HCR 97

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 97
BY REPRESENTATIVES SAWYER, AMEDEE, BROUSSARD, CARLSON, WILFORD
     CARTER, MARTINEZ, AND ST. BLANC AND SENATORS CATHEY,
     EDMONDS, HENRY, HODGES, LUNEAU, MIGUEZ, MYERS, OWEN, AND
     PRICE
  A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in consultation
       with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, to study the feasibility of
       incorporating age- and grade-appropriate hunting education, conservation education,
       and shooting sports courses into curricula for public school students in grades five
       through twelve and to submit a written report to the House Committee on Education
       and the Senate Committee on Education not later than March 1, 2027.
       WHEREAS, Louisiana is widely recognized as the Sportsman's Paradise because of
its ecosystems, natural resources, and longstanding traditions of hunting, fishing, and
outdoor recreation; and
       WHEREAS, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries manages more than 1.6
million acres of wildlife management areas, refuges, and conservation areas for public use;
and
       WHEREAS, Louisiana also benefits from substantial federally-owned public lands
with hunting access, giving current and future hunters a wide range of opportunities across
the state; and
       WHEREAS, Louisiana's wetlands, forests, swamps, marshes, and other public lands
provide opportunities to hunt alligator, deer, dove, turkey, waterfowl, and migratory birds;
and
       WHEREAS, R.S. 56:699.5 requires each person born on or after September 1, 1969,
to complete a Hunter Education Course approved by the Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries prior to hunting; and
       WHEREAS, firearm, shooting sports, and hunter education programs can teach the
state's youth not only how to hunt and safely participate in shooting sports but also how to
use firearms responsibly and how to respect firearms and their capabilities, which could
reduce the occurrence of accidents involving firearms; and
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HCR NO. 97  ENROLLED
        WHEREAS, in several states, such as Iowa, Kansas, South Carolina, and Tennessee,
middle and high school students are able to learn about firearm safety and hunting, with
some districts incorporating such instruction into physical education; the next generation of
Louisiana sportsmen and sportswomen could also benefit from such curricula.
        THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in consultation
with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, to study the feasibility of incorporating age-
and grade-appropriate hunting education, conservation education, and shooting sports
courses into curricula for public school students in grades five through twelve, and to submit
a written report to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on
Education not later than March 1, 2027.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study shall include, but need not be limited
to, the feasibility of the following:
        (1) Hunter education being incorporated into existing physical education curricula
or being offered as a Physical Education II elective course.
        (2) Hunting courses including firearm and hunting safety, wildlife identification and
management, outdoor survival skills, conservation education, and other applicable course
content.
        (3) The successful completion of a hunting course resulting in a Hunter Education
Certification.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the state
superintendent of education, and the secretary of the wildlife and fisheries.
  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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