An Act For The Department Of Corrections - Division Of Community Correction Appropriation For The 2025-2026 Fiscal Year.
Summary
HB1103 is the annual appropriation act for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, Division of Community Correction, for fiscal year 2025-2026. It establishes the maximum number of regular employees and temporary “extra help” positions the division may use, and it authorizes spending for salaries, benefits, overtime, operating expenses, travel, professional fees, and reentry-related services. The bill also sets separate appropriations for state operations, special revenue operations, residents services funded by cash, and federal asset forfeiture funds.
In addition to the core appropriations, the bill includes special language allowing the division, with required fiscal and legislative approval, to transfer funds among authorized line items within the state operations and special revenue budgets. It also authorizes the purchase of motor vehicles from capital outlay appropriations. The act is time-limited to the 2025-2026 fiscal year and contains an emergency clause making it effective July 1, 2025 so the agency can continue operating without interruption.
Impact
The bill does not create new criminal justice policy or change substantive correctional law; instead, it provides the legal authority and spending limits for the Division of Community Correction to operate during fiscal year 2025-2026. It appropriates a total of more than $123 million for state operations, plus additional amounts from special revenue, cash, and federal asset forfeiture sources, and it fixes the agency’s staffing cap at 1,538 employees. The special language also affects budget administration by permitting limited transfers between line items and by allowing vehicle purchases from capital outlay funds, subject to oversight requirements.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong bipartisan support, with the bill passing the House 96-0 and the Senate 34-0 on third reading. No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, and the unanimous votes suggest the appropriation was broadly viewed as routine and necessary to fund the agency’s ongoing operations. The emergency clause further indicates legislative agreement that the funding needed to take effect at the start of the fiscal year.
Contention
No notable opposition is reflected in the provided record. The only potentially sensitive provisions are the transfer authority and vehicle-purchase authorization, which give the agency some flexibility in managing appropriated funds, but those powers are conditioned on approval by the Chief Fiscal Officer and legislative review. Because there were no recorded dissenting votes or committee objections, there is no evidence of substantive contention in the available materials.