THE GENERAL APPROPRIATION ACT FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
HB1002 is the Arkansas General Appropriation Act for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. It makes appropriations from the Constitutional Officers Fund for three main purposes: reimbursements for district judges’ travel expenses, payment for special or recalled judges serving circuit courts, and trial judges’ expenses. It also provides funding for interim expense reimbursements for members of the Arkansas House of Representatives and Arkansas Senate, and authorizes the related disbursing officers for each set of funds.
The bill includes special language governing how the appropriations are administered. It assigns the Auditor of State as the disbursing officer for judicial disbursements, the Secretary of the Senate for Senate reimbursements, and the House Chief of Staff or designee for House reimbursements. It also specifies that legislative institute attendees may receive per diem and mileage, and that judicial travel reimbursement claims must be reviewed for compliance and submitted within 60 days of the travel end date. An emergency clause makes the act effective July 1, 2026.
HB1002’s impact on state law is primarily fiscal and administrative rather than substantive policy-making. It authorizes $830,000 for judicial-related disbursements, $368,000 for House interim expenses, and $200,000 for Senate interim expenses, while setting temporary operating rules for how those funds are to be handled during the fiscal year. Because it is an appropriation act with special language, its provisions are intended to apply only for the 2026-2027 budget period and not be codified as permanent law.
The available context shows little to no controversy around the bill. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes included here, and the bill’s last action indicates it became Act 1, suggesting routine passage as part of the state budget process. The overall sentiment appears procedural and supportive, consistent with a standard annual appropriations measure needed to keep judicial and legislative reimbursement systems funded and operating.
The main points of interest are the allocation of public funds to legislative and judicial reimbursements and the controls placed on those reimbursements, especially the 60-day filing deadline for district judges’ travel claims and the designation of disbursing officers. No specific opposition or competing viewpoints are reflected in the provided materials.
HB1002 authorizes temporary appropriations for judicial branch travel and expense reimbursements and for interim expense reimbursements to members of the Arkansas House and Senate for fiscal year 2026-2027. It also establishes special administrative rules for disbursement, review, and claim timing, but does not make permanent changes to the Arkansas Code because the special language is expressly excluded from codification. The act takes effect July 1, 2026 under an emergency clause.
The bill appears to have been treated as a routine budget measure with broadly neutral-to-supportive sentiment. No committee debate, recorded opposition, or vote split is provided, and the fact that it advanced to Act 1 suggests it moved through the legislative process without notable resistance. The context indicates it was viewed as necessary to fund core judicial and legislative operations for the upcoming fiscal year.
No explicit contention is shown in the provided record. The only potentially sensitive issues are the use of public funds for legislative interim expenses and judicial reimbursements, along with the administrative controls on those payments. However, there is no evidence in the supplied materials of disagreement over the amounts, the reimbursement structure, or the special language assigning disbursing authority and claim deadlines.