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Committee approves fee structure for proposed recreational alligator lottery amid landowner concerns
Summary
Rep. Reiser’s HB 7 67 would set resident lottery fees at $25 and a nonresident fee at $150; the bill is tied to a separate authorization (SB 244) to create a recreational season. Landowners and industry groups voiced concern that the proposal was rushed and fees may be too low relative to commercial operations.
The House Natural Resources Committee reported House Bill 7 67 favorable after an extended hearing in which the sponsor and agency officials detailed a recreational alligator lottery fee structure and members heard strong opposition from landowners and commercial harvesters.
Representative Reiser told the committee the bill sets resident lottery license fees at $25 and, as amended, a $150 nonresident fee. He said the measure is contingent on Senate Bill 244, which would authorize a recreational alligator season; HB 7 67 addresses only license composition and fee allocation to the conservation fund.
Cole Garrett and agency witnesses described the rationale: recreational opportunities for state residents, expanding access beyond large coastal commercial operations, and using revenue for conservation and enforcement. The department proposed issuing up to 10,000 recreational lottery tags distributed across enforcement regions, with limits to avoid interfering with commercial harvest on the coast.
Landowners and commercial operators—including representatives of a major landholding (Edward Whisner Donation Trust) and the Louisiana Landowners Association—testified in opposition or urged higher fees. Witnesses said commercial operators face high fixed costs and that opening recreational harvest could reduce the value of egg producers and commercial hides; some said the proposal had not been fully vetted by the Alligator Advisory Commission. Members asked how tags would be allocated regionally, whether nonresidents could participate, and how property rights and trespass would be protected; agency staff said harvest must be tied to private property with permission and highlighted rulemaking and commission review to follow.
Representative Reiser closed, thanked opponents for focused testimony, and the committee reported HB 7 67 with amendments favorable by voice vote. Several members expressed openness to further refinement during the commission process and on the linked Senate measure.
