Parks and Wildlife warns Fund 9 general subaccount may run negative by 2029 without structural fixes

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials briefed the committee on the long-term sustainability of the Game, Fish and Water Safety account (Fund 9). David Yoskiewicz said Fund 9 consists of several subaccounts and that statutory restrictions on some revenue streams force reliance on the general unrestricted subaccount for operations. He told members the general subaccount is experiencing a concerning downward trend and, based on current projections, could reach a negative balance by as early as fiscal year 2029, which could impair operations such as fish stocking, law enforcement and park services.

TPWD presented options including expense control, reassignment of costs to other funding methods, and increasing revenues (fees or other streams). The department previously pursued method-of-finance changes to shift some law-enforcement costs to general revenue and said it can supply a breakdown of game warden time use to support such swaps. Committee members requested detailed written documentation and a binder of supporting analysis; TPWD committed to deliver a draft report and supporting materials to the committee in the summer.