All four State Representatives from Schuylkill County have taken a vow of silence on a pigeon shoot ban bill making its way through the House of Representatives.
On April 29, the House Judiciary Committee voted mostly along party lines to advance HB 2139. The bill was introduced by Rep. Perry Warren, who represents part of Bucks County.
It would make it a summary offense if a person organizes, operates, conducts, or allows an event where live pigeons are used as targets. This includes events for amusement or skill testing in marksmanship where pigeons are launched or presented to shooters from a fixed location, either manually or with electronic or mechanical assistance.
The bill would allow for the use of pigeons for certain game-related activities and dog training practices.
This bill has obvious connections to Schuylkill County. The annual Hegins Pigeon Shoot used to draw thousands on Labor Day weekend until it was banned in 2000 as part of a settlement with its organizers, the Labor Day Committee.
That event had been going since 1934 before that settlement was agreed to in Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas.
Before this bill comes before the full House of Representatives, The Canary sought out how each member of Schuylkill County’s delegation feels about the bill.
If the Judiciary Committee’s vote is any indication, it’s likely they’d be opposed to passing the bill. Only 2 of the 11 Republicans serving on that committee voted in favor of it. There was one no-vote among the 11. Still, it passed by a 16-8-1 vote.
But to be sure, we wanted to hear from each of Schuylkill County’s delegation about the bill.
William Jones, who represents Reps. Tim Twardzik and Joanne Stehr as their press agent, was the only person in that role for the four Schuylkill County reps, to even bother responding to our request for a statement on the bill.
Jones wrote in an email, “Rep. Twardzik will be unable to provide a quote.” In a follow-up email, he said Stehr and other others had been “super busy” in session and that sometimes they’re hard to track down.
The press agents for Reps. Jamie Barton and Dane Watro ignored a pair of emails from The Canary on this matter.
Pat
May 15, 2024 at 6:20 am
Gee, representing the people, yet, they can’t be “tracked down”?? Hiring press agents to be their mouthpiece? It’s a simple question, just answer it. If you think people (your constituents) will have more respect for you straddling the fence, you are sadly mistaken. Pathetic!
James EISENHART
May 15, 2024 at 7:20 am
Pigeons are rats with wings. Talk to the people who live near the 1100 block of west Main Street in Valley View. They nest in an abandoned church.
We have much more important issues to
Deal with,this is a :hey look over here,not at the amount of money your legislators are costing you in Sexual Harrassment lawsuits or Per Deim,or even HOW MUCH money Hexge fund schmucks DONATE to both sides to still be part of our pension programs
Abby
May 16, 2024 at 1:18 pm
Why now? Thought they voted to ban pigeon shoots, especially Hegins, years ago. There are more important issues to deal with like the illegal immigration, upping police funding, forcing schools to focus teaching the necessary skills to survive instead of warped history, different variations of “new math” (which is a crock anyway), and teach regular math, reading, geography, science, and civics. Each year test scores prove that these teachers aren’t doing their jobs and the students are falling further behind.
Canary Commenter
May 17, 2024 at 5:23 pm
The Hegins Pigeon Shoot was banned back in 2000 by the County court. This would be a statewide ban. The bill’s author lives in a district where there’s apparently still a pigeon shoot.
Abby
May 16, 2024 at 1:22 pm
Oh, and I forgot to add: How about finally passing a more equal property tax bill and leaving senior citizens exempt from property taxes since they don’t have kids in school anymore. They worked hard all their lives to buy a home and maintain it, yet are losing their homes because of the high taxes.
Pat
May 16, 2024 at 8:22 pm
Agree with Abby on the senior citizen exemption for property taxes. Come on, Argall!! Get off your butt and look out for our senior citizens.
Cheryl
May 20, 2024 at 6:47 pm
Ever get a response from the state reps? Let’s follow up on this. We cannot allow the four state rep
buffoons to remain silent and not respond to the people. Where do they stand on this one issue??
Chris
May 16, 2024 at 8:18 pm
Still no quote from the state rep buffoons?? Give us a break!!
Ed
May 17, 2024 at 5:09 pm
Yes, they all four look like a bunch of buffoons as someone pointed out. Why won’t they respond to the question? Hope the voters are paying attention.