Arkansas House Bill HB1616

Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/27/25
• Refer: 2/27/25
• Report Pass: 3/6/25
• Engrossed: 3/12/25
• Enrolled: 3/14/25
• Chaptered: 3/18/25
• Passed: 3/18/25

Caption

An Act For The Department Of Energy And Environment - Oil And Gas Commission Capital Improvement Appropriation.

Summary

HB1616 is a fiscal appropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment’s Oil and Gas Commission. It provides capital improvement funding specifically for roof repairs at the Commission’s Education Center/Warehouse, with one appropriation drawn from designated federal funds and a second from cash funds held in the State Treasury. The bill authorizes up to $275,274 in federal funds and up to $296,552 in cash funds for the project. The measure is narrowly focused on financing this facility repair and does not change substantive oil-and-gas regulatory law. Instead, it establishes spending authority, sets disbursement controls, and requires compliance with state purchasing, accounting, budgetary, and revenue stabilization laws. It also includes an emergency clause making the act effective July 1, 2025, so the agency can proceed without delay.

Impact

HB1616 affects state law by creating a specific appropriation for the Department of Energy and Environment - Oil and Gas Commission and by authorizing the use of federal and cash funds for a capital improvement project. It does not amend regulatory statutes governing oil and gas operations; rather, it temporarily expands the Commission’s spending authority for roof repair at its Education Center/Warehouse and reinforces that the funds must be used only for the stated purpose and under existing fiscal controls.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been noncontroversial and routine. It passed both chambers unanimously on third reading, with 98-0 in the House and 34-0 in the Senate. The absence of committee transcript discussion suggests little or no debate, and the voting history indicates broad bipartisan support for the appropriation.

Contention

There is no recorded substantive contention in the available materials. Because the bill is a targeted capital-improvement appropriation for a state agency facility, any potential concern would likely have been limited to standard budgetary questions such as funding source, compliance with fiscal controls, or whether the project was necessary. The unanimous votes indicate that no significant opposition emerged in either chamber.