Why It Matters: Across the Midwest, legislators are likely to introduce legislation that would provide free or discounted hunting or fishing licenses to certain individuals. While well-intended, legislation to offer free or discounted licenses has the potential to negatively impact state fish and wildlife agencies’ budgets. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been working with legislators across the country to find a solution to help offset the loss of funds from free and discounted licenses.
- State fish and wildlife agencies rely on the sale of hunting and fishing licenses for their conservation efforts.
- Offering free or discounted licenses often carries unforeseen consequences that can cause state fish and wildlife agencies to not receive their full allocation of critical conservation funds.
- Reimbursing state fish and wildlife agencies from the state general fund is a legislative solution the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation has been working on with legislators.
As we look forward to the 2027 legislative session, CSF is working to get ahead of legislation that is likely to be introduced. One issue that is common across the country is legislation to provide free or discounted hunting or fishing licenses. The discounts these bills would provide not only cause the state fish and wildlife agency to miss out on funds from the sale of the licenses but also to miss out on significant federal funds that would not be realized through the respective Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Funds.
During the 2026 legislative session, Kansas legislators looked to get ahead of the free and discounted licenses with the introduction of House Bill 2543 (HB 2543). This bill would have reimbursed the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks for any free or discounted licenses. CSF testified in support of and worked with legislators and Kansas Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus leaders to support HB 2543. The bill passed out of the House Committee on Appropriations but failed to make it onto the House floor for a hearing. While HB 2543 did not pass, positive progress was made, which will help with promoting these efforts during the 2027 session.
Additionally, CSF is already working on promoting reimbursement for free and discounted licenses in Wisconsin. As previously reported, CSF participated in an event in Wisconsin discussing conservation funding challenges and lost revenue from free and discounted licenses. CSF promoted reimbursement as a solution to help offset rising fish and wildlife management costs.
Kansas and Wisconsin are but two of the nearly 20 states in which CSF is encouraging legislators to take action on this issue. As the 2027 sessions gavel in, CSF will continue to work with legislators and state fish and wildlife agencies to ensure that critical conservation funds are protected.
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