The Oklahoma State Commercial Pet Breeders Board is currently inviting written comments on proposed changes to the state's commercial breeder licensing regulations. The comment period will close Monday, January 17, 2012. The American Kennel Club encourages all interested parties to review the proposal and respectfully offer any concerns to the Board.
Click here for a copy of the proposed rules.
The proposed rules put forward many changes, including:
- Establishing that four members of the Oklahoma State Commercial Pet Breeders Board shall constitute a quorum at Board meetings, excluding the Executive Director. This change reduces the number of participants necessary for a quorum from five to four. This could reduce procedural protections for licensees. A better solution for breeders is to ensure that the current quorum requirement–a majority of the Board–remains in place.
- Clarifying that only Board staff investigators or an assigned Oklahoma licensed veterinarian under contract with the Board shall inspect each commercial breeder location prior to granting an initial license for that location, and annually thereafter. Additionally, the new rules prohibit the Board from hiring or allowing under its authority “any Humane Society or Member of any Humane Society to perform any inspection of any licensed or pre-licensed commercial pet breeder” in Oklahoma.
- Making the court of proper jurisdiction for appeals of a Board order the district court in Oklahoma City. Courts in licensee's counties may be less costly, more efficient and more familiar with the relevant issues than the Oklahoma City court. A more viable alternative is to permit local courts of competent jurisdiction to continue to hear Board appeals.
- Instituting new specific ranges of penalties available to the Board. The ranges for such fines vary widely based on the type and frequency of the infraction, and leaves the Board with great discretion to assign penalties as it sees fit. A fairer alternative will provide more detail to the public regarding how and under what instances (i.e., mitigated, aggravated, etc.) specific fines will be assessed.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
All concerned breeders and other business entities in Oklahoma are strongly encouraged to review the changes proposed by the Oklahoma State Commercial Pet Breeders Board, and to offer comments, especially regarding any fiscal impact you believe you will experience as a result of the changes, by Monday, January 17, 2012. Comments may be emailed to angel.soriano@osbcpb.ok.gov, or mailed to:
Oklahoma Board of Commercial Pet Breeders
1000 Northwest Grand Boulevard
Suite 140
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
All concerned parties are also invited to a public hearing scheduled for January 17, 2012, at 5PM, at the address listed above. Anyone wishing to speak during the public hearing must sign in at the door by 5PM. A time limit for comments may apply.
For more information, contact the Oklahoma State Commercial Pet Breeders Board at (405)286-3970; or contact AKC's Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org.
The Oklahoma State Commercial Pet Breeders Board is currently inviting written comments on proposed…