Monday, January 13, marked the beginning of another session of the Georgia General Assembly. The first session of Georgia’s legislature was held during the Revolutionary War in 1777, making Georgia’s General Assembly older than the US Congress (which held its first meeting in 1789).
The Georgia House Study Committee on Navigable Steams and Related Matters met over the summer and early fall and in November issued six recommendations:
- Maintain the definition of navigability set forth in O.C.G.A. §44-8-5(a) and the right of passage for navigable streams as found in O.C.G.A. §52-1-31;
- Refrain from a statutory delineation of navigable and non-navigable streams;
- Incentivize and strengthen tools to foster collaboration and partnerships between landowners, nonprofits, and local/state government that increase opportunities for public access and conservation of Georgia’s waterways;
- Preserve the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program;
- Urge the Department of Natural Resources to further publicize and fund new technologies that assist in tracking and resolving disputes on waterways; and
- Protect Georgia’s fishing, hunting, trapping, and outdoor recreation traditions, as well as those reliant on waterways such as logging and farming, by carefully analyzing the impact of any potential legislation on these sectors.
These recommendations are favorable for hunting and angling. The legislators essentially leave the determination of where one can hunt and fish in the capable hands of Georgia DNR. We were particularly gratified to see the Study Committee reaffirm the commitment to protecting “Georgia’s fishing, hunting, trapping, and outdoor recreation traditions…”
The Study Committee also, as a bonus, affirmed the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program, which is a program resulting from the passage of the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act (GOSA) in 2019. We, as a Coalition and with partners, worked hard to enact GOSA over a period of 20 years.
I would not be surprised to see an effort this legislative session to see an increase in the dedication of a greater percentage of the sales tax generated in sporting goods stores to conservation and outdoor recreation. You will recall the constitutional amendment we passed in 2019 authorized the General Assembly to dedicate up to 80% of the state sales taxes in sporting goods stores and we are currently at 40%. This program has never depended upon a tax increase but has dedicated taxes that were already being collected. This kind of change also would NOT entail an increase in taxes, it would just dedicate a greater percentage of taxes already being collected to hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation, and conservation.
I expect there will also be legislation introduced this year to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness from risky mining along its border. This has been a contentious issue for several years, with multiple legislative initiatives that have run the gamut from a 3-year moratorium to a total ban on mining along a specific portion of Southeast Georgia’s Trail Ridge. Trail Ridge looks like a non-descript rise along the eastern side of the Okefenokee – but looks can be deceiving. Trail Ridge is likely largely responsible for the very existence of the Swamp. Mining jeopardizes the integrity of this natural barrier that creates the Okefenokee.
There will be other issues that bear upon our interests, of that you can be certain. We will be vigilant in monitoring every one of the 2000+ pieces of legislation that will likely be introduced during this typical legislative session. We count on you to let our legislators know when they, intentionally or unintentionally, impact our outdoor heritage.
We are fortunate in Georgia. We have a General Assembly that is very friendly to conservation, to hunting and fishing traditions. Our General Assembly continues to listen to the voices of hunters and anglers…which is not always the case in other states across our nation.
Part of the reason our legislators are responsive to our issues is our concerted voice in the Camo Coalition. Thank you for participating. Encourage your friends and families to join Camo Coalition…it is free, and it makes a real difference.
Mike Worley
President & CEO
Georgia Wildlife Federation
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