HB 443: Game and fish; fees for reef and migratory fish endorsements; provide

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.

• 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• Removes other references to 'raw milk' from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated that relied on the repealed article.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.

Georgia dairy farmers and consumers who currently buy or sell raw milk under the repealed law, along with recreational anglers and commercial fishers who target reef and migratory fish species, both Georgia residents and out-of-state visitors, and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.

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.

• 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.

1. 2026-01-28House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (House)
2. 2025-04-04Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
3. 2025-04-04Senate Third Read (Senate)
4. 2025-04-04Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
5. 2025-04-02Senate Tabled (Senate)
6. 2025-03-21Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
7. 2025-03-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
8. 2025-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)

• Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)Primary sponsor
• 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-024)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   165 yea, 1 nay (7 not voting, 7 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #179

2. PassedSenate voteApril 4, 2025

   48 yea, 5 nay (2 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #486

3. PassedHouse voteJanuary 28, 2026

   163 yea, 2 nay (8 not voting, 2 absent)

   Agree To Senate Sub As Am: House Vote #462

• fishing licenses
• raw milk law
• game and fish regulations
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources
• food safety