Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB281 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly A Bill 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 281 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Senator Gilmore 5
8	8	By: Representative Beaty Jr. 6
9	9	7
10	10	For An Act To Be Entitled 8
11	11	AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING AGRICULTURE; TO 9
12	12	ESTABLISH THE PRODUCER BILL OF RIGHTS FOR COMMODITY 10
13	13	CHECKOFF PROGRAMS ACT; TO REQUIRE CERTAIN ACTIONS 11
14	14	RELATED TO COMMODITY CHECKOFF PROGRAMS; AND FOR OTHER 12
15	15	PURPOSES. 13
16	16	14
17	17	15
18	18	Subtitle 16
19	19	TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING AGRICULTURE; 17
20	20	TO ESTABLISH THE PRODUCER BILL OF RIGHTS 18
21	21	FOR COMMODITY CHECKOFF PROGRAMS ACT; AND 19
22	22	TO REQUIRE CERTAIN ACTIONS RELATED TO 20
23	23	COMMODITY CHECKOFF PROGRAMS. 21
24	24	22
25	25	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 23
26	26	24
27	27	SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 2, Chapter 1, is amended to add an 25
28	28	additional subchapter to read as follows: 26
29	29	Subchapter 4 — Producer Bill of Rights for Commodity Checkoff Programs Act 27
30	30	28
31	31	2-1-401. Title. 29
32	32	This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Producer Bill 30
33	33	of Rights for Commodity Checkoff Programs Act". 31
34	34	32
35	35	2-1-402. Intent. 33
36	36	The General Assembly intends for this subchapter to improve the 34
37	37	commodity checkoff programs by: 35
38	38	(1) Ensuring producer control of funds; 36 SB281
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41	41	(2) Enhancing transparency; 1
42	42	(3) Increasing producer engagement; 2
43	43	(4) Improving record keeping and access to records; 3
44	44	(5) Identifying new efficiencies through cooperation amongst the 4
45	45	commodity checkoff programs; and 5
46	46	(6) Seeking to better account for investment returns to 6
47	47	producers. 7
48	48	8
49	49	2-1-403. Applicability — Use of funds — Cooperation. 9
50	50	(a) This subchapter shall apply to the following commodity checkoff 10
51	51	programs: 11
52	52	(1) Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, created under § 2 -20-404; 12
53	53	(2) Arkansas Wheat Promotion Board, created under § 2 -20-604; 13
54	54	(3) Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board, created under § 14
55	55	2-20-505; 15
56	56	(4) Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Promotion Board, created 16
57	57	under § 2-20-804; 17
58	58	(5) Arkansas Catfish Promotion Board, created under § 2 -9-103; 18
59	59	(6) Arkansas Beef Council, created under § 2 -35-303. 19
60	60	(b)(1) Funds collected by a commodity checkoff program listed in 20
61	61	subsection (a) of this section shall be used only for purposes approved by 21
62	62	the commodity checkoff program and as provided by law. 22
63	63	(2) The funds shall not be used for general support of the 23
64	64	Department of Agriculture unless specifically authorized by the commodity 24
65	65	checkoff program. 25
66	66	(c) The commodity checkoff programs under subsection (a) of this 26
67	67	section shall consider opportunities to cooperate with each other to: 27
68	68	(1) Achieve efficiencies; 28
69	69	(2) Reduce duplicative efforts; and 29
70	70	(3) Strengthen efforts on common interests. 30
71	71	31
72	72	2-1-404. Producer engagement. 32
73	73	(a)(1) A commodity checkoff program listed in § 2 -1-403(a) shall 33
74	74	publish on its website or on a related Department of Agriculture website a 34
75	75	notice of commodity checkoff program meetings. 35
76	76	(2) The commodity checkoff program shall: 36 SB281
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79	79	(A) Provide open access to the commodity checkoff program 1
80	80	meeting; 2
81	81	(B) Permit in-person or virtual attendance, as applicable; 3
82	82	(C) Encourage producer engagement at the meeting; and 4
83	83	(D) Publish on its website or on a related department 5
84	84	website a document that summarizes each commodity checkoff program meeting, 6
85	85	including without limitation any action taken by the commodity checkoff 7
86	86	program, documents presented at the meeting, and producer comments received 8
87	87	at the meeting. 9
88	88	(b)(1) A commodity checkoff program shall provide a producer portal on 10
89	89	the commodity checkoff program's website or a related department website that 11
90	90	allows the producer to provide public comment to the commodity checkoff 12
91	91	program. 13
92	92	(2) The department shall publish on its website a link to each 14
93	93	commodity checkoff program's website for ease of producer access. 15
94	94	(c) At least annually, a commodity checkoff program shall solicit 16
95	95	comment from producers engaged in the production of the relevant commodity to 17
96	96	seek input for research and promotion activities. 18
97	97	19
98	98	2-1-405. Records — Reporting. 20
99	99	(a) A commodity checkoff program required to comply with this 21
100	100	subchapter shall make available and publish on the website of the commodity 22
101	101	checkoff program or a related Department of Agriculture website a copy of all 23
102	102	records maintained by the commodity checkoff program, including without 24
103	103	limitation the following: 25
104	104	(1) Meeting minutes; 26
105	105	(2) Financial reports; 27
106	106	(3) Nonconfidential and nonproprietary research reports; 28
107	107	(4) Promotion reports; 29
108	108	(5) Records related to use of funds; 30
109	109	(6) Nonconfidential and nonproprietary documents and 31
110	110	presentations provided during a meeting; and 32
111	111	(7) Meeting agendas, attachments, and, if available, recordings. 33
112	112	(b)(1)(A) A recipient of grant funds of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) 34
113	113	or more from a commodity checkoff program subject to this subchapter shall 35
114	114	provide an annual summary to the commodity checkoff program of the work done 36 SB281
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117	117	and value provided using the grant funds for each year of the life of the 1
118	118	grant. 2
119	119	(B) The summary provided under subdivision (b)(1)(A) of 3
120	120	this section shall include without limitation: 4
121	121	(i) Nonconfidential and nonproprietary detailed 5
122	122	information on the purpose of the project funded with grant funds from the 6
123	123	commodity checkoff program; 7
124	124	(ii) Project outcomes and findings; and 8
125	125	(iii) An estimated return on investment value or 9
126	126	value proposition. 10
127	127	(2) A commodity checkoff program shall maintain a log of all 11
128	128	research and research reports provided by a recipient on the commodity 12
129	129	checkoff program's website or a related department website. 13
130	130	(c) A report provided by a commodity checkoff program to the General 14
131	131	Assembly shall also be published on the commodity checkoff program's website 15
132	132	or a related department website. 16
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