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Committee debates mechanism to reimburse Arkansas Game & Fish when licenses are given free; measure fails

2828026 · March 31, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Representative John Wardlaw told the House State Agencies committee that House Bill 1632 would create a year‑end set‑aside to reimburse Arkansas Game and Fish for licenses given away by statute or other action, a step he said is necessary to preserve federal matching funds.

Representative John Wardlaw introduced House Bill 1632, saying the measure would set up a fund to reimburse Arkansas Game and Fish Department when licenses are given “free” by statute or other legislative action. Wardlaw said the absentee reimbursement mechanism is intended to protect federal matching dollars under the Pittman‑Robertson program and other federal matching schemes.

The bill’s sponsor said the department itself cannot accept general revenue for license fees and that the proposal would create a year‑end set‑aside to restore lost license revenue so federal matches are not jeopardized. Wardlaw told the committee the department sets values for each…

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