The House Committee on Appropriations on April 28 voted to move House Bill 564 favorable as amended. The bill establishes a Conservation Incentive Program account to accept private donations and federal grants to support wildlife habitat work and conservation practices on private lands across Louisiana.

Sponsor Representative Veil Landry said the account is intended to let the state accept private funds and align with federal programs such as the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to implement habitat activities including prescribed burning, timber thinning, water‑holding for migratory birds and reimbursement for devices such as hog traps modeled on an Arkansas program. Amendments changed inconsistent references from “fund” to “account,” refined grant award language to be subject to appropriations and clarified that grants are made only when appropriations are received by the department.

Brian McClendon, undersecretary at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, described an Arkansas model that reimbursed landowners for traps and provided staged payments tied to implementation, and said Arkansas’ program touched almost every county and brought new landowners into conservation programs. He told the committee that the Louisiana proposal is intended for private landowners and does not require easements or public access.

Representative Romero moved the bill favorable as amended; the committee approved the motion by voice vote.

The committee discussion focused on program design: eligibility, prioritization criteria, and whether the program would complement existing Outdoors Forever and DMAP programs. Sponsors said the program targets private landowners, will use established departmental processes for rulemaking, and will leverage private and federal funds before seeking state appropriations.