Relating to the abolishment of the Parks and Wildlife Department and the Parks and Wildlife Commission and the transfer of their functions to the General Land Office, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Public Safety.

89th Legislature (2025) Introduced by Pat Curry

HB 4938 dissolves Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, redistributing wildlife, parks, and recreation functions to General Land Office, Agriculture, and Public Safety departments.

Referred to Culture, Recreation & Tourism

#agriculture #departmentof(v0566) #agriculture(i0020) #animals(i0035) #boats&boating(s3125) #generallandoffice(v2808) #lawenforcement(i0510) #parks&wildlifecommission(v1564) #parks&wildlifedepartment(v0045) #publicsafety #departmentof(v0251) #parks&wildlife--general(i0585) #parks&wildlife--parks(i0555) #publiclands #buildings&resources(i0630)

Legislative bill overview

HB 4938 would eliminate Texas's Parks and Wildlife Department and Commission, distributing their responsibilities among three existing state agencies: the General Land Office, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Public Safety. This represents a significant governmental restructuring that would consolidate wildlife management, park operations, and outdoor recreation functions into different departmental structures.

Why is this important

The Parks and Wildlife Department manages over 2 million acres of public land, wildlife conservation programs, hunting and fishing licenses, and outdoor recreation infrastructure. How these functions transfer could affect public land access, wildlife management effectiveness, species conservation efforts, and the $38+ billion outdoor recreation economy in Texas. The reorganization also impacts agency budgets, staff, and the regulatory framework for environmental stewardship.

Potential points of contention

Fragmentation concerns: Splitting functions among three agencies could reduce coordination on integrated land management and conservation strategies that currently operate under unified leadership

Expertise and mission alignment: Wildlife management and conservation expertise may be diluted across agencies with different primary missions (agriculture, land records, public safety)

Implementation costs and disruption: Transferring operations, staff, licenses systems, and programs risks inefficiencies, service interruptions, and potential upfront transition expenses

Public access and recreation: Park operations and outdoor recreation access could be deprioritized if absorbed into agencies focused on agriculture, property records, or law enforcement