To Amend Initiated Act 1 Of 2000, Also Known As The Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act; And To Direct The Arkansas Minority Health Commission To Establish And Administer A Grant Program For School-based Health Centers.
Summary
HB1402 amends the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act, specifically the Targeted State Needs Program Account, to carve out funding for a grant program for school-based health centers administered by the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. The bill allocates 23% of the relevant account to the Minority Health Initiative and the new school-based health center grant program, and specifies that $500,000 annually from that share must go to the school-based health center program.
The bill also directs the Arkansas Minority Health Commission to establish and administer the grant program exclusively for school-based health centers in minority-majority school districts. It requires the commission’s program to mirror the existing Arkansas School-Based Health Center Grant Program, or any successor program, and to adopt similar rules. The bill defines a minority-majority school district as one in which racial or ethnic minority students make up the majority of the district’s population. It includes rulemaking deadlines, with initial rules to be filed by January 1, 2026, or as soon as practicable after legislative approval if that approval is delayed.
Impact
HB1402 would change Arkansas law governing the use of tobacco settlement proceeds by redirecting a portion of funds toward school-based health centers in minority-majority districts. It would also expand the Arkansas Minority Health Commission’s statutory responsibilities by giving it authority to create, administer, and regulate a new grant program, while tying that program to the structure of the existing school-based health center grant framework used by education and health agencies.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or vote record is available in the provided materials, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill’s structure, it appears framed as a targeted public-health and education funding measure, with an emphasis on minority health and school access to care.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the bill’s limitation of grants to school-based health centers in minority-majority school districts, which could raise questions about equity, eligibility, and whether the funding should be distributed more broadly. Another possible issue is the reallocation of tobacco settlement proceeds, since dedicating a fixed annual amount and a defined percentage of the account may draw scrutiny from those concerned about competing uses of those funds or about creating a new commission-administered program instead of using existing agencies.