An Act For The Department Of Agriculture Reappropriation.
Summary
SB199 is a reappropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. It carries forward an unspent balance of up to $69,563 from a prior capital improvement appropriation so the department can continue work on construction, renovation, and equipping of the necropsy room at the Livestock and Poultry Diagnostic Lab. The measure is limited to that specific project and does not create a new program or expand ongoing operations.
The bill also includes standard fiscal controls governing how the money may be spent. It requires that no contract or obligation exceed funds actually available in the State Treasury, allows the department to supplement state funds with grants, donations, federal funds, or unobligated cash income, and prohibits use of general maintenance and operations funds for the project. It further directs compliance with state purchasing, accounting, budgetary, and revenue stabilization laws, and contains an emergency clause making the act effective July 1, 2025.
Impact
SB199 affects state appropriations law by reauthorizing the use of a previously appropriated but unspent capital improvement balance for a specific Department of Agriculture facility project. Its practical effect is to extend spending authority for the necropsy room improvements at the Livestock and Poultry Diagnostic Lab, funded from the Livestock and Poultry Special Revenue Fund, while preserving the usual fiscal and procurement restrictions that apply to state capital projects.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed third reading in the Senate 34-0 and in the House 96-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. There were no committee transcript snippets provided, and the absence of recorded opposition suggests the measure was viewed as a routine budgetary and administrative item rather than a contested policy change.
Contention
No notable substantive contention is evident in the available record. Because the bill is a narrow reappropriation for an existing agriculture laboratory project, any discussion would likely have centered on whether the remaining balance should be extended for completion of the necropsy room improvements and whether the project remained necessary and properly funded. The unanimous votes indicate no recorded disagreement among legislators on those points.