1. 1. Any person who:

   1. (a) Operates a public livestock auction without a license required by this chapter;
   2. (b) Conducts an annual sale of livestock without a limited license issued pursuant to NRS 573.025; or

   3. (c) Violates any of the provisions of this chapter or of any rules or regulations adopted pursuant thereto,

      is guilty of a misdemeanor and, in addition to any criminal penalty, shall pay to the Department an administrative fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $5,000 per violation. If an administrative fine is imposed pursuant to this section, the costs of the proceeding, including investigative costs and attorney’s fees, may be recovered by the Department.

2. 2. Each day’s operation in which livestock is sold or exchanged at any unlicensed public livestock auction or annual sale of livestock constitutes a separate offense.

3. 3. Any money collected from the imposition of an administrative fine pursuant to subsection 1 must be accounted for separately and:

   1. (a) Fifty percent of the money must be used to fund a program selected by the Director that provides loans to persons who are engaged in agriculture and who are 21 years of age or younger; and
   2. (b) The remaining 50 percent of the money must be deposited in the Account for the Control of Weeds established by NRS 555.035.

[10:78:1947; 1943 NCL § 3825.11]—(NRS A 1961, 555; 1965, 387; 1993, 900; 1995, 548; 1999, 3698; 2015, 3613; 2019, 2613)