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Senate committee hears bill to extend livestock inspection fees, reporting through 2030
Summary
Senate Bill 5485 would extend the sunset on livestock inspection fees, reporting requirements and advisory committee oversight to July 1, 2030; Department of Agriculture officials and industry groups told the committee the program supports disease traceability and would face a budget shortfall without the extension.
Senate Bill 5485, a measure to extend the state livestock identification program's fee sunset and reporting requirements through July 1, 2030, received a public hearing before the Washington State Senate Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee.
The bill would extend inspection fee authorities and require the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) to continue annual reports to the legislature and to the Livestock Identification Advisory Committee through 2030. Jeff Olson, committee staff, said the program “records brands, licenses, feed lots and public livestock markets” and conducts inspections “at time of sale and upon movement out of state.” Olson listed sample fees the program currently applies: unbranded and unidentified cattle $4 per head, branded and identified cattle $1.21 per head, and horses $3.85 per head; those fees are scheduled under current law to expire July 1, 2026.
The bill would also preserve the removal of a callout fee for inspections performed by certified veterinarians or field livestock inspectors through 2030. Jeff Olson summarized the fiscal picture: fees are expected to generate revenue in the 2027–2029 biennium and the fiscal note projects revenues in the 2027 biennium on the order of hundreds of thousands to roughly $1 million.
Senator Judy Warnick (13th Legislative District), the bill's sponsor, told the committee the program helps protect producers and track disease. “Everybody needs to know and wants to know that our animals, especially our commercial animals, are being kept safe and free from diseases,” Warnick said. Mark Struhle of the Washington Cattlemen's Association testified in full support and thanked the sponsor; he said the program has moved from a solvency concern in 2019 to a functioning program that also supports animal health and traceability.
Brennan Kimball, program manager for WSDA's Livestock Identification Program, described the agency's technical review: with the current fee structure the program “will remain financially solvent into 2029,” but “there are many unpredictable variables” and without the extension “the program will be in a deficit as of May 2027,” which could force reductions in services or staffing.
The committee closed the public hearing on SB 5485 after in‑room testimony; staff recorded sign-in counts for the bill as 112 people (111 pro, 1 con). The measure did not receive a committee vote during this hearing. Committee staff said they would take any questions and the committee will consider next steps at a later meeting.
The bill would not raise current per‑inspection fees but would extend the authority to collect them and continue reporting and advisory oversight through July 1, 2030.
