HB1960 Summary

• Eliminates the Division of Brand Registry within the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission and authorizes the commission to contract with a private livestock association to administer brand registration and recording.

• Creates a new Class C felony for purposely branding, misbranding, marking, or mismarking domestic animals (cattle, horses, sheep, goats, hogs) with intent to defraud, or for branding over or obliterating previous brands with fraudulent intent.

• Transfers authority for brand registry operations from a dedicated division director to the Executive Director of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission, who retains rule-making and fee-setting authority but may delegate administrative duties to the private contractor.

• Requires private entities contracting to administer the brand registry to make monthly accounting of all funds to the commission, file a corporate surety bond, and maintain records subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

• Establishes procedures for handling impounded funds from animals of questionable ownership, requiring they be held for 30 days, then transferred to the commission for one year before being deposited into the Livestock and Poultry Fund Account if ownership cannot be established.