SB 115 allocates funding for salaries and operations at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It specifies maximum salary rates for approximately 60 staff positions across administrative, IT, and support roles, including roles like IT specialists, financial staff, and public safety personnel. This bill directly affects the college's workforce by setting budget parameters for personnel costs. As a routine budget appropriation, it does not alter educational programs or policies.
SB 29 allocates $1,808,897 in state funds for the Arkansas Minority Health Commission’s 2025-2026 fiscal year to support its Minority Health Initiative. The funding covers six designated staff positions (including nurses, accountants, and health program specialists) and operational costs like outreach programs, personnel, and administrative expenses. It directly affects the Commission’s ability to deliver health services and support to underserved minority communities in Arkansas. The bill specifies exact budget lines but does not create new policy, instead providing targeted financial resources for existing health initiatives.
This bill appropriates $218 million for the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System's (ATRS) operations and $1.7 billion for payments to retirees during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It authorizes 87 full-time staff positions (including roles like Director, IT specialists, and retirement counselors) and up to 20 temporary workers, along with specific funding for salaries, benefits, travel, and administrative costs. The bill directly affects ATRS employees and current retirees by funding existing operations and benefit payments, but does not change retirement eligibility, benefit formulas, or contribution rates. It is a routine funding measure, not a policy change, as confirmed by its procedural title and focus on budget allocation.
SB 129 appropriates state funds for the University of Arkansas at Monticello's (UA Monticello) salaries and operations during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The bill specifies maximum salary rates and the number of positions funded for key university staff, including the chancellor, deans, IT personnel, and administrative roles. This funding directly supports UA Monticello's budget for personnel costs and day-to-day operations. As a procedural appropriation bill, it does not create new policies or affect broader public programs. The bill was enacted as Act 72 on February 17, 2025.
HB 1088 appropriates $77.9 million for Arkansas' Department of Finance and Administration - Child Support Enforcement for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It funds 775 full-time staff positions (including 279 "Child Support Specialists") and up to 15 temporary "Extra Help" workers, covering salaries, operations, and equipment. The bill directly affects the state agency's existing child support enforcement operations by providing funding for personnel and administrative costs. It does not change child support eligibility, payment rules, or public-facing services.
HB 1394 redirects unused funds from previous appropriations to the Arkansas Division of Heritage within the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. It allocates $750,000 for special maintenance and $14.3 million for preserving state-owned historic sites, lands, and structures. The bill does not create new funding but reallocates existing unspent money to support heritage preservation and maintenance activities. This affects the Division of Heritage directly, ensuring continued work on historic properties without new legislative appropriations.
HB 1120 appropriates $142.7 million for the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System's (APERS) operations and $725 million for beneficiary payments during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It funds salaries for 78 full-time staff, temporary workers, operational expenses, and benefit payments to retirees. The bill directly affects APERS employees who manage retirement benefits and over 100,000 Arkansas public employees who receive retirement payments. This is a budget allocation bill with no policy changes, solely providing funding for existing retirement system operations and payments.
HB 1392 reallocates unused funds from previous appropriations to specific facility upgrades for Arkansas' Division of Community Correction. It directs $671,398 for general facility improvements and specific amounts for projects like elevator replacements ($1.3M), roof repairs ($3.5M), parking lot repairs ($350K), HVAC upgrades ($110K), and surveillance systems ($125K) at multiple community correction facilities. The bill ensures these funds - originally allocated in Act 83 of 2024 - are used strictly for the listed facility projects, with no diversion to other agency operations. This is a procedural budget adjustment, not a new policy, affecting only the Department of Corrections' community correction facilities.
HB 1093 provides $480,500 in state funding for the Arkansas Department of Health's Health Services Permit Agency for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It authorizes four specific staff positions with defined salary grades and covers personal services, operating expenses, and related costs. Unspent funds from this appropriation may be carried forward to the next fiscal year, but only with prior written justification and reporting to the legislative budget committee. This bill directly affects the agency's operational capacity and staffing for health permit services, with no policy changes beyond funding allocation.
HB 1259 allocates $2.38 million from the Tobacco Settlement Program Fund to the University of Arkansas Biosciences Institute and $2.42 million to the Division of Agriculture Biosciences Institute for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The funding covers salaries, operating expenses, and capital projects for these specific research programs at the two university entities. It does not create new policies but provides budgetary support for existing biosciences initiatives. The bill includes restrictions on transferring funds between budget categories without approval from the Division of Higher Education, Chief Fiscal Officer, and the Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee.
HB 1267 is a funding bill that allocates state money for staff salaries at four University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) centers for fiscal year 2025-2026. It directly funds 113 positions across the UAMS-Reynolds Center on Aging, Boozman College of Public Health, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, and Helena Area Health Education Center, including administrative roles, faculty, researchers, and support staff. The bill specifies maximum salary rates for each position but does not create new programs or policy changes. It was enacted as Act 90 on February 13, 2025.
HB 1262 appropriates $5,643,838 from the Tobacco Settlement Program Fund to support the Arkansas State University - Arkansas Biosciences Institute for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The funding covers salaries and operating expenses for 43 specific positions, including research faculty, program administrators, and support staff, with detailed annual salary caps listed in the bill. This bill directly affects the institute's budget and operations by allocating tobacco settlement funds for personnel costs, not state general funds. The appropriation is restricted to tobacco settlement funds, with explicit language stating state funds cannot replace these if tobacco funds expire.
