate panel.
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From The Roanoke Times
RICHMOND — Legislation that would relax Virginia's ban on Sunday hunting cleared its first legislative hurdle Thursday, winning solid bipartisan approval from a state Senate committee.
The Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-4 to advance a bill that would allow Sunday hunting on private property, as long as the hunter owns the land or has written permission from the landowner. Senate Bill 464 now goes to the full Senate, where it likely will come up for a vote next week.
Virginia is one of only 11 states that prohibit or restrict hunting on Sundays, and the issue has stirred passionate debate in the state Capitol. The Senate committee heard more than an hour of testimony from advocates on both sides of the issue who jammed into a committee hearing room Thursday afternoon.
"I just finished an election campaign, as many of you all did," said the bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk. "And one of the things I heard across my district was that we need less government in our lives, we need less regulations and we need to pay attention to property rights. It is time for the commonwealth of Virginia to make the decision that the government should not be telling us, as property owners, what we can do on our property and when we can do it."
Northam's original bill would have lifted the hunting ban statewide. He submitted a substitute Thursday that would allow Sunday hunting on private land only.
Three other senators who introduced Sunday hunting bills had their bills folded into Northam's. Similar legislation is pending in the House of Delegates.
Gov. Bob McDonnell has said he would sign legislation allowing Sunday hunting on private property, a message that Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech repeated to the Senate committee Thursday.
Supporters of Sunday hunting have mounted a well-organized campaign to persuade legislators to lift the ban this year. They contend that allowing Sunday hunting will give working families more time to hunt, keep younger hunters engaged in the sport and produce economic benefits for the state.
The committee heard from lobbyists and representatives of sportsmen's groups, retailers and other organizations that have joined in a coalition to lift the hunting ban.
Earl Harth of Amelia County told the committee that the Sunday hunting ban is unfair to his two children, who participate in other sports and have few opportunities to share a day in the woods with him.
"I don't want them to have to make a choice between sports and hunting," Harth said. "They don't do sports on Sunday."
The committee also heard from hunters, horse enthusiasts, farm organizations and others who want the ban maintained. Opponents said allowing Sunday hunting on private property would be disruptive to neighboring landowners and other outdoors enthusiasts who want to enjoy open spaces without competing with hunters.
"The hunters have six days of the week," said Bette Brand of the Virginia Horse Council. "We just simply want to keep that one day where we don't have the fear of the guns, stray bullets or even the noise on Sundays."
Catherine Bennett of Lancaster sells real estate and said she prefers to show properties on the Northern Neck on Sundays to avoid run-ins with hunters.
"Buyers are looking for peace and quiet and they're looking for wildlife and they're not looking to get involved with a hunting issue when they're out looking for property," she said.
All seven of the Democratic senators on the committee, including Northam, supported the bill. The eight Republicans were divided. Chairman Emmett Hanger of Augusta County and Republicans Frank Ruff of Mecklenburg County, Mark Obenshain of Harrisonburg and Richard Stuart of Westmoreland County opposed the bill. Republicans Bill Stanley of Franklin County, John Watkins of Powhatan County, Harry Blevins of Chesapeake and Richard Black of Loudoun County supported it.
