Arkansas House Bill HB1001

Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/13/25
• Refer: 1/13/25
• Refer: 1/21/25
• Engrossed: 1/22/25
• Enrolled: 1/23/25
• Chaptered: 1/27/25
• Passed: 1/27/25
• Report Pass: 3/17/25

Caption

An Act For The Arkansas House Of Representatives Of The Ninety-fifth General Assembly Appropriation For The 2024-2025 Fiscal Year.

Summary

HB1001 is the Arkansas House of Representatives’ appropriation bill for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. It provides funding for House operations, including employee salaries, personal services matching, and maintenance, operations, and expenses, with a total appropriation of $2,275,160 from the Constitutional Officers Fund. The bill is framed as a necessary operating measure for the House during the 95th General Assembly and includes an emergency clause so it can take effect immediately upon passage and approval. The bill also contains special language governing how House funds may be managed and used. It authorizes transfers between appropriation items if the Speaker of the House and Chief of Staff determine funds are not needed for a specific purpose, and it allows unexpended balances to support House offices and other necessary interim expenses after adjournment. It further permits payment of member expenses and per diem during the interim if the Speaker determines a member’s presence or assistance is needed. The bill also sets a process for the Speaker and Chief of Staff to determine employee salary levels each June based on performance evaluations. In practical terms, HB1001 affects only internal legislative operations rather than the public at large. It appropriates state funds for House staff, member-related expenses, and administrative support, and it gives House leadership flexibility to reallocate funds and manage compensation within the chamber’s operations. The bill does not amend substantive policy statutes, but it does establish temporary fiscal authority and operational rules for the House for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The general sentiment around the bill appears strongly supportive and noncontroversial. The recorded votes show unanimous approval on third reading in the House (99-0) and unanimous adoption of the emergency clause in the Senate (33-0), indicating broad bipartisan agreement that the appropriation was routine and necessary. No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, and the vote history suggests little to no opposition. There is little visible contention in the available record. The only potentially notable issue is the degree of discretion given to the Speaker and Chief of Staff over transfers, interim expenses, member per diem, and employee salary levels, but the unanimous votes suggest these provisions were not disputed in the legislative process. Overall, the bill appears to have been treated as a standard appropriations measure for legislative operations.

Impact

HB1001 appropriates $2,275,160 for the Arkansas House of Representatives for fiscal year 2024-2025 and authorizes use of the Constitutional Officers Fund for salaries, matching costs, and operating expenses. It creates temporary, session-specific authority for House leadership to transfer funds among appropriation items, use leftover balances for interim House operations, and pay certain member expenses and per diem when authorized. The bill does not change permanent Arkansas statutory law, but it does govern internal House spending and administrative practices for the fiscal year covered.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been viewed as routine and necessary, with no recorded opposition in either chamber. It passed third reading in the House 99-0 and the emergency clause in the Senate 33-0, reflecting broad consensus that the House needed immediate operating funds. The absence of committee testimony or recorded debate further suggests a low-conflict, administrative appropriation measure.

Contention

No major contention is evident in the available materials. The only provisions that could draw scrutiny are the broad transfer authority granted to the Speaker and Chief of Staff, the ability to use unexpended balances for interim House expenses, and the discretion to pay member per diem and expenses outside the regular session. However, the unanimous votes indicate these powers were not a source of meaningful opposition during consideration of the bill.