HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Tuesday approved two resolutions - one to seek an increase in hunting license fees and another to seek the removal of social security numbers from hunting licenses.

The board urged both the state legislature to take immediate action to increase funding for the commission, according to an agency news release.

"Hunting license fees have been increased only twice in the past 25 years," said Russell Schleiden, a commission member. "The last license fee increase took effect on July 1, 1999. Since that time, the cost of doing business has increased significantly for everyone, including the Game Commission.

"Hunting licenses remain the primary source of funding for support of Pennsylvania's wildlife management programs, and the last fee increase was only enough to offset the then-current budget deficit, but not enough to allow for building the Game Fund reserve or for expanding services or programs."

In another resolution, the board asked the commission staff to continue working to remove the federal and state requirements that the agency demand social security numbers from license buyers.

Agency staff is asked to continue to seek a waiver from the Department of Public Welfare excusing the agency from the need to collect these numbers from buyers until the agency has an electronic license sale system.

The commission's staff also is asked to continue to follow commission executive director Vern Ross' initiative to have the U.S. Congress and state General Assembly enact legislation to remove the Game Commission from being legislatively mandated to collect social security numbers.

In the mid-1990s, Congress enacted laws to improve enforcement of child support obligations. As part of that effort, the states were required to implement requirements to encourage payment of child support. States that failed to do that faced possible loss of federal welfare funds.

In response to this, in 1997, the state General Assembly enacted legislation to implement the new federal requirements.

In March, the Department of Public Welfare told the Game Commission it was required to enforce these laws regarding social security numbers, the news release states.