CHEYENNE - After snubbing previous attempts to overhaul state brand inspection laws, the Wyoming Legislature this year enacted sweeping changes that industry representatives say should sustain the program for years.

"I think it really sets the stage for us to move forward with a fully accountable program that meets the needs of the citizens of the state," said Jim Magagna of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association.

The brand inspection program - which oversees the flow of cattle, sheep, horses, donkeys and mules across county and state lines, as well as ownership changes - has fallen on hard times in recent years.

Lawmakers this year approved bills with remedies that include an infusion of state funding and increased fees. A separate bill reorganizes the state Livestock Board administration.

The legislation was the result of months of work by a task force composed of lawmakers and state and industry officials. The Legislature ignored the work of two similar task forces in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Legislature did not consider a proposal to make brand inspections optional for horses. Horse owners opposed the idea because they insist that inspections guard Wyoming's 100,000 horses against theft and disease and prevent dumping of unwanted horses.

* House Bill 76 provides $1.3 million a year to the Wyoming Livestock Board to pay for services that benefit the public, such as law enforcement, animal disease monitoring and identifying animals that escape onto public roads and highways.

The $1.3 million figure is based on Livestock Board estimates that brand inspectors spend around 35 percent of their time tending to public matters. The bill requires inspectors to keep records of their hours to assure that the estimate is correct.

"I think we've given that board the funding they need to get back on their feet," said Ken Hamilton, spokesman for the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation.

The bill also includes the first pay increases for brand inspectors in six years. The state's 53 full-time brand inspectors each will see an additional $400 a month, boosting their a monthly salaries to about $2,000. The seven inspection supervisors will receive an additional $450 each, or about $2,200 in monthly pay.

"They still probably could qualify for food stamps, but it's a step in the right direction, and I really appreciate it because those guys work really hard," said Jim Schwartz, director of the Wyoming Livestock Board, which oversees the brand inspection program.

* House Bill 125 increases fees for many brand inspection services and gives the Livestock Board - composed of seven livestock producers appointed by the governor - the authority to raise fees by up to 20 percent. Until now, the Legislature has regulated the fees in statute.

Schwartz said he expects the board to impose the full 20 percent increase, which brings fees in line with a temporary fee increase that expires on July 1. The increases will generate roughly $1 million a year from the livestock industry, according to estimates included with the bill.

"The real reason behind (the increase) is we want to show that the industry is committed to the brand program and is paying their fair share," Schwartz said.

Shawn Booth, a farmer and rancher in Goshen County, said he doesn't mind paying a little more if it means inspectors will be available when he needs them.

"They're sure an important part of our business," Booth said.

"The increased fees to allow the brand inspectors to be paid more is I think very appropriate," added Judy Horton, a director for the American Quarter Horse Association in Wyoming. "When you look at the wages that everybody makes in all the other industries, they were just not up to snuff."

The bill also expands the brand inspection program to goats, llamas and alpacas, which do not require brands now. That will mean more work for band inspectors but also provides safeguards against animal theft and ownership disputes. Brand inspection documents are akin to automobile titles in the livestock industry.

"If you've got an alpaca that's worth $20,000, you want to protect your ownership," Schwartz said.

Schwartz said livestock owners will help craft the rules, but he predicted that GPS tracking devises, not traditional brands, could be used to monitor those animals.

The bill also modernizes existing brand inspection laws that were crafted when locomotives were the primary mode of transportation for livestock, Schwartz said.

* Senate File 27 changes the administrative structure overseeing animal health issues and brand inspection in the state.

The director of the state Livestock Board will no longer report to the state veterinarian, who is responsible for animal health issues. Instead, both administrators will report directly to the Livestock Board.

Magagna said the change will allow the state veterinarian to focus on health issues rather than on administration.

Hamilton worries that the move could set up the Livestock Board director and the state veterinarian for conflict. Boards typically don't do a good job of refereeing co-administrators when problems arise, he said.

"That's going to take some close attention to make sure that doesn't happen," Hamilton said.

Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at jared.miller@casperstartribune.net.