Here’s what’s behind the bill to eliminate the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
A bill to eliminate the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is a response to landowner rights as it relates to the state’s handling of chronic wasting disease in deer.
The proposal has angered some Texans who fear for the state’s public land and the department that oversees it. But the bill’s author, Rep. Pat Curry, a Waco Republican who is a farmer, rancher and deer breeder, says its more of a “reform bill” than an effort to abolish the department.
Under the legislation, House Bill 4938, the General Land Office would regulate parks, natural areas, wildlife management areas, fish hatcheries, historic sites and other public lands and bodies of water under the Parks and Wildlife Department’s purview. The Department of Agriculture would take over its duties related to native plants and wildlife and the conservation and management of native plants and wildlife, including hunting and fishing. The Texas Department of Public Safety would handle duties related to game wardens, water safety and law enforcement.
Asked about why he filed the legislation, Curry pointed to the mission of the Houses’ Delivery of Government Efficiency committee, of which he’s a member. The committee aims to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse, which he said includes “agencies overreaching on regulations.”
“I have a ton of respect for Parks and Wildlife, I really do,” Curry said, noting later in the interview that he’s a hunter and fisherman and is supportive of game wardens and law enforcement. “What I don’t like is when they’re creating rules and regulations that appear to be law.”
The “most glaring” examples of this deals with landowner rights, property owner rights and small business rights centered on discussions of chronic wasting disease in deer, he said. Curry is a deer breeder at a ranch in Mexico and used to be a deer breeder in Texas. He has filed multiple bills related to chronic wasting disease and one that would get rid of the Texas Animal Health Commission and move its duties to the Department of Agriculture.
Deer breeders have clashed with the state over regulations they believe are too aggressive and could result in the killing of breeders’ deer, while the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has maintained the rules aim to protect the deer population.
Curry described scenarios where landowners who “have nothing to do with the deer breeding business” have restrictions placed on their land because of the department’s response to the disease.
Despite his bill proposing as much, Curry said he doesn’t want the department, which is led by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, to be sectioned off and put under the purview of other state entities. It’s also not something he thinks will ultimately happen, he said. Curry believes other steps will be taken before it gets to the point of eliminating the department and moving its components to other state entities.
“I would like to see the agencies respecting the opinions of some of our constituents, especially when they’re filtered through the elected officials, to be able to come to the table and sit down and go, ‘You know what, this makes sense,’ or ‘it doesn’t make sense,’” Curry said.
‘I’m not really abolishing Parks and Wildlife’
Reception to his proposal has been, “across the board,” Curry said.
“Part of the problem is people read the title, and they don’t read the bill,” he said. “So they don’t really understand that I’m not really abolishing Parks and Wildlife. I’m simply moving different parts and pieces around to put more accountability and transparency and clarity in the process. That’s what I want.”
An online petition opposing the bill on has garnered more than 2,800 signatures as of the afternoon of March 19. One commenter calls state parks “treasures that must be maintained. Another says the legislation would hurt Texans and wildlife, and another calls on Curry to “stop playing politics with our parks!”
“This bill poses a direct threat to the conservation, preservation, and responsible management of our state’s natural resources,” the petition reads.
A representative for the department was not available for an interview, but the department issued a statement touting the department’s role in managing state land and waters.
“Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is proud of the important role our agency plays in managing Texas land and waters in coordination with our partners and private landowners to provide for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation,” the statement reads. “Our 89 state parks welcome more than 9 million visitors each year. The Texas legislature has an existing Sunset Commission that reviews the efficacy of all state agencies, and TPWD underwent that process in 2021.”
In a March 19 email, spokesperson Cory Chandler noted that the department cannot speak in favor or opposition of legislation. Chandler added that state law gives Texas commissions and boards rule-making authority that carries the force of law.
“So ultimately, the Legislature provides our Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission its rule-making scope and authority, and the commission exercises that authority within the scope provided,” the email reads.
‘Millions of Texans would suffer greatly’
The bill is among thousands filed this legislative session, most of which will not become law.
“There’s always a chance,” said John Shepperd, the executive director of the Texas Foundation for Conservation. “I hope that in this case that the chances are very slim to none.”
He said the elimination of the department would be “really, really concerning” given the volume of visitors it serves each year and its other services like hunting and fishing licenses.
“It provides an enormous public benefit and frankly is the gateway to the outdoors for millions of Texans since we are such a private land state,” Shepperd said. “I’m aware that the bill says that these other functions would go to different state agencies, however, the reality of that is it would never be able to function the same way that it does, and the services to millions of Texans would suffer greatly.”
Shepperd pushed back on the idea that the Parks and Wildlife commission has overstepped in its regulator authority and on the idea that the bill proposes reform over abolishment.
“When you break apart a state agency and strip away all of their functions and hand them over to other state agencies, that’s not a reform,” he said. “That’s abolishing.”
The state park system recently celebrated 100 years. Voters in 2023 approved the creation of a Centennial Parks Conservation Fund for creating new state parks.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the department’s nonprofit partner, said in a statement that the department is “a model for efficacy and efficiency” and “plays a critical role in protecting our state’s lands, waters, wildlife, aquatic life, and public access to outdoor recreation.”
The group did not take an official position on the bill. It generally does not weigh in on legislation, but the group’s Executive Director Anne Brown in an interview said it issued the statement following numerous inquiries about the proposal.
“We don’t have a position on the bill itself, but we have a position that the Texas Parks and Wildlife department as an agency plays a critical role in our state,” Brown said.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 3:25 PM.
