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28	28	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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30	30	2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
31	31
32	32	SENATE BILL 1325 By: Young
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38	38	AS INTRODUCED
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40	40	An Act relating to sow farms; creating the Oklahoma
41	41	Rural Investment for Sow Farms Act of 2024; providing
42	42	short title; establishing the Oklahoma Rural
43	43	Investment for Sow Farms Program and authority to
44	44	administer such Program; stating purpose ; authorizing
45	45	certain expenditures; requiring promulgation of
46	46	certain rules; creating the Oklahoma Rural Inv estment
47	47	for Sow Farms Revolving Fund; providing for
48	48	expenditures; establishing certain application
49	49	criteria; providing certain exemption to Oklahoma
50	50	Open Records Act; establishing review committee;
51	51	making an appropriation; providing for codification;
52	52	providing an effective date ; and declaring an
53	53	emergency.
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58	58	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
59	59	SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
60	60	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Sect ion 5087.1 of Title 74, unless there
61	61	is created a duplication in nu mbering, reads as follows:
62	62	This act shall be known and may be c ited as the “Oklahoma Rural
63	63	Investment for Sow Farms Act of 202 4”.
64	64	SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
65	65	in the Oklahoma Statutes as S ection 5087.2 of Title 74, unless there
66	66	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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93	93	A. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is hereby authorized to
94	94	establish and administer the Oklahoma Rural In vestment for Sow Farms
95	95	Program.
96	96	B. The purpose of the Oklahoma Rur al Investment for Sow Farms
97	97	Program is to create investment and jobs in the p ig industry that
98	98	align with traditional farming animal care values and to offset the
99	99	costs of compliance with st ate and federal regulation s of
100	100	agriculture facilities that currently us e extreme confinement
101	101	gestation stalls or crates for pregnant sows, through the allocation
102	102	of funds to farms, cooperatives, b usiness entities, and other
103	103	agricultural entities to:
104	104	1. Update breeding sow facilities currently using individual
105	105	gestation crates (typically measuring six and six-tenths [6.6] feet
106	106	by two [2] feet per sow) into group housing pens, o f a minimum
107	107	thirty-seven and six-tenths (37.6) square feet of usable floor space
108	108	per sow, for pregnant sows;
109	109	2. Fund complete removal of gestation crat es;
110	110	3. Fund renovation of existing space and construction of group
111	111	housing pens of a minimum thirty-seven and six-tenths (37.6) square
112	112	feet of usable space per pregnant sow, and related structures,
113	113	meeting Humane Farm Animal Care size minimum space st andards; and
114	114	4. Fund training of workers on methods of Humane Farm Animal
115	115	Care standards for group housing techniques for pregnant sows.
116	116	C. The Program shall consist of the following requirements:
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143	143	1. Removal of gestation crates;
144	144	2. Installation of group housing pens and related technology;
145	145	3. Training of management teams on huma ne methods, technology,
146	146	and humane husbandry skills;
147	147	4. Pledge from grant recipient that all uses of individual
148	148	gestation crates shall be phased out permanently and in perpetuity
149	149	within three (3) years of accepting funds. Evidence of gestation
150	150	crate use at any point in the future shall require all grant funds
151	151	to be returned to this state. The pledge applies to all breeding
152	152	sow entities, corporations, cooperatives, and farms associ ated with
153	153	an individual applicant;
154	154	5. Additional rebates and incentives for participating farms
155	155	that make the complete conversions within on e (1) year of grant
156	156	application approval, to be established by the Department i n its
157	157	regulations governing the Program, based on a per-sow scheme; and
158	158	6. Credits per sow for sow farms of four sows or more with pre-
159	159	existing group, pasture -raised, hoop barns, or Certified Humane
160	160	housing, prior to November 1, 202 4.
161	161	D. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce shall promulgate rules
162	162	governing the Oklahoma Rural Investment for Sow Farms Program.
163	163	SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
164	164	in the Oklahoma Statutes a s Section 5087.3 of Title 74, unless there
165	165	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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192	192	A. There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolvin g
193	193	fund for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to be designate d the
194	194	“Oklahoma Rural Investment for Sow Farms Revolving Fund”. The fund
195	195	shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations,
196	196	and shall consist of all monies received by the Oklahoma Department
197	197	of Commerce for the purpose of implementing and maintaining the
198	198	Oklahoma Rural Investment for Sow Far ms Program. All monies
199	199	accruing to the credit of the fu nd are hereby appropriated and may
200	200	be budgeted and expended by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce for
201	201	the purpose provided for in this section . Expenditures from the
202	202	fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the Sta te Treasurer
203	203	against claims filed as prescribed by law with the Director of the
204	204	Office of Management and Enterprise Services for approval and
205	205	payment.
206	206	B. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, income and
207	207	interest earnings on the fund shall accrue to the fund.
208	208	SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codifie d
209	209	in the Oklahoma Statutes as S ection 5087.4 of Title 74, unless there
210	210	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
211	211	A. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce shall require eligible
212	212	applicants to submit information, forms, and reports as are
213	213	necessary to properly and efficiently a dminister the Oklahoma Rural
214	214	Investment for Sow Farms Program.
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241	241	B. Persons may apply to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce for
242	242	grant funds in accordanc e with rules promulgated by the Department.
243	243	Applications for grant fu nds shall be approved or denied by the
244	244	Department in accordance with criteria promulgated by the Department
245	245	pursuant to the Okla homa Rural Investment for Sow Farms Program and
246	246	hewing to the standards set fort h by Humane Farm Animal Care.
247	247	C. Grant funds may be made available to eligible applicants
248	248	pursuant to evaluation by the Depart ment based on the following
249	249	criteria:
250	250	1. Preference may be given to the applicants whose:
251	251	a. swine operations are licensed or registered with this
252	252	state,
253	253	b. employee or contractor qualifications include care er-
254	254	tech certification, or higher education degre es,
255	255	including associate degre es, or
256	256	c. commitment to humane treatment of farm animals, with
257	257	respect to their lives and habits, ha s been
258	258	demonstrated; or, desire to commit to humane
259	259	facilities for pregnant sows has been well documented
260	260	and expressed; and
261	261	2. Consideration shall not be given to applica tions for:
262	262	a. the construction of individual gestation crates,
263	263	farrowing crates, or any farm facilities unrelated to
264	264	the humane housing of breeding sow s,
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291	291	b. farms outside of this state,
292	292	c. individual or group pens smaller than thirty-seven and
293	293	six-tenths (37.6) square feet of usable floor space
294	294	per sow,
295	295	d. facilities, companies, farms, and cooperatives that
296	296	will or plan to co-produce or co-locate pregnant sows
297	297	in confinement gestation stalls in o ther or associated
298	298	barns in this state,
299	299	e. facilities, companies, farms, and cooperatives that do
300	300	not pledge to phase out co mpletely and in perpetuity
301	301	within three (3) years of grant application date , or
302	302	f. entities, facilities, corporations, or fa rms less than
303	303	three (3) years old as of November 1, 202 4.
304	304	D. 1. Any information submitted to or compiled by the Oklahoma
305	305	Department of Commerce wi th respect to the financial statements,
306	306	trade secrets, or any other proprietary information of persons,
307	307	firms, associations, partnerships , agencies, corporations,
308	308	institutions of higher education, nonprofit research institutions ,
309	309	or other entities pursuant to the Oklahoma Rural Investment for Sow
310	310	Farms Program shall not be disc losed pursuant to the Oklahoma Open
311	311	Records Act or in public hea rings and shall be kept con fidential,
312	312	except to the extent that the person or entity which provided such
313	313	information or which is the subject of such information consents to
314	314	disclosure.
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341	341	2. An independent committee of reviewers, no fewer than three
342	342	and no more than seven, comprised entirely and equally of qualified
343	343	veterinarians, farmers, and experie nced animal well-being experts,
344	344	appointed by the Governor, shall be designated to analyze and
345	345	recommend projects for approval by the Oklahoma Department of
346	346	Commerce. This review committee shall not be exem pt from the
347	347	Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
348	348	SECTION 5. There is hereby appropriated to the Oklahoma
349	349	Department of Commerce from any monies not otherwise appropriated
350	350	from the General Revenue Fund of the State Treasury for the fiscal
351	351	year ending June 30, 2025, the sum of Forty-seven Million Dollars
352	352	($47,000,000.00) to transfer to the Oklahoma Rural Investment for
353	353	Sow Farms Revolving Fund created pursu ant to Section 3 of this act.
354	354	SECTION 6. This act shall become effective July 1, 2024.
355	355	SECTION 7. It being immediately necessary for the preser vation
356	356	of the public peace, hea lth or safety, an emergency is hereby
357	357	declared to exist, by reason whereof thi s act shall take effect and
358	358	be in full force from and after its passage and appro val.
359	359
360	360	59-2-2954 CN 12/14/2023 11:47:33 AM

Oklahoma 2024 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1325 Compare Versions