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Senate panel removes mandatory Coggins verifier requirement for event organizers
Summary
Senate Bill 405 changes a statutory mandate that event organizers hire certified Coggins verifiers; sponsors said the change relieves small producers of a costly, 24/7 gate-verifier obligation while state and federal officials noted USDA verification requirements remain in some circumstances.
Senator Stofield introduced SB405 and said the bill does not remove the statutory requirement that horses have a current Coggins test; instead, it removes the requirement that event organizers must hire a certified verifier at the gate. Lynn Flynn, an event producer and competitor, told the committee the existing rule can require a verifier ‘‘24 hours a day’’ during multi-day events and imposes wage, overtime and workers-compensation concerns for volunteers and small producers.
Flynn described the operational burden: "I've got to pay someone to be on that gate...I need someone to give them rest and meal breaks...I've got to pay them overtime." Several senators questioned whether removing the mandate would increase disease risk; a representative from the Arkansas Agriculture Department and the Livestock & Poultry Commission told the committee a USDA 02/2007 "uniform methods and rules" document requires event officials to review official negative test papers for equine infectious anemia (EIA) and that the state's prior permanent verifier requirement contributed to a substantial drop in EIA cases in Arkansas.
Sponsor testimony and several members emphasized the bill replaces a costly producer mandate with continued owner responsibility to maintain Coggins paperwork. Senator Pitch recused himself from discussion and voting because of his role with a rodeo and fair board. The committee approved SB405 on a voice vote.
