HB 2745 (voluntary licensing) has moved from the Senate Appropriations Committee to the Judiciary Committee. Please direct your letters, calls, etc to those Senators.
Kelly Crouch
SC Legislative Liaison
Contact Information:
Senator Patrick Anderson, Chair
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 417A
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5630
anderson@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Kathie Gasaway
Senator Susan Paddack, Vice Chair
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 533
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5541
paddack@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Toni Doake
Senator Kenneth Corn
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 531
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5576
cochran@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Susan Cochran
Senator Brian A. Crain
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 417B
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5620
crain@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Katie Duvall
Senator Charlie Laster
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 522
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5539
laster@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Sharon Veazey
Senator Dan Newberry
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 411A
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405.521.5600
newberry@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Maressa Treat
Senator Anthony Sykes
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 426
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5569
lewis@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Tonya Lewis
HB 2745 is another bill that has passed its original house and has gone to the other house. In this case it is now in the Senate Appropriations committee which has assigned it to the Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services (contact information below). Currently it is completely voluntary but it could easily move to mandatory. Voluntary or mandatory it will do nothing to solve any problems Oklahoma for which doesn't currently have laws on the books and is highly unlikely to pay for itself. Please write and/or call the Senators on the subcommittee asking them to vote against this bill. The major points are listed below.
Kelly Crouch
SC Legislative Liaison
HB 2745 allows for voluntary licensing for people who "sells, gives away, or transfers a cumulative total of 35 or more dogs or cats,..., in any calendar year" as well as people who do not meet the arbitrary numeric distinction of 35 cats and/or dogs. All persons covered include in state or out of state commercial or hobby breeders and rescues. Yet HB 2745 provides little benefit to the voluntary licensees and charges them for the dubious privilege of required compliance with rules and regulations not yet developed for such things as facility, equipment, and premises standards, husbandry and breeding protocols, nutrition standards, operating standards, record keeping requirements and transportation requirements to name a few.
Rules created under this legislation are to be "consistent with current USDA standards governing the housing and care of animals, management of dealer/breeder facilities, and the maintenance of records." (HB 2745 Bill Summary) The USDA standards are not appropriate for breeding cats or the home based breeding of cats and dogs of hobby/show breeders. They are also not appropriate for rescues.
A separate license is required for each physical location. For people who operate breeding programs or rescues under a single entity often have multiple physical locations. Sometimes breeders will keep males at one person's home and the females at another while rescues frequently utilize numerous foster homes for their charges. This is another disincentive for licensing.
The Board and its authorized agents the right to enter any premises or form of transportation of any applicant or licensee for the purpose of implementing this legislation and resulting rules including the authority for all "necessary and proper actions" to conduct investigations. Authorized agents should never be allowed to conduct investigations unless they are also police officers trained in due process procedure as these investigations may have a strong likelihood of becoming criminal investigations. Any refusal by the applicant or licensee to allow the inspection or investigation, even upon grounds of due process, will result in the application or license being denied or revoked.
Legislation should not be used to create a one size fits all plan of action in a one size definitely does not fit all world. No one single plan can account for all the varied intricacies of large vs. small breeding programs, small and large rescues and all people who might be covered or become covered under this legislation.
The HB 2745 Bill Summary states the estimated annual cost of HB 2745 is $405,000, yet acknowledges there is no real way to estimate either the costs or the revenue for this licensing scheme. Since there is little benefit to prospective licensees, there is little reason to believe there will be enough revenue generated to cover the costs of this program.
Oklahoma has laws on the books that already govern the people this legislation seeks to govern. This legislation does little to protect animals and is a disservice to the citizens of Oklahoma as it will be an administrative nightmare to set up and enforce, and will be exorbitantly expensive to administer especially in today's economic times.
Authors:
Senator Patrick Anderson
Capitol Address
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 417A
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5630
anderson@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Kathie Gasaway
Representative Lee Denney
Capitol Address: District Address:
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. 834 E. Sixth Street
Room 436 Cushing, OK 74023
Oklahoma City, OK 73105 P.O. Box 5589
(405) 557-7304 Enid, OK 73702
Committee Contact Information:
Senator David Myers - Chair of the Subcommittee (Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee)
Capitol Address District Address
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 414 2101 North 14th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Suite 132
405.521.5628 Ponca City, OK 74601
ingraham@oksenate.gov 580.767.9010
Executive Assistant: Betsy Ingraham
Senator Ron Justice - Vice Chair
Capitol Address District Address
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 423 2209 County Street 2880
Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Chickasha, OK 73018
(405) 521-5537
justice@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Yvonne Phelps
Senator Roger Ballenger
Capitol Address District Address
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 528A Use Capitol Address
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5588
ballenger@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Pat Padgett
Senator Johnnie Crutchfield
Capitol Address District Address
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 533B Use Capitol Address
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5607
(405) 530-2361 (fax)
bigger@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Marie Bigger
Senator Steve Russell
Capitol Address District Address
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 428B Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405.521.5618
purinton@oksenate.gov
Executive Assistant: Debbie Purinton Oklahoma City, OK
Quinten Dilbeck - Fiscal Analyst
dilbeck@oksenate.gov