Why It Matters: One major topic of this year’s legislative session in Tennessee that shines through has been issues impacting sportsmen and women. Whether that is legislation that establishes an optional hunter safety education in schools program or legislation that protects hunters’ ability to lawfully hunt within city limits, the interests of Tennessee’s sportsmen and women were well represented in Nashville. However, there is still work to be done, particularly when it comes to dedicated conservation funding for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
Highlights:
- Tennessee Senate Bill 2369 (SB 2369) and House Bill 2588 (HB 2588), sponsored by Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Co-Chairs Senator Paul Rose, Representative Chris Todd and Caucus Co-Chair and National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Executive Council Member Representative Jesse Chism, will allow schools to offer students in grades 5–12 a hunter education course as part of the student’s physical education, health, or safety instruction curriculum.
- Tennessee House Bill 2017 (HB 2017) and Senate Bill 2028 (SB 2028), sponsored by Caucus member Senator Adam Lowe and Representative Mark Cochran, will prohibit local governments from regulating the manner and means of taking wildlife, including the lawful discharge of a firearm.
- House Bill 2659 (HB 2659) and Senate Bill 2723 (SB 2723), sponsored by Caucus member Representative William Lamberth and Senator Jack Johnson, created a five-day window for non-profit organizations to apply for proper gaming license permits needed to conduct raffle drawings in the state.
- Tennessee Senate Bill 2183 (SB 2183) and House Bill 2138 (HB 2138), sponsored by Caucus members Senator John Stevens and Representative Pat Marsh, would have allocated 10% of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) payments in lieu of taxes paid to the state to the wildlife resources fund.
As turkey season winds down, so does the activity at the Tennessee General Assembly. On April 23, the Tennessee General Assembly adjourned sine die, marking the end of the second half of the two-year legislative session in Nashville. There were thousands of bills introduced and debated, several of which impact hunters and anglers, with only a small handful becoming law.
HB 2588/SB 2369 were among the bills that made it through the entirety of the legislative process and were signed into law by Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) member Governor Bill Lee on March 26. HB 2588/ SB 2369 will allow local school districts to offer optional hunter safety education courses as part of a student’s physical education, health, or safety instruction curriculum in grades 5 – 12. The course will be approved by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and, if completed, satisfy the required hunter safety education requirement in Tennessee while simultaneously allowing students to earn school credit for their efforts.
Also among the bills to make it across the finish line were HB 2017/SB 2028, which reaffirms the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency as the sole management authority when it comes to regulating hunting in the Volunteer State. This legislative clarification was necessary following a specific instance where a local government tried to restrict otherwise lawful hunting activities in city limits. HB 2017/SB 2028 will prohibit local governments from regulating hunting in city limits, which includes the lawful discharge of a firearm. It is worth noting that the change will not alter existing discharge distance restrictions nor will it prevent local governments from enforcing existing criminal laws. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee on April 7.
While at face value, bills pertaining to raffle drawings and charitable gaming may not register as of importance to the sporting conservation community, such bills do directly impact the ability of non-profit organizations to conduct raffle drawings, which often makes up a significant part of your favorite sporting-conservation organizations budget. Dollars generated by these raffles are often directly put back into conservation, including on the ground habitat work for many organizations. HB 2659/SB 2723 created a five-day window for non-profit organizations to apply for the proper gaming license permits needed to conduct raffle drawings in the state. The pair of bills was signed into law by Governor Lee on April 8.
Finally, efforts to secure dedicated conservation funding were front and center both before and during the 2026 legislative session and will continue to be discussed as efforts to secure a dedicated funding source for the TWRA fell just short this year. TN HB 2138/SB 2183 would have provided a long-lasting solution to TWRA’s ongoing funding needs by allocating 10% of the TVA’s payments in lieu of taxes paid to the state to the wildlife resources fund. However, despite support from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and multiple partners, the bills did not make it across the finish line this year. However, the TWRA did receive a one-time $10 million investment from Governor Lee’s fiscal budget. Nonetheless, CSF remains committed to working with legislators, the TWRA, and partners during the interim to explore future efforts to secure dedicated conservation funding for the TWRA. While the one-time $10 million infusion is a big win, the push for dedicated funding will continue into future legislative sessions.
2026 was a busy yet productive year in Tennessee for CSF. As legislators go back to their districts, CSF will continue working during the interim with the Caucus and our partners leading up to the 2027 legislative session, which will be here before we know it.
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