Arkansas House Bill HB1617

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 Corrections - Division Of Correction Capital Improvement Appropriation.

Summary

HB1617 is a fiscal appropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, Division of Correction. It authorizes up to $4.1 million in capital improvement funding from cash funds held in the State Treasury, with $3.8 million designated for a camera project at the Wrightsville Unit and up to $300,000 for a flooring project at the McPherson Unit. The act is framed as a capital improvement appropriation rather than a policy change, and it includes standard language limiting spending to available funds and requiring compliance with state fiscal and purchasing laws. The bill also contains an emergency clause making it effective July 1, 2025, so the appropriations can be used at the start of the fiscal year. It allows the Department of Corrections to supplement state treasury funds with grants, donations, federal funds, or unobligated cash income, but it prohibits using the agency’s maintenance and general operations funds for these projects. The legislative intent section ties spending to agency requests and budget materials, indicating the funds must be used for the stated capital projects.

Impact

HB1617 affects Arkansas appropriations law by providing a specific one-year capital improvement appropriation to the Division of Correction and setting spending authority for two facility projects. It does not amend criminal law or correctional operations statutes directly, but it does authorize the use of state cash funds for infrastructure improvements at two correctional units and reinforces existing fiscal controls, procurement rules, and budget compliance requirements.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have had broad support and little visible opposition. It passed the House on third reading by a vote of 98-0 and the Senate on third reading by a vote of 34-0, suggesting unanimous legislative approval. No committee transcript or recorded debate was provided, and the voting history indicates the measure was treated as a routine budget appropriation.

Contention

No specific points of contention are evident in the available record. Because there are no committee transcripts, the only observable issue is the allocation of funds between the Wrightsville Unit camera project and the McPherson Unit flooring project, but the unanimous votes suggest no significant disagreement over those expenditures. The bill’s restrictions on using general operations funds and its reliance on cash-fund availability are standard appropriation safeguards rather than disputed provisions.