Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 443: Game and fish; fees for reef and migratory fish endorsements; provide
Last action January 28, 2026 · House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended
A Georgia Senate substitute for HB 443 would repeal the state's raw dairy sales law and create new paid endorsements for reef and migratory fish fishing, with separate fees for residents and nonresidents.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
This bill does two unrelated things. First, it repeals Article 18 of Georgia's food safety code (O.C.G.A. Title 26, Chapter 2), which is the law that regulates the sale of raw, unpasteurized milk, and removes references to 'raw milk' elsewhere in state law. Second, it changes Georgia's hunting and fishing license fee law (O.C.G.A. § 27-2-23) by adding a new 'reef/migratory fish' endorsement that anglers would have to buy in addition to their regular fishing license, at $10 a year for Georgia residents and $20 a year for nonresidents. The bill also lets the Board of Natural Resources require this endorsement, or a similar commercial fishing endorsement, for specific fish species it designates by rule, covering both recreational and commercial fishers. Money collected from the new endorsement fees would stay with the Department of Natural Resources rather than going into the state's general fund.
What the bill does
- Repeals Article 18 of Georgia's food code (O.C.G.A. Title 26, Chapter 2), eliminating the state's specific legal framework for raw (unpasteurized) milk sales.
- Removes other references to 'raw milk' from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated that relied on the repealed article.
- Creates a new annual reef/migratory fish endorsement fee of $10 for Georgia residents and $20 for nonresidents, added to O.C.G.A. § 27-2-23.
- Lets the Board of Natural Resources designate specific fish species that require this endorsement, or a similar commercial endorsement, for either recreational or commercial fishing.
- Directs that fees collected from the new endorsement be retained by the Department of Natural Resources under O.C.G.A. § 45-12-92.1 instead of going elsewhere.
Who it affects
Georgia dairy farmers and consumers who currently buy or sell raw milk under the repealed law, along with recreational anglers and commercial fishers who target reef and migratory fish species, both Georgia residents and out-of-state visitors, and the Department of Natural Resources, which sets and collects the new fees.
Why it matters
Raw milk sales would lose their dedicated legal framework in Georgia, changing how that market operates. Meanwhile, anglers fishing for certain reef and migratory species would need to pay an extra annual fee on top of their existing license, with the money going directly to fund the Department of Natural Resources' work.
Key provisions
- Section 1 repeals Article 18 of Chapter 2, Title 26, the law governing raw dairy, and strips related 'raw milk' references from the Code.
- Section 2 adds subparagraphs (K) and (L) to paragraph (4) of O.C.G.A. § 27-2-23, setting a $10 resident and $20 nonresident annual fee for a reef/migratory fish endorsement.
- Section 2 revises paragraph (11) so the Board of Natural Resources can require a recreational or commercial fishing species endorsement, tying the fee to the new subparagraphs (K) and (L) or existing subparagraphs (C) and (D).
- Section 2 adds new paragraph (12.1) specifying that fees from the new endorsement are retained by the department under O.C.G.A. § 45-12-92.1 rather than deposited elsewhere.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Resident reef/migratory fish Annual 10.00 endorsement”
“Any fees collected pursuant to subparagraphs (K) and (L) of paragraph (4) of this Code section shall be retained by the department pursuant to Code Section 45-12-92.1.”
Discussed in meetings (2)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House floor session, January 28, 2026 (legislative day 8)
From 1:06:39 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor explained that HB 443 would create an offshore reef-fishing endorsement whose fees would fund Georgia-specific fishery surveys. The sponsor said coastal fishermen wanted the change and that the surveys would support efforts to obtain management authority over fishing in federal waters, as neighboring states had done. The sponsor argued that federal surveys covering the entire Atlantic coast lacked accuracy for Georgia and said Georgia anglers had only one day to catch red snapper. The sponsor said the Senate had added language concerning raw milk at the end of the previous session, and the House amendment would remove it and restore the earlier fishing measure. No questions or opposing speeches followed. The House adopted the amendment without objection, then agreed to the Senate substitute as amended by a vote of 165 to 2.
House Game, Fish & Parks Committee, January 28, 2026
From 0:37:46 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: During the agency update, the DNR commissioner urged support for this bill and SB 420, saying the measures would help collect fishing data and require harvest reporting. The commissioner said Georgia had partnered with Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina to seek a federal exempted fishing permit for red snapper. If approved, the commissioner said Georgia was considering a 62-day season during July and August, with a daily limit of one fish. The commissioner described plans for reporting through a mobile phone application, with Yamaha Rightwaters helping develop the platform, and said a federal response was expected by May. The committee took no vote on the bill.
Status timeline
- House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
Show full history (14 actions)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)
- Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)
- Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
- Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
- Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)
- Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
- Lee Anderson (R, SD-24)
Votes
- House voteMarch 4, 2025
165 yea, 1 nay (7 not voting, 7 excused)
- Senate voteApril 4, 2025
48 yea, 5 nay (2 not voting, 1 excused)
- House voteJanuary 28, 2026
165 yea, 2 nay (8 not voting, 2 excused)
Topics
- fishing licenses
- raw milk law
- game and fish regulations
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources
- food safety