Louisiana House Bill HCR15

Louisiana 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/12/26
• Introduced: 3/16/26
• Refer: 3/17/26
• Report Pass: 4/23/26

Caption

WILDLIFE/HABITAT: Expresses legislative support for a request by Senator John N. Kennedy to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a study addressing the impact of flooded corn on migratory waterfowl behavior

Summary

House Concurrent Resolution 15 expresses the Louisiana Legislature’s support for a request by U.S. Senator John N. Kennedy that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conduct a formal study on the effects of flooded corn on migratory waterfowl. The resolution focuses on whether intentionally flooded corn fields are altering waterfowl behavior, wintering distributions, and migration patterns in the Mississippi Flyway, with particular attention to Louisiana’s declining mallard numbers. The resolution recites historical changes in federal baiting and flooded-crop regulations, and it cites population and harvest data suggesting that Louisiana has experienced a steep decline in wintering mallards and annual harvests since the late 1990s, while some other flyway states have seen increases. It also raises concerns that waterfowl may be concentrating in areas where corn is manually flooded, which the resolution says could reduce migration to Louisiana and affect conservation funding tied to hunting and habitat programs.

Impact

HCR15 does not change Louisiana statutes or create new regulatory requirements. Its legal effect is limited to expressing legislative support and forwarding that support to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The practical impact is political and advisory: it seeks to encourage a federal study that could inform future wildlife management, baiting policy, flooded-crop rules, and conservation funding considerations affecting hunters, landowners, wildlife managers, and habitat programs in Louisiana and the broader Mississippi Flyway.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is supportive of Senator Kennedy’s request and concerned about the decline of waterfowl migration into Louisiana. The resolution presents the issue as a conservation and economic problem, suggesting that current practices around flooded corn may be harming Louisiana’s traditional waterfowl season and associated revenues. No committee debate or vote record is provided, but the bill’s substitute being adopted on the House floor indicates the measure moved forward in a modified form.

Contention

The main point of contention is the underlying claim that flooded corn and related federal policy changes are responsible for reduced migration and lower mallard numbers in Louisiana. Supporters of the resolution frame flooded corn as a driver of waterfowl redistribution and a threat to conservation outcomes, while the issue implicitly raises concerns for hunters, agricultural interests, and landowners who use flooded crops. Because the resolution calls for a study rather than imposing restrictions, it avoids direct regulatory conflict, but it signals a policy dispute over baiting enforcement, flooded-crop practices, and how wildlife resources should be managed across the Mississippi Flyway.