Lawmakers urge $7 million supplemental for Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act as revenue falls

Chairman Jesse Petrie urged the General Government Appropriations Subcommittee to consider adding $7,000,000 to the House budget to restore funding for the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act (GOSA), saying the program’s usual revenue has dropped and the committee can directly appropriate funds.

Petrie told the subcommittee he had circulated a handout from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources showing a $7,000,000 decline in allocations and said the decline appears to be “post pandemic related” as people bought less outdoor equipment that historically generates GOSA proceeds. “What you'll notice there...we have fallen by $7,000,000 this year,” Petrie said. He asked the committee to “get back to that $30,000,000 figure” to support preservation, trails and other projects under GOSA.

Petrie said the department told him the committee has the authority to put money directly into GOSA rather than rely solely on the statute’s sales-derived revenue stream: “We can add money.” That authority was presented as an option the committee could use while the legislature examines the statutory funding trigger.

The subcommittee chair (identified only in the transcript as the meeting chair) and members discussed making a longer-term change to the GOSA funding formula. The chair said the committee should review the formula that can reduce funding when revenues fall and “look at that formula to see if we can maybe secure this for the ongoing future so that we don't have to come back and look at it every single time.” A member voiced support for that idea.

No formal motion or vote was recorded on a supplemental appropriation during the meeting. Committee members encouraged staff and legislators to pursue either a one-time budget addition this session or statutory changes to stabilize funding. The transcript shows the request introduced during the subcommittee’s initial remarks; committee members agreed to consider the ask as they work through the broader budget.

Background: The Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act is funded primarily through proceeds tied to retail sales of outdoor recreation equipment and related items, according to the materials Petrie referenced from the Department of Natural Resources. The subcommittee discussion framed the request as a response to a near-term revenue shortfall and as part of a larger budget review process.