by Guy Page
Funding for the Salisbury fish hatchery today was approved in a Senate committee today, Sen. Russ Ingalls (R-Essex) told VDC.
Ingalls, who spearheaded the effort, said he expects support for the restored funding to be near-unanimous on the Senate floor.
Sportsmen rallied at the State House two Tuesdays ago to express support for the hatchery, regretfully slated by the Department of Fish & Wildlife to close for budgetary reasons despite its vital role in stocking rivers and lakes with trout, highly prized by anglers.
If passed by the Senate, it still must gain approval in the House.
No packing at the polls? – GunSense, a gun control organization, held a noontime press conference Friday March 1 in support of House legislation to prohibit carrying firearms at the polls.
Asked if this bill would violate constitutional right to carry, GunSense advocate Laura Subin said even Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas recognized states’ right to prevent potential violence at election gathering places.
The bill, now in House Judiciary, should come “off the wall” and up for discussion, Subin said.
Coyote bill may fail – other news of interest to sportsmen and sportswomen, the Senate appears to lack the votes to approve H.258, which would have prohibited coyote hunting with dogs and significantly reorganized the Fish & Wildlife Board. The changes would take away its rule making authority and give the Legislature more power to appoint members.
VDC’s source says the bill may be two or three votes shy of the 16 needed to pass the Senate.