Bill > HB919

This bill modifies the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund by eliminating provisions that previously allowed for reductions in appropriations based on sales and use tax revenue fluctuations. Specifically, the bill maintains the existing requirement that the General Assembly appropriate 40 percent of sales tax revenues from sporting goods stores to the trust fund, and removes language that would have reduced trust fund appropriations by 20% or 50% if sales tax revenues fell below certain thresholds in previous fiscal years. The trust fund is designed to support land protection and conservation efforts, with funds meant to supplement, not replace, existing department resources. By removing the potential reduction mechanisms, the bill ensures a more stable and predictable funding stream for outdoor stewardship initiatives. The bill preserves the core purpose of the trust fund, which is to dedicate a specific portion of sporting goods store sales tax revenue to conservation efforts in Georgia.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72051