Why It Matters: Sportsmen and women continue to step up to the plate as the primary funders of conservation in North America. Through the “user pays – public benefits” structure that is the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF), hunters and anglers generate revenue from sporting license sales and excise tax revenue from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs. Additionally, some states, like Georgia, also have additional streams of dedicated conservation funding in place to complement and enhance the ASCF, increasing the resources states have available to conserve our public trust resources.
Highlights:
- In 2018, the Georgia General Assembly passed the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act (Act) which was subsequently approved with 83% support by Georgia voters later that same year.
- The Act authorized up to 80% of all money received by the state from the sales and use tax collected by outdoor recreation equipment to be deposited into the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund (Fund) for the purpose of funding the protection of conservation land in Georgia.
- Currently, 40% of funds received from the collection of sales and use tax on outdoor recreation equipment can be credited to the Fund.
- Introduced by Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Member Representative Jesse Petrea in April of 2025, House Bill 919 would further strengthen the Act and is up for additional consideration in 2026.
2026 is set to be a busy year in the Peach State. With this year being the back end of the two-year session, legislation introduced during the 2025 session is still up for consideration. This includes House Bill 451, a Caucus led bill and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) policy priority, which would offer hunter safety education courses in schools for students in grades 6-12. Additionally, House Bill 443, a bill which would create minor fees for reef and migratory fish endorsements and help advance saltwater fisheries management in the South Atlantic region, is also still on the table.
Finally, House Bill 919 is still up for consideration and could improve the already established dedicated conservation funding program in the Peach State. As it currently stands, House Bill 919 would eliminate a mechanism that is designed to decrease the amount of money that the General Assembly can appropriate into the fund based on total state sales and use tax revenue from the previous year. Without this language in place, as proposed in House Bill 919, the Fund would be better protected against potential large reductions in funding.
Additionally, the Act allows for up to 80% of all money received by the state from sales and use tax collected on outdoor recreation equipment to be deposited into the Fund. Currently, only 40% of the money generated from the sales and use tax on outdoor equipment is appropriated into the Fund. Thus, the General Assembly has the opportunity this session to increase the financial support of conservation in the state of Georgia by up to two-fold.
CSF looks forward to hitting the ground running this week as the Georgia General Assembly convenes for the 2026 session. From CSF’s proactive policy initiatives, to other key legislation aimed at strengthening dedicated conservation funding and marine fisheries, there will be no shortage of opportunities to engage with the Caucus and sporting conservation partners in the Peach State.
