Why It Matters: Unlike in many states, fish and wildlife management decision making is vested solely with a Commission in Missouri, which is informed by the professionals at the state’s fish and wildlife agency. As a result, legislative efforts that would impact sportsmen and women in other states are discussed, but their movement can be relatively limited during the legislative session. Still, it is critical that the sporting-conservation community remain a part of the conversation.
Highlights:
- The Missouri Constitution limits the state legislature’s ability to legislate matters related to fish and wildlife management, as well as opportunities for sportsmen and women.
- Despite these limitations and a long track record of success by the Missouri Conservation Commission and the Missouri Department of Conservation, efforts to undermine agency authority are introduced on a nearly annual basis.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) works closely with the Missouri Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and partners across the state to defeat efforts thatundermine agency authority, while advancing conservation and opportunities for sportsmen and women.
The 2026 regular session has effectively ended in Missouri and will officially conclude at the end of the month. For sportsmen and women, this session was relatively quiet, which was a nice change of pace from some of the challenges that the community has faced in recent years. This quieter session was the result of several culminating factors.
First, the Missouri Constitution, particularly when combined with the state’s Conservation Sales Tax, is the national standard for giving a state fish and wildlife agency both the authority (through the Missouri Conservation Commission) and resources needed to do their job. While we have seen efforts within the legislature to start the process of amending this authority, a process that would involve amending the Constitution, none have received much attention, and such efforts are becoming less common.
This declining interest in overhauling the Commission is a product of the great work that the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has done in educating members of the legislature about the agency’s work across the state. This transparency, fostered by MDC alongside the leaders of the Missouri Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and other key partners, has led to a major shift in support of the agency’s great work. These relationships have also expanded interest in the Missouri Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus), thanks to MDC’s help with the annual Trout Opener and Fish Fry Receptions.
While CSF will continue to work with both MDC and the Caucus to continue these relationships, we are proud to report on the passage of CSF-supported Senate Bill 913, which contains a series of renewed tax credits that were set to sunset this year. Included among the extensions, and as reported on earlier in the year, was an extension of tax credits for capital improvements to meat processing operations. Given the importance of processors to both the agriculture industry and to sportsmen and women who utilize processing services for game meat preparation, this is a major win, and CSF appreciates the work of all who helped move this bill across the finish line.