To Amend The Pest Control Law; And To Reassign Certain Duties Of The State Plant Board.
Summary
SB250 amends Arkansas’s Pest Control Law to shift a wide range of administrative references and duties from the State Plant Board to the Department of Agriculture. The bill updates definitions, licensing procedures, examination rules, reporting requirements, bond and insurance provisions, and enforcement language so that the Department of Agriculture is the primary agency named in the statute. It also removes an obsolete exemption for certain unlicensed operators working under supervision and shortens the waiting period for retaking a failed licensing exam from three months to 14 days.
The bill preserves the core licensing framework for pest control operators, including qualifications, background disqualifications, registration of agents and solicitors, monthly reporting, and financial responsibility requirements. It continues to require bonds and insurance for certain classifications, with substantial coverage levels for termite/structural pest work and household pest/rodent control, and it maintains penalties for noncompliance, including license invalidation, doubled late fees, and reporting obligations. It also clarifies inspection authority and document-production timelines for the Department of Agriculture.
Impact
SB250 primarily reorganizes Arkansas Code Title 17, Chapter 37 by replacing references to the State Plant Board with the Department of Agriculture in most administrative and enforcement provisions governing pest control licensing and oversight. The bill affects licensed operators, noncommercial applicators, solicitors, agents, and applicants by updating who receives applications, conducts examinations, collects fees, inspects properties, and enforces compliance. It also changes one procedural rule by reducing the reexamination waiting period, while leaving the substantive licensing and consumer-protection structure largely intact.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly noncontroversial. It passed the Senate 34-0 and the House 97-0, indicating unanimous support in both chambers. No committee transcript was provided, but the voting history suggests the measure was viewed as a technical or administrative update rather than a major policy change.
Contention
No significant opposition is reflected in the available record. The main substantive change is the reassignment of duties from the State Plant Board to the Department of Agriculture, which appears to be an administrative consolidation or renaming effort. The only potentially notable policy change is the shorter 14-day wait for reexamination after a failed test, but there is no evidence in the record that this drew controversy. The bill also repeals an old grandfather-style exemption for certain unlicensed operators, though again no dispute is shown in the available materials.