The officers of the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee met this week to approve the award of a contract to study how the Game Commission handles mineral and timber leases on its lands. They also discussed a proposed audit of the Deer Management Program.

The study of the Game Commission’s mineral and timber leasing program was authorized by House Resolution 193 (Haluska-D-Cambria). The Committee awarded the contract to FORECON, Inc., with offices in Smethport and Titusville, Pa.

The Committee officers also discussed the next steps in a proposed audit of the Game Commission’s Deer Management Program.

Rep. Levdansky (D-Allegheny) reported LBFC staff was working to identify potential recipients of a request for proposal the Committee would issue to do the audit based on several questions: are we killing the right number of deer, in the right places and is the program having an impact on habitat and forest regeneration?

Sen. Pippy (R-Allegheny) suggested Rep. Levdansky work with staff to develop a resolution the House Game and Fisheries Committee could consider to authorize the LBFC to do the audit. Rep. Levdansky agreed.

Committee officers also directed staff to begin work on outlining approaches to doing the projects authorized by Senate Resolution 195 (Brubaker-R-Lancaster) requiring a review of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program and Senate Resolution 224 (Vance-R-Cumberland) requiring a study of the implementation costs for wastewater treatment plans subject to the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy.

Sen. Pippy serves as the chair of the LBFC and Sen. Gerald LaValle (D-Beaver) as the vice-chair.

2/29/2008