--- title: HR 578. Sport Fish Restoration Program; part of the American System of Conservation Funding; 75th anniversary; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr578 cite_as: HR 578, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr578 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr578.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr578/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71324 date: 2025-03-11 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr577.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr579.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr578.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 578 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-11 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Charles Cannon - Trey Rhodes - Jesse Petrea - Lauren McDonald - Trey Kelley text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR578/2025 upstream_id: 2000314 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - fishing and boating - conservation funding - wildlife management - ceremonial resolutions --- # HR 578. Sport Fish Restoration Program; part of the American System of Conservation Funding; 75th anniversary; recognize ## Text 25 LC 112 3287 House Resolution 578 By: Representatives Cannon of the 172nd, Rhodes of the 124th, Petrea of the 166th, McDonald III of the 26th, and Kelley of the 16th A RESOLUTION Commending the Sport Fish Restoration Program as part of the Am erican System of1 Conservation Funding upon its 75th anniversary; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, more than a century ago, hunters and anglers were amon g the first3 conservationists to recognize that America's natural resources were in peril and could not4 sustain unregulated harvest and habitat destruction; and5 WHEREAS, sportsmen and women took it upon themselves to support laws that stopped6 excessive harvesting of fish and wildlife; established state agencies to protect fish, wildlife,7 and their habitat; and supported special fishing and hunting license fees to help fund these8 agencies' efforts to provide healthy natural resources for future generations; and9 WHEREAS, upon realizing that license fees alone were insufficie nt to restore and sustain10 healthy fish populations, anglers supported excise taxes on fis hing equipment to raise11 additional funds to support restoration and enhancement efforts of state agencies; and12 WHEREAS, the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which began 75 years ago with the passage13 of the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act in 1950 and was further expanded with the14 H. R. 578 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3287 Wallop-Breaux amendment to the Sport Fish Restoration Act in 19 84, is a vital part of15 conservation funding in the United States; and16 WHEREAS, a manufacturers' excise tax on fishing equipment, along with an excise tax on17 motorboat and small engine fuels, is primarily distributed back to the states through the18 United States Fish and Wildlife Service for fisheries conservation, management, and angler19 and boater access; and20 WHEREAS, this cooperative partnership between the sportfishing industry, anglers, boaters,21 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and state natural resource agencies has resulted22 in the most successful model of fisheries management in the world, restoring and enhancing23 populations across the United States and its territories; and24 WHEREAS, since 1939, the combined contribution of the Wildlife and Sport Fish25 Restoration Programs and license fees to state fish and wildlife agencies has exceeded $7826 billion—more than any other single conservation effort in American history—collectively27 constituting the American System of Conservation Funding.28 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that29 the members of this body commend America's anglers and boaters, the sportfishing industry,30 state fish and wildlife agencies, and the United States Fish an d Wildlife Service for their31 leading role in restoring healthy populations of fish and aquat ic resources, both game and32 non-game, to the abundance seen today through the Sport Fish Restoration Program, in this33 the 75th anniversary year of the program's establishment as part of the American System of34 Conservation Funding.35 H. R. 578 - 2 - 25 LC 112 3287 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized36 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution avai lable for distribution to the37 public and the press.38 H. R. 578 - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution commends the Sport Fish Restoration Program on its 75th anniversary, recognizing the federal fishing tax funding system that supports fish and wildlife conservation nationwide. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia House of Representatives marking the 75th anniversary of the federal Sport Fish Restoration Program, which began with the 1950 Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act and was expanded by a 1984 amendment. The resolution describes how excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel are distributed to states through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to fund fisheries conservation and angler and boater access. It praises anglers, boaters, the sportfishing industry, state wildlife agencies, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their role in restoring fish populations. It directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally commends anglers, boaters, the sportfishing industry, state wildlife agencies, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their role in fish conservation. - Recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Sport Fish Restoration Program as part of what it calls the American System of Conservation Funding. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement in Georgia; it is a symbolic statement only. ### Who it affects This resolution mainly affects no one in a binding legal sense. It speaks to Georgia's anglers, boaters, the sportfishing industry, and state and federal wildlife agencies by praising their conservation work, without imposing duties on any of them. ### Why it matters Because this is a commendatory resolution rather than a law, it does not change funding levels, taxes, or regulations for fishing or conservation in Georgia. Its practical effect is limited to a public statement of recognition distributed by the House Clerk. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the history of the Sport Fish Restoration Program, starting with the 1950 Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act and its 1984 Wallop-Breaux expansion. - The resolution notes that manufacturers' excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel fund fisheries conservation through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. - The resolved clause commends anglers, boaters, the sportfishing industry, state agencies, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for restoring fish populations. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-11) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-11) - Sponsors: Charles Cannon, Trey Rhodes, Jesse Petrea, Lauren McDonald, Trey Kelley - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71324 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr578.md?full=1