Why It Matters: Hailing from a region of the Mountain State with a particularly strong sporting heritage, Delegate Dean will continue working to ensure that the sportsmen and women of West Virginia are well represented at the West Virginia Legislature. Delegate Dean continues the tradition of pro-sportsmen legislators stepping up to protect outdoor sporting traditions by serving on their respective Sportsmen’s Caucuses, including Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Senator Joe Manchin and CSC Member Senator Shelley Moore Capito as well as Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Governor Jim Justice.
Highlights:
- Recently, Delegate Mark Dean was selected as the new Co-Chair of the West Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus).
- Delegate Dean takes over the leadership position on the Caucus from Delegate Eric Householder, who remains a key member of the Caucus, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) appreciates Delegate Householder for his leadership over the years.
- Delegate Dean will Co-Chair the bipartisan, bicameral Caucus alongside Senator Bill Hamilton.
Delegate Dean has been an active member of the Caucus since being sworn into the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2017, including attending the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses Annual Sportsman-Legislator Summit. With a strong understanding of sportsmen’s policy, Delegate Dean has been a champion for West Virginia’s sportsmen and women. In the 2023 legislative session alone, Delegate Dean introduced pro-sportsmen’s legislation including House Bill 3124 which would have allowed nonresident students enrolled in West Virginia colleges and universities, including community and technical colleges, to purchase hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses at the resident rate. Delegate Dean also introduced House Bill 2450 which would have created a state income tax credit for honorably discharged veteran lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping lifetime license to protect conservation funding for the state fish and wildlife agency.
Delegate Dean takes the leadership reins heading into 2024 as the Caucus continued to deliver wins for West Virginia’s hunters and anglers this year. Senate Bill 200, sponsored by Caucus Co-Chair Senator Bill Hamilton, added mortally wounded elk, turkey, and wild boar to the list of wounded game that may be tracked and located using a leashed dog. Additionally, House Bill 3122, legalized a single shot muzzleloader that uses an encapsulated propellant charge that loads from the breech during any muzzleloader season except the Mountain Heritage Season.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation thanks Delegate Dean for stepping into this leadership position on the Caucus and looks forward to working with the Delegate in the years to come.
