Legislation to Protect Funding for Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks on the Move in Mississippi

Why It Matters: Every year bills are introduced that would allow individuals to purchase a free or heavily discounted hunting and/or fishing license. Legislators tend to target deserving groups. However, if passed, these bills could have a significant impact on conservation funding for their respective state’s fish and wildlife agency. That is where legislation that reimburses the state fish and wildlife agency for revenue lost due to the passage and creation of free and discounted hunting licenses comes into play to protect conservation funding, which is a top priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) across the country.

Highlights:

• On January 20, the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Executive Council Member and Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Co-Chair Representative Scott Bounds introduced HB 1103.
• On January 22, HB 1103 passed the House Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Committee.
• HB 1103 would require that the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) be reimbursed for any lost revenue resulting from the issuance of free or discounted hunting and fishing licenses, admission to state parks, and other fees through the State General Fund.
• No free or discounted licenses on the books prior to the date this bill would be affected, only those that are adopted and go into effect after July 1, 2025.

MDWFP’s is tasked with conserving and enhancing Mississippi’s wildlife, fisheries, and parks, providing quality outdoor recreation, and engaging the public in natural resource conservation. HB 1103 would assist in ensuring that MDWFP continues to receive the necessary funding to continue to work towards accomplishing its mission.

Since 2019, there have been no fewer than a dozen bills introduced that were intended to provide certain groups with free or heavily discounted hunting and fishing licenses in Mississippi. These bills directly threaten a portion of the over $30 million that sportsmen and women generate in Mississippi annually to conservation funding through the “user pays — public benefits” structure known as the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). Revenue generated from the purchase of hunting and fishing licenses is instrumental to the success of the ASCF.

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation looks forward to continuing to work alongside Representative Bounds, the Caucus, MDWFP, and our partners to move this initiative forward.

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