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HB 1040 Arkansas House · 2026 Fiscal Session

AN ACT FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT FOR SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION DISABILITY DETERMINATION APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

HB 1040, now Act 42, provides funding for the Arkansas State Department for Social Security Administration Disability Determination for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The bill authorizes the hiring of up to 594 regular employees and 20 temporary staff to process disability claims and manage department operations. It appropriates approximately $77.8 million to cover salaries, operating expenses, and other costs, with funds primarily sourced from federal allocations. Additionally, the law grants the department director authority to create up to 250 extra positions if needed to meet federal program requirements.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill appropriates $77.8M to fund disability determination services, directly strengthening state budget allocation for essential public programs.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill provides funding and staffing for disability determination, a critical component of healthcare access and social security benefits.85% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Apr 1, 2026 Signed Apr 22, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Act 42 → HB 1040 · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was converted from a session act (Act 42) to a formal House Bill (HB 1040) for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, introducing new funding and staffing provisions for the State Department for Social Security Administration Disability Determination. The most significant change is the addition of a new section authorizing up to 20 temporary or part-time 'Extra Help' employees and an appropriation of $450,000 to fund them. The total appropriated amount for operations increased to $77,845,835, which includes specific line items for regular salaries, the new extra help positions, personal services matching, overtime, and various operational expenses.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include specific budgetary allocations and staffing authority for the Disability Determination unit that were not present in the previous version.
FISCAL

Added a new Section 2 authorizing the hiring of up to 20 temporary or part-time employees known as 'Extra Help'.

Added a new Section 3 appropriating $450,000 specifically for the 'Extra Help' positions and increasing the total operational appropriation to $77,845,835.

REQUIREMENT

Added Section 4 regarding special language requirements, noting the bill should not be incorporated into the Arkansas Code.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document title from 'Act 42 of the Fiscal Session' to 'House Bill 1040' and updated the fiscal session year to 2026.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
9
Committee
2
Apr 22, 2026
Signed into law
Notification that HB1040 is now Act 42
lower
Apr 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned from the Senate as passed.
lower
Apr 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Returned to the House as Passed.
upper
Apr 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
upper
Apr 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read the third time and passed.
upper
Apr 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
EMERGENCY CLAUSE ADOPTED
lower
Apr 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.
lower
Apr 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
Considered in the Committee of the Whole, and recommended do pass.
lower
Apr 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned by the Committee Do Pass
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Introduced
Filed
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.