To Amend The Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Initiative Act; To Abolish The Arkansas Commission For The Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Initiative; And To Declare An Emergency.
HB1310 restructures Arkansas’s Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Initiative by abolishing the Arkansas Commission for the Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Initiative and transferring its authority, duties, records, contracts, personnel, property, and remaining funds to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). The bill keeps the existing rules, orders, licensing standards, and other directives in place unless and until they are later changed or repealed under lawful authority.
The measure also updates the state’s cord blood statute so that UAMS, rather than the abolished commission, is responsible for establishing and maintaining the Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank, developing the voluntary education program for pregnant patients, overseeing operations, promoting donation, protecting donor privacy, and planning for research, medical treatment, and private storage uses. It repeals the statute that created the commission and removes the commission from the list of state entities transferred to the Department of Health. An emergency clause makes the act effective July 1, 2025, to align with UAMS appropriations and avoid disruption in services.
The bill changes Arkansas law by eliminating a standalone commission and consolidating administration of the newborn umbilical cord blood program within UAMS. It shifts statutory responsibilities for program oversight, public education, fee approval, research coordination, and reporting from the commission structure to a university-based medical director at UAMS, while preserving existing regulatory actions already taken under the prior framework. The act also removes obsolete statutory references and is intended to streamline government operations without interrupting the cord blood bank’s functions.
The recorded votes show strong bipartisan support and no opposition in either chamber, with the House passing the bill 96-0 and the Senate passing it 31-0 on third reading. The bill’s emergency clause and stated purpose suggest a consensus around administrative efficiency, cost savings, and continuity of a health-related public service. No committee transcript was provided, but the unanimous votes indicate broadly favorable sentiment.
There is little visible contention in the available record. The main policy choice is administrative: whether the cord blood initiative should remain under an independent commission or be managed by UAMS. The bill’s supporters appear to favor consolidation, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, while the text preserves existing standards and services to reduce disruption. No recorded opposition or substantive debate is included in the materials provided.