GOVERNOR RENDELL SIGNS NEW LICENSE TRANSACTION FEE INTO LAW
Harrisburg, PA, 2/14/08—The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that Governor Edward G. Rendell has signed House Bill 1109 into law (Act 2 of 2008) resulting in a small license transaction fee for anglers effective immediately.

The PFBC and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are jointly developing a new electronic license delivery system known as the Pennsylvania Automated Licensing Service (PALS) system. The PALS system eliminated the need for paper-based fishing licenses for the 2008 fishing year, which began December 1, 2007. PALS is managed by a private firm and the PFBC is charged a $.70 electronic processing fee for each transaction made through the system.

Act 2 of 2008 allows the PFBC to recover up to $1.00 in electronic license fees for each transaction from the license buyer. This means each license and permit currently purchased through PALS will cost $.70 each. The electronic processing fee will cost the average license buyer $1.40 to purchase a fishing license and permit, making it one of the lowest transaction fees of its kind in the country.

This new legislation also addresses replacement licenses and permits. Before the law passed, the PFBC’s fishing license and permits were individually priced at an average replacement cost of $14.25. PALS now allows the PFBC to combine the purchase of a license and all previously purchased permits into one replacement license for the low cost of $6.70.

The law also expands the blackout period for when One-Day Tourist and One-Day Resident licenses are not valid. One-Day Tourist and One-Day Resident Licenses are not valid for fishing during the period from March 15th to April 30th of any year. One-Day Tourist or One-Day Resident licenses issued to be used on March 14 will expire at 11:59 p.m. on March 14, regardless of what time the license begins.