HB1516 amends several Arkansas laws relating to the Department of Agriculture and its enforcement functions. It updates the livestock and poultry disease-control statute to reflect the Department of Agriculture’s current authority, including the ability of authorized inspectors to enter property, examine or test animals suspected of contagious or infectious disease, and require owners to assemble animals for examination, treatment, necropsy, or disinfection. It also clarifies that a person who, after notice, fails to comply with department rules regarding a reportable disease commits a violation and is subject to a fine of up to $300, in addition to liability for damages caused by infection from the person’s stock.
The bill also revises forestry-related enforcement provisions. It states that fines arising from enforcement of wildland fire, timber theft, and unlawful dumping laws are to be deposited into a newly created Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Fund, and classifies those fines as special revenues. The new fund is established on the books of the state fiscal officers and is to be used exclusively for the department’s law enforcement functions, powers, and duties. In addition, the bill authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to award the service pistol of a Department of Agriculture law enforcement officer to the officer upon retirement, or to the officer’s eligible spouse if the officer dies while employed.
The bill’s impact on state law is primarily administrative and fiscal: it updates agency references, creates a dedicated special-revenue fund, and redirects certain enforcement fines away from prior or unclear destinations into that fund. It also adds a specific statutory mechanism for transferring a retired or deceased officer’s pistol, subject to state and federal firearm eligibility requirements. The affected statutes include provisions in Title 2 on animal disease control, Title 15 on forestry enforcement and fines, Title 19 on special revenues and state funds, and Title 25 on disposition of firearms by law enforcement agencies.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable. The bill passed the House and Senate on third reading by wide margins, with only one no vote in the House and unanimous support in the Senate, suggesting broad bipartisan agreement and little visible opposition. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to indicate significant controversy.
The main points of potential contention are limited and appear to be technical rather than ideological. The bill shifts fine revenue into a new Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Fund, which could raise questions about revenue allocation and whether funds previously going to local school districts or other accounts are being redirected. The animal disease enforcement provisions also preserve strong inspection and compliance powers, but the bill does not show evidence of organized opposition to those authorities in the available record.
HB1516 updates Arkansas statutes governing animal disease inspections, forestry enforcement fines, and Department of Agriculture law enforcement administration. It creates the Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Fund as a special revenue fund, directs specified fines into that fund, and requires those monies to be used only for department law enforcement activities. It also authorizes the transfer of a Department of Agriculture law enforcement officer’s pistol upon retirement or death, and clarifies penalties for noncompliance with disease-control orders.
The bill appears to have been received positively and passed with overwhelming support in both chambers. The recorded votes were 94-1 in the House and 35-0 in the Senate on third reading, indicating broad agreement and little public or legislative resistance. No committee discussion was available, so the record does not show substantive debate or organized opposition.
Any contention is likely to center on the reallocation of fine revenue and the creation of a dedicated law-enforcement fund, since the bill moves certain forestry-related fines into a new special revenue account rather than leaving their destination ambiguous or tied to other recipients. A secondary area of interest is the strengthened disease-control enforcement framework, including entry onto property, testing, and compliance penalties, though the available voting record suggests these provisions were not controversial enough to generate significant opposition.