Filed late last week, House Bill 4938 would kill off the agency that oversees state parks and issues hunting and fishing licenses. Instead, the measure would assign those functions to other agencies. The offices that would take over TPWD’s responsibilities include the General Land Office, Department of Agriculture and Department of Public Safety.
TPWD’s funding would be diverted to those other agencies, as would TPWD employees. The department’s duties would be distributed as follows:
- General Land Office: “Regulation of parks, natural areas, wildlife management areas, fish hatcheries, historic sites, or other public land, including any bodies of water.”
- Department of Agriculture: “Native plants, wildlife, or the conservation or management of native plants or wildlife, including hunting and fishing.”
- Department of Public Safety: “Enforcement of this code, game wardens or water safety, including the operation of [most] vessels; equipment for vessels; and the identification, numbering and titling of vessels.”
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This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.