NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For years, the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency has warned they aren't receiving enough funding. Now, state lawmakers are considering a plan to give the agency a dedicated funding stream to keep it financially stable.
The need
Unlike some departments, TWRA does not receive state tax funding to operate. The agency relies mostly on fees from hunting and fishing licenses, but officials say rising costs have made that revenue insufficient.
An effort to raise license fees failed in 2025. "If we don't pass this, it's going to put us in a $12 million deficit," said Jason Maxedon, Executive Director of TWRA last year during debate.
Chris Devaney, chair of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission, also acknowledged the instability of the agency's current revenue model. "The hunting and fishing fees, it ebbs and flows who buys those," Devaney said.
The ask
With license fee increases off the table, State Rep. Pat Marsh (R-Shelbyville) has introduced a bill that would give TWRA dedicated funding every year in the state budget. "The rates not going up and they're spending down their reserves. And we've got to have them to be a viable partner with all our hunting and fishing and outdoors and canoeing and everything. It's very important," Marsh said.
Under the proposal, the money would come from 10% of the funds TVA pays the state of Tennessee in lieu of property taxes. "It's about $16-18 million a year," Marsh explained.
The likelihood?
House Republicans say they understand what is at stake. "All of the TWRA is held on the backs of hunters and fishers," Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, House Republican Caucus Chair, said. "They add a benefit to our state and they bring an unbelievable amount of revenue, tax revenue from hunters and fishers coming from all over. We need the TWRA to be successful."
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said the dedicated funding proposal is certainly under consideration. "I think it could happen," Sexton said.
But House Republican leadership also outlined backup options in case the dedicated funding is not included in budget negotiations. One option is a one-time cash infusion. "In the budget, there's 10 million dollars of non-recurring funds that should go to TWRA. That should help patch some of that hole," House Majority Leader Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) said.
Another option would be shifting some of TWRA's responsibilities to other state agencies."What responsibilities do they have? Does that fit best under TWRA, under [Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation], under [the Tennessee Department of Agriculture]?" Lamberth said.
Senate Democrats expressed both interest and caution about the funding proposals. "That is something that I think the legislature should take seriously," State Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) said. "It needs to ensure that it will pay for itself, and we're not tapping into other priorities too much to subsidize this effort."
Yarbro added, Republicans have eliminated some of the flexibility with the budget with some of their tax cuts. "There’s a cost to fiscal irresponsibility and I think we’re going to continue seeing it arise both here and across agencies across the state," said Yarbro.
What comes next
Several wildlife related organizations, including the Tennessee Wildlife Federation and famed angler Bill Dance have posted videos and commentary pushing their followers and members to reach out to their lawmakers about this legislation.
If TWRA does not receive additional funding, the agency currently has reserves it can draw from. When those reserves run out, officials say major budget cuts may have to be considered.
Marsh's bill has been officially placed "behind the budget," meaning it will only be considered if lawmakers allocate the money in the approved state budget. "I think everybody understands how important TWRA is and we need to keep them viable," Marsh said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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