An Act For The Expenses For The Arkansas Senate Of The Ninety-fifth General Assembly Appropriation For The 2025 Fiscal Year.
Summary
SB1 is the Arkansas Senate’s fiscal-year 2025 appropriation bill. It authorizes funding for Senate operating expenses, including mileage allowances, per diem, maintenance, general operations, employee salaries, and employer matching funds, all payable from the Constitutional Officers Fund. The bill is a standard appropriations measure for the Senate itself rather than a policy bill affecting the public at large.
The measure also includes special language allowing the Secretary of the Senate, with approval from the Senate Efficiency Committee and the Arkansas Senate, to transfer funds between appropriation items if a specific item is no longer needed. It further requires compliance with state fiscal and procurement laws, budgetary procedures, and Department of Finance and Administration regulations, and it contains legislative intent language tying spending to the budget materials and official testimony used in adoption. An emergency clause makes the act effective immediately upon passage and approval so Senate expenses can be paid as services are provided.
Impact
SB1 appropriates $1.4 million in total Senate operating funds for fiscal year 2025, including $675,000 for member and operating expenses, $650,000 for employee salaries, and $75,000 for employer matching costs. It affects state budget administration and internal Senate operations, but it does not create or amend substantive law for the general public. The bill primarily governs how the Arkansas Senate may spend appropriated funds and under what fiscal controls those funds must be disbursed.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been noncontroversial and routine. Voting history shows unanimous support in both chambers on third reading, with 33-0 in the Senate and 99-0 in the House. No committee transcripts were provided, and there is no indication of significant opposition or debate in the available record.
Contention
There is little visible contention around SB1. The only potentially notable issue is the transfer authority in the special language, which gives Senate officials flexibility to move money between line items if funds are not needed for a specified purpose. Otherwise, the bill is a standard appropriations measure, and the unanimous votes suggest broad agreement on funding the Senate’s operating expenses and immediate effective date.