All Roll Calls
Yes: 123 • No: 4
ArkansasSB5502025 Regular SessionSenateWALLET
TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE ARKANSAS LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY COMMISSION TO THE ARKANSAS BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH.
Sponsored By: Ricky Hill (Republican), Stetson Painter (Republican)
Enacted
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
13 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 2 costs, 8 mixed.
Horse chip workers lose certification requirement
The law repeals state training and certification requirements for people who implant or inject identification chips in equines. It also repeals the related fine for doing that work without certification. This removes those specific requirements, not every rule governing veterinary work.
Public funds cover farm calf vaccinations
The Agriculture Department performs on-farm calfhood vaccinations, with costs paid from state or federal funds. Livestock owners may instead hire and pay a veterinarian. A veterinarian cannot bill both the owner and the government for the same vaccination.
Government workers can collect disease samples
Unlicensed Arkansas or U.S. Agriculture Department employees can collect specified disease-control samples without a veterinary license. The exemption applies only to sample collection in programs carried out under state or federal authority. The law replaces the former reference to commission employees.
Veterinary practitioners face board enforcement powers
After reviewing a complaint and finding probable cause, the Board can cite veterinarians or unlicensed people acting as veterinarians. Citations can require correction and impose a civil penalty up to $5,000. The Board can investigate or prosecute horse teeth-floating practitioners under its policy, without the former July 1, 2013 limit. It can also investigate technicians who perform both livestock embryo transfer or transplant and pregnancy determination.
Research horse disease safeguards are repealed
The law repeals special certification for Arkansas research facilities holding equines infected with equine infectious anemia or testing positive. It also removes the requirement to maintain those facilities to prevent infection of other equines. This repeal concerns those specific research-facility safeguards.
Veterinary credential denial power is removed
The law removes the Board's authority under this section to deny veterinary technologist or veterinary technician specialist credentials. The Board can still suspend certification or revoke a certificate of qualification on a listed legal ground. Action must follow a written complaint or the Board's own initiative, with notice and a hearing.
Horse disease oversight shifts to Agriculture
The Agriculture Department handles equine infectious anemia testing labs, authorized sample collectors, permits, quarantines, and holding-facility approval after inspection. Arkansas equines over six months old or weaned from a mare must be identified before testing. Samples must come from an accredited veterinarian, the State Veterinarian, or Department-authorized personnel; authorized staff also handle specified market consignments. Animals sharing premises with a positive-testing animal when sampled require owner-paid testing 60–80 days after its last positive test. Animals exposed within 440 yards may also require testing if exposure occurred within 30 days before that animal's test.
Livestock brands go online with transfer rules
The Agriculture Department must post the State Brand Book online, including brands, owners' names and addresses, and related rules. Only listed brands qualify for sale, assignment, transfer, or inheritance under this provision. Sellers of livestock bearing their listed brand must give buyers a written ownership transfer. The law removes mandatory private-association administration, paid book sales for five years, and free copies for county clerks and sheriffs. It also repeals county-record ownership, preservation, and paid-access rules, plus the ban on county clerks registering brands.
Livestock markets face inspections and closure
The Board sets minimum health, safety, and sanitation standards for livestock markets. The Agriculture Department or its agents inspect markets for compliance. Operators receiving written violation notices must certify corrective steps within 15 days. The Board may close a market until it complies if the operator fails to respond or violations remain.
Unclaimed livestock sale money rules end
The law removes a state holding process for livestock sale money when ownership remains unresolved after 30 days. The money no longer must be sent to the former commission for one year. The law also removes the required state-fund deposit if ownership remains unknown after that year. This provision does not state a replacement process.
Animal health board balances industry seats
The Arkansas Board of Animal Health replaces the Livestock and Poultry Commission and has nine members. No more than three may be veterinarians, with one each from poultry, large-animal, and general practice. The remaining members must work in Arkansas's livestock, dairy, or poultry industries. All members must be Arkansas residents and eligible voters. The Governor appoints members with Senate approval.
Animal health funding rules change
The Agriculture Department can make cooperative agreements and receive and spend federal money, grants, gifts, and reimbursements. It also handles diagnostic fees and designated animal health funds. Veterinary civil-penalty money must go into approved public-fund accounts and support administration of veterinary law. Covered veterinary fines split evenly between the county general fund and the Animal Health Special Revenue Fund. The law removes special-revenue labels for certain vaccination fees and enforcement penalties, but does not repeal those charges.
Egg oversight shifts and consultation ends
The law removes the Division of Markets and Grading, not the Egg Marketing Act or poultry and egg grading program. The Agriculture Department handles egg-law duties, including yearly permit-holder audits, inspections, records review, stop-sale orders, and impoundment. The Board keeps rulemaking and enforcement authority. It no longer must consult the Poultry Federation when setting shell-egg and egg-product inspection or yearly permit fees. This consultation repeal does not itself change fee amounts.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsors
Ricky Hill
Republican • Senate
Stetson Painter
Republican • House
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 4/9/2025
House Vote - Wednesday, April 9, 2025 7:17:35 PM
Yes: 94 • No: 2 • Other: 1
Senate vote • 4/2/2025
Senate Vote - Wednesday, April 2, 2025 5:06:17 PM
Yes: 29 • No: 2 • Other: 1
Actions Timeline
Notification that SB550 is now Act 703
4/18/2025SenateDELIVERED TO GOVERNOR.
4/10/2025SenateReported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
4/10/2025SenateORDERED ENROLLED
4/9/2025SenateReturned from the House as passed.
4/9/2025SenateReturned to the Senate as passed.
4/9/2025HouseRead the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
4/9/2025HouseReturned by the Committee Do Pass
4/7/2025HouseRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT- HOUSE
4/2/2025HouseRECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
4/2/2025HouseOrdered immediately transmitted to the House.
4/2/2025SenateRead the third time and passed.
4/2/2025SenateReturned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass
4/1/2025SenateRead first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - SENATE
3/20/2025SenateFiled
3/20/2025Senate
Bill Text
SB550 - Introduced
3/20/2025
Act Version
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