HB1516

House Bill 1516 modifies laws pertaining to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, specifically focusing on disease control in livestock and poultry and enforcement activities related to forest resources. It standardizes the authority of the Department of Agriculture to inspect premises for contagious animal diseases and clarifies administrative penalties for non-compliance with departmental rules. The bill establishes the Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Fund to serve as a repository for fines collected from law enforcement activities, such as timber theft and illegal dumping. Additionally, it directs that certain fines previously allocated elsewhere, such as to local school districts, be diverted into this new fund. Finally, the bill authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to award service pistols to department law enforcement officers upon their retirement or, in the event of their death, to their eligible surviving spouses.