# Arkansas HB1516: TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Arkansas HB1516, TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE., is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Steve Crowell (Republican), Marcus E. Richmond (Republican); status enacted, last action 2025-03-18 (Notification that HB1516 is now Act 326); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1516-2025 - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Arkansas HB1516 - State: Arkansas - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: TO AMEND VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. - Status: enacted - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-02-18 - Last action: 2025-03-18, Notification that HB1516 is now Act 326 - Sponsors: Steve Crowell (Republican), Marcus E. Richmond (Republican) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (129 yes, 1 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Agriculture officers can receive service pistols: benefit, low. The Arkansas Agriculture Secretary can award retiring department law-enforcement officers the pistols they carried. When an officer dies while employed by the department, the Secretary can award the pistol to the officer’s spouse. The spouse must be legally allowed to possess a firearm under state… - Animal owners face disease-rule penalties: cost, low. A person notified of Arkansas Agriculture Department animal-disease rules who fails to comply commits a violation. The fine can be up to $300. The person also remains liable for damages to others caused by infection from their stock. - Agriculture enforcement fines fund department work: mixed, low. Arkansas names the Agriculture Department as the agency enforcing wildland-fire, timber-theft, and unlawful-dumping laws. Related fines now go to a new Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Fund instead of local school districts. All fines and penalties from department officers’ arrests or cita… - Agriculture inspectors oversee animal disease checks: mixed, low. The Arkansas Agriculture Department takes over animal-disease inspection authority from the Livestock and Poultry Commission. Authorized staff can enter property when they reasonably suspect a contagious or infectious disease threatens community livestock or poultry. Owners or caretakers must gathe… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Steve Crowell (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Marcus E. Richmond (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-12 | Senate | Senate Vote - Wednesday, March 12, 2025 4:08:21 PM | pass | 35 | 0 | | | 2025-03-06 | House | House Vote - Thursday, March 6, 2025 2:13:20 PM | pass | 94 | 1 | | ## Actions (16) - 2025-03-18: Notification that HB1516 is now Act 326 (House) - 2025-03-13: Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office. (House) - 2025-03-12: TO BE ENROLLED (House) - 2025-03-12: Returned from the Senate as passed. (House) - 2025-03-12: Returned to the House as passed. (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Read the third time and passed. (Senate) - 2025-03-11: Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - SENATE (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Received from the House. (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. (House) - 2025-03-05: Returned by the Committee Do Pass (House) - 2025-02-25: REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED (House) - 2025-02-25: Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. (House) - 2025-02-25: Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment. (House) - 2025-02-18: Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT- HOUSE (House) - 2025-02-18: Filed (House) ## Bill text - HB1516 - Introduced, 2025-02-18: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1516.pdf) - Act Version: [PDF](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=326.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related bills - HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025-2026 FISCAL YEAR. (enacted) - HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS. (failed) - HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO SET PENALTIES FOR A VIOLATION OF THE PROHIBITION OF SOLICITATION OF INJURED INDIV… (failed) - SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE USE OF ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS; AND TO REGULATE ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES. (failed) - HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO ALLOW A MUNICIPALITY TO PETITION TO SET ASIDE THE SALE OF PROPERTY TO CERTAIN P… (failed) - HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO REQUIRE THAT A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BE SELECTED A… (failed) ## Sources - [HB1516 - Introduced (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FBills%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FHB1516.pdf) - [Act Version (PDF)](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2F&file=326.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R) ## Related - [HB1265: AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1265-2025) - [HB1686: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1686-2025) - [HB1237: TO PROHIBIT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM SOLICITING INJURED INDIVIDUALS; AND TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1237-2025) - [SB440: TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING EMBALMERS AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS; TO REGULATE THE US…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-SB440-2025) - [HB1695: TO CLARIFY THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS FOR PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MUNICIPAL LIEN; TO…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1695-2025) - [HR1012: TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HR1012-2025) - [Arkansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas/bills) - [Arkansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/arkansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/AR-HB1516-2025 (as of 2026-10-16).