On Monday, March 29, an Oklahoma Senate committee is considering a bill protecting “agritourism activities” – including activities where animals are used for education, animal shows, and “activities that historically involved the utilization of working animals and other substantially similar activities.”
AKC enthusiastically supports House Bill 1620, which recognizes the importance of animal events and activities and their value to local communities.
As written, this bill would prohibit local governments from enacting any law or regulation that would ban “the rights of Oklahomans to engage in agritourism activities”, so long as the events are held with proper health and safety guidelines. This would likely protect AKC conformation and performance events, the National Agility Championship, and other educational activities held in Oklahoma.
What You Can Do:
Those who reside in Oklahoma – and especially those who use working dogs or participate in conformation or performance events in the state including the AKC National Agility Championship – are encouraged to contact the Senate Agriculture and Wildlife Committee in support of House Bill 1620. Let them know how the bill would make a positive impact on you, your dogs, and your club.
For more information on communicating the benefit of dog events, view AKC’s 2019 “Economic Impact of AKC Dog Events in Oklahoma” and our handout “It Pays to Support AKC Dog Shows”
Sen. Casey Murdock, Chair (Felt)
casey.murdock@oksenate.gov
Sen. Roland Pederson, Vice Chair (Burlington)
roland.pederson@oksenate.gov
Sen. Mary Boren (Norman)
mary.boren@oksenate.gov
Sen. David Bullard (Durant)
david.bullard@oksenate.gov
Sen. J.J. Dossett (Owasso)
jj.dossett@oksenate.gov
Sen. Tom Dugger (Stillwater)
tom.dugger@oksenate.gov
Sen. Chuck Hall (Perry)
chuck.hall@oksenate.gov
Sen. Brent Howard (Altus)
brent.howard@oksenate.gov
Sen. Chris Kidd (Waurika)
chris.kidd@oksenate.gov
Sen. James Leewright (Bristow)
james.leewright@oksenate.gov
Sen. Dewayne Pemberton (Muskogee)
dewayne.pemberton@oksenate.gov
Sen. Blake Stephens (Tahlequah)
blake.stephens@oksenate.gov
Sen. George Burns (Pollard)
George.burns@oksenate.gov
AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) will continue to monitor this legislation and all legislative issues impacting dog owners in Oklahoma. For more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.