Oklahoma’s Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has requested multiple pieces of legislation for the upcoming legislative session, said Legislative Liaison Blayne Arthur at a board meeting on Tuesday.
Arthur said General Counsel Teena Gunter has been working on putting together the correct language for these bills to submit them by the Jan 22 deadline, though they have already officially requested legislation.
One of the first pieces of legislation Arthur discussed at the meeting is a model act for animals in disaster, mirroring legislation that other states already have in place.
Arthur said development of the legislation began after the 2013 tornadoes in the Moore area after many of the animals rescued were not claimed. The agency collected and prepared the animals to be adopted, but the bill would determine exactly who has the authority and when the appropriate time would be to adopt out animals that are not claimed after a natural disaster occurs. The plan will be developed to better respond and recover from natural disasters for animals.
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