Arkansas House Bill HB1002

Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/13/25
• Refer: 1/13/25
• Report Pass: 1/14/25
• Engrossed: 1/15/25
• Enrolled: 1/16/25
• Chaptered: 1/16/25
• Passed: 1/16/25

Caption

The General Appropriation Act For The 2025-2026 Fiscal Year.

Summary

HB1002 is a fiscal appropriations measure for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, titled the General Appropriation Act for that year. It provides funding from the Constitutional Officers Fund for three main purposes: reimbursements for district judges’ travel expenses, payment for special or recalled judges serving circuit courts, and trial judges’ expenses. It also appropriates funds for interim expense reimbursements for members of the Arkansas House of Representatives and Arkansas Senate. The bill includes special language governing how the funds are to be administered. The Auditor of State is designated as the disbursing officer for judicial-related funds, while the Secretary of the Senate and the House Chief of Staff (or designee) are assigned disbursing responsibilities for legislative reimbursements. The bill also authorizes reimbursements for attendance at the biennial Institute of Legislative Procedure, and it sets a 60-day deadline for submitting district judge travel reimbursement requests. An emergency clause makes the act effective July 1, 2025.

Impact

HB1002 affects state budget law by appropriating a total of $830,000 for judicial disbursements, $368,000 for House interim expense reimbursements, and $200,000 for Senate interim expense reimbursements, all for fiscal year 2025-2026. It establishes or continues administrative procedures for paying judges and legislators, including reimbursement rules, disbursing officers, and timing requirements. Because it is an annual appropriations act, it does not create permanent substantive law, but it directly controls how certain constitutional officer and judicial expenses may be paid during the fiscal year.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad, routine support and moved through the legislature without recorded opposition in the available vote history. It passed third reading in the House 99-0 and the emergency clause was adopted 33-0, indicating unanimous support among voting members. The lack of committee transcript material suggests no notable public controversy in the available record.

Contention

No major points of contention are evident in the provided materials. The only potentially sensitive aspects are the appropriations for legislative interim expenses and judicial travel/recalled judge costs, along with the administrative authority given to legislative and executive officers to disburse those funds. However, the unanimous votes suggest these provisions were not disputed in the recorded proceedings.