§ 25.2. Authority to execute compact
Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated StatutesTitle 18 P.S. Crimes and OffensesEffective: September 24, 2010
Effective: September 24, 2010
18 P.S. § 25.2
§ 25.2. Authority to execute compact
The Governor of Pennsylvania, on behalf of this State, is hereby authorized to execute a compact in substantially the following form with any one or more of the states of the United States and the General Assembly hereby signifies in advance its approval and ratification of such compact:
(4) Wildlife resources are valuable without regard to political boundaries; therefore, every person should be required to comply with wildlife preservation, protection, management and restoration statutes, rules, regulations and ordinances of the participating states as a condition precedent to the continuance or issuance of any license to hunt, trap, fish or otherwise possess wildlife.
(7) In most instances, a person who is cited for a wildlife violation in a state other than his home state is required to post collateral or a bond to secure appearance for trial at a later date, is taken into custody until the collateral or bond is posted or is taken directly to court for an immediate appearance.
(8) The purpose of the aforementioned enforcement practices is to ensure compliance with the terms of the wildlife citation by the cited person who, if permitted to continue on his way after receiving the citation, could return to his home state and disregard his duty under the terms of the citation.
Unless the context in which used clearly requires a different meaning, as used in this compact:
(d) “Conviction” means a conviction, including any court conviction, for any offense related to the preservation, protection, management or restoration of wildlife which is prohibited by state statute, rule, regulation or ordinance. The term “conviction” shall also include the forfeiture of any bail, bond or other security deposited to secure appearance by a person charged with having committed any such offense, the payment of a penalty assessment, a plea of nolo contendere or the imposition of a deferred or suspended sentence by the court.
(e) “Court” means a court of law, including any district justice court.1
(o) “Wildlife” means all species of animals, including, but not limited to, mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks and crustaceans which are defined as “wildlife” and are protected or otherwise regulated by statute, rule, regulation or ordinance in a participating state. Species included in the definition of “wildlife” vary from state to state and determination of whether a species is “wildlife” for the purposes of this compact shall be based on the law in the issuing state.
(a) When issuing a citation for a wildlife violation, a wildlife officer shall issue a citation to any person whose primary residence is in a participating state in the same manner as though the person were a resident of the issuing state and shall not require such person to post collateral to secure appearance, subject to the exceptions noted in subsection (b) of Article III of this compact, if the officer receives the recognizance of such person that he will comply with the terms of the citation.
(c) Upon conviction or failure of a person to comply with the terms of a wildlife citation, the appropriate official shall report the conviction or failure to comply to the licensing authority of the participating state in which the wildlife citation was issued. The report shall be made in accordance with procedures specified by the issuing state and shall contain information as specified in the compact manual as minimum requirements for effective processing by the home state.
(d) Upon receipt of the report of conviction or noncompliance pursuant to subsection (c) of Article III of this compact, the licensing authority of the issuing state shall transmit to the licensing authority of the home state of the violator the information in form and content as prescribed in the compact manual.
(a) Upon receipt of a report from the licensing authority of the issuing state reporting the failure of a violator to comply with the terms of a citation, the licensing authority of the home state shall notify the violator and shall initiate a suspension action in accordance with the home state's suspension procedures and shall suspend the violator's license privileges until satisfactory evidence of compliance with the terms of the wildlife citation has been furnished by the issuing state to the home state licensing authority. Due process safeguards shall be accorded.
(b) Upon receipt of a report of conviction from the licensing authority of the issuing state, the licensing authority of the home state shall enter such conviction in its records and shall treat such conviction as though it occurred in the home state for the purposes of the suspension of license privileges.
Except as expressly required by the provisions of this compact, nothing herein shall be construed to affect the right of any participating state to apply any of its laws relating to license privileges to any person or circumstance or to invalidate or prevent any agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a participating state and a nonparticipating state concerning wildlife law enforcement.
(a) For the purpose of administering the provisions of this compact and to serve as a governing body for the resolution of all matters relating to the operation of this compact, a board of compact administrators is established. The board shall be composed of one representative from each of the participating states to be known as the compact administrator. The compact administrator shall be appointed by the head of the licensing authority of each participating state and shall serve and be subject to removal in accordance with the laws of the state he represents. A compact administrator may provide for the discharge of his duties and the performance of his functions as a board member by an alternate. An alternate shall not be entitled to serve unless written notification of his identity has been given to the board.
(b) Each member of the board of compact administrators shall be entitled to one vote. No action of the board shall be binding unless taken at a meeting at which a majority of the total number of the board's votes are cast in favor thereof. Action by the board shall be only at a meeting at which a majority of the participating states are represented.
(3) The effective date of entry shall be specified by the applying state but shall not be less than 60 days after notice has been given by the chairman of the board of compact administrators or by the secretariat of the board of each participating state that the resolution from the applying state has been received.
(c) A participating state may withdraw from this compact by official written notice to each member state but withdrawal shall not become effective until 90 days after the notice of withdrawal is given. The notice shall be directed to the compact administrator of each member state. No withdrawal of any state shall affect the validity of this compact as to the remaining participating states.
This compact shall be liberally construed so as to effectuate the purposes stated herein. The provisions of this compact shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this compact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any participating state or of the United States, or the applicability thereof to any government, agency, individual or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this compact shall not be affected thereby. If this compact shall be held contrary to the constitution of any participating state, the compact shall remain in full force and effect as to the remaining states and in full force and effect as to the participating state affected as to all severable matters.
Credits
2010, Sept. 24, P.L. 461, No. 60, § 2, imd. effective.
Footnotes
References to district justices are deemed references to magisterial district judges pursuant to 2004, Nov. 30, P.L. 1618, No. 207, § 28(1), effective in 60 days [Jan. 31, 2005].
18 P.S. § 25.2, PA ST 18 P.S. § 25.2
Current through Act 10 of the 2024 Regular Session. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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