---
title: HB 443. Game and fish; fees for reef and migratory fish endorsements; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb443
cite_as: HB 443, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb443
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb443.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb443/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70315
date: 2026-01-28
status: engrossed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1297
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb443.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 443
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-04
last_action: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended
sponsors:
- Jesse Petrea
- Trey Rhodes
- Buddy DeLoach
- Ron Stephens
- Lehman Franklin
- Rick Townsend
- Lee Anderson
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB443/2025
upstream_id: 1970341
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- fishing licenses
- raw milk law
- game and fish regulations
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources
- food safety
---
# HB 443. Game and fish; fees for reef and migratory fish endorsements; provide
## Text
SENATE SUBSTITUTE TO HB 443
ADOPTED SENATE
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2 of Title 26 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
standards, labeling, and adulteration of food, so as to repeal Article 18, relating to raw dairy;
to repeal related provisions; to amend Code Section 27-2-23 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to license, permit, tag, and stamp fees, so as to provide for fees for reef
and migratory fish endorsements; to provide for recreational and commercial fishing; to
provide for retention of certain fees; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws;
and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of Title 26 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to standards,
labeling, and adulteration of food, is amended by repealing Article 18, relating to raw dairy,
and any references to such article and to "raw milk" as regulated by such article in the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
SECTION 2.
Code Section 27-2-23 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to license, permit,
tag, and stamp fees, is amended by adding new subparagraphs to paragraph (4), revising
paragraph (11), and adding a new paragraph to read as follows:
"(K) Resident reef/migratory fish Annual 10.00
endorsement
(L) Nonresident reef/migratory fish Annual 20.00"
endorsement
"(11) For wildlife that may be legally taken by recreational or commercial fishing gear
as authorized in this title or by board rule, the board may designate which species of
wildlife or species grouping of wildlife require a recreational or commercial fishing
species endorsement for a fee shown in subparagraphs (K) and (L) of paragraph (4) or
subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (6) of this Code section in addition to the
required recreational or commercial fishing license. Each species or group of species so
designated shall require a separate recreational or commercial fishing species
endorsement."
"(12.1) 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."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
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.
### Plain-language summary
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 it 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.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2025-03-04)
- Last action: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (2026-01-28)
- Sponsors: Jesse Petrea, Trey Rhodes, Buddy DeLoach, Ron Stephens, Lehman Franklin, Rick Townsend, Lee Anderson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70315
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,297 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb443.md?full=1