On Friday, March 8, around 9:30 p.m., the West Virginia 2024 regular legislative session adjourned sine die, which means it is completed for the year.
Several bills were introduced concerning sportsmen, but none rose to the level requiring action.
One pro-sportsmen-related bill, Senate Bill 148, is headed to Governor Jim Justice’s desk for consideration.
SB 148 establishes an auto-renewal program for eligible wildlife licenses, stamps, and permits.
Even though the 2024 legislative session is over, the Sportsmen’s Alliance continues to monitor activities in the Mountain State, like the continued push by Mercer County Commissioner Greg Puckett to enact a leash law ordinance without considering the effects on hunting and sportsmen.
The Leash Law Ordinance is again on the agenda for the Mercer County Commissioner meeting tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
As we have previously reported, Commissioner Puckett is not giving up on his leash law ordinance. The ordinance has been revised and still does not exempt hunting dogs during training or field trials. These are some of the important activities for sporting, hunting, and herding dogs when they are off-leash, and should be included.
At the October 2023 meeting, Commissioner Greg Puckett felt the revised ordinance sufficiently protected sporting and hunting dogs. As we all know, if laws are not specific and we rely on intent and interpretation, law-abiding citizens can be made into criminals even when the original sponsor did not intend this to happen.
If you live in Mercer County, please use our Take Action button to email the commissioners again, urging them to amend the leash law ordinance to ensure full protection of sporting and hunting dogs and any dog working in service to its owner.
Don’t forget to share this alert with family, friends, and fellow sportsmen who live in Mercer County and ask them to do the same.
On our interactive legislative map, you can view the bills the Sportsmen’s Alliance monitored during the legislative session. Please share this message with your family and friends, as sportsmen throughout Mountain State must continue to stay actively involved in defending our hunting, fishing, and trapping heritage for present and future generations to enjoy.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.