HB 4055 Oklahoma House · 2026 Regular Session

Animals; Breeding Animals Responsibly and with Care Act; Commercial Pet Breeders and Animal Shelter Licensing Act; fees; fund; grant; requirements; rules; definition; fines; violation; forfeiture; exceptions; effective date.

HB 4055, the "Breeding Animals Responsibly and with Care (BARC) Act," establishes licensing fees for commercial pet breeders and animal shelters in Oklahoma. It requires breeders to pay fees based on the number of unspayed female animals they maintain (ranging from $225 to $750 annually) and sets separate fees for shelters ($200) and nonprofit rescues ($100). All fees fund a dedicated revolving account managed by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, which first covers program administration (inspections, staff) and then may support public education, spay/neuter programs, and discretionary grants to eligible nonprofits for animal care services. The bill does not guarantee grant funding but outlines specific uses for funds, including veterinary care and foster support.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Last action Feb 3, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was substantially rewritten by the Policy Committee. The original version established specific license fees for pet breeders and shelters, while the substitute version removes all specific fee amounts and instead requires the Department to promulgate rules to set fees. The committee also added language about unannounced inspections and clarified that grants are discretionary, not entitlements.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from establishing fixed fees to requiring the Department to create rules for fees. Enforcement provisions were strengthened with explicit mention of unannounced inspections.

FISCAL

Removed all specific license fee amounts (ranging from $50-$750) and replaced with language requiring the Department to promulgate rules to set fees.

REQUIREMENT

Added explicit requirement for unannounced annual inspections and clarified that grants are discretionary and not entitlements.

ENFORCEMENT

Strengthened enforcement language by adding unannounced inspections to the list of administrative functions the fund can support.

TECHNICAL

Changed bill title from 'Introduced' to 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1' and updated page numbers and formatting to reflect committee amendments.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 3, 2026

Committee

Referred to Agriculture

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Introduced

First Reading

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors