Subcommittee sends bill to appropriations after DWR outlines lost revenue from license exemptions

A House subcommittee voted to report and refer HB 45 to the Appropriations Committee after hearing testimony from the Department of Wildlife Resources that longstanding license exemptions reduce both agency receipts and federal matching dollars.

Delegate Fowler, sponsor of HB 45, told the subcommittee the bill would require DWR to maintain an annual accounting of revenue that would have been collected from license exemptions enacted on or after July 1, 2026, and to submit that accounting to the Department of Accounts. "Over time, the General Assembly has decided to pass legislation to provide a lot of these things for free," the sponsor said, framing the bill as forward‑looking fiscal transparency.

Ryan Brown, executive director of DWR, said current estimates put the cost of exemptions at roughly $16 million a year on a roughly $70 million operating budget; because DWR is a primarily non‑general‑fund agency that relies on license sales and federal excise tax matching, the exemptions reduce federal matching and constrain operations. Brown told the committee DWR is short roughly 15 conservation police officer positions and that rising personnel and central IT costs have strained the agency budget.

Given the fiscal considerations, the committee voted 10–0 to report HB 45 and refer it to appropriations for further review.