An Act For The Commissioner Of State Lands Appropriation For The 2025-2026 Fiscal Year.
Summary
HB1114 is the annual appropriation act for the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. It authorizes funding for the agency’s regular operations, temporary staff, and several specific budget categories, including delinquent tax administration, capital outlay and operating expenses, and submerged lands projects. The bill also sets maximum numbers of employees and salary caps for a range of positions within the office.
The measure provides $4,396,807 for the agency’s core operations from the State Central Services Fund, $32,300,000 for delinquent tax-related expenses and distributions from cash funds, $267,800 for capital outlay/operating expenses, and $250,000 for submerged lands work. It includes standard fiscal controls requiring compliance with state procurement, accounting, salary, and budget laws, and it contains an emergency clause making the act effective July 1, 2025 so the agency can continue operating without interruption.
Impact
HB1114 does not change substantive property-tax or land-sale law; instead, it appropriates funds and sets staffing authority for the Office of the Commissioner of State Lands for fiscal year 2025-2026. Its practical effect is to fund the agency’s administration of tax-delinquent land sales, redemptions, refunds, and related reimbursements under existing Arkansas Code provisions, while also supporting submerged lands activities and general agency operations. The bill temporarily governs the agency’s spending authority, employee limits, and salary structure for the fiscal year covered by the appropriation.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been noncontroversial and broadly supported. It passed the House 97-0 and the Senate 29-0 on third reading, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. The absence of committee transcript discussion also suggests there was little public or legislative dispute over the appropriation.
Contention
No notable contention is reflected in the available record. Because this is a routine budget bill, any discussion would likely have centered on funding levels, staffing authority, and the size of the delinquent-tax remittal and refund accounts, but no objections or competing positions are documented. The unanimous votes suggest that legislators from both parties accepted the agency’s requested operating budget and related appropriations without disagreement.