AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - DIVISION OF COMMUNITY CORRECTION APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
Summary
HB1004 is an appropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, Division of Community Correction, for fiscal year 2026-2027. Its central purpose is to authorize $506,000 in state funds for a reentry center grant to Returning Home, a program or organization identified in the bill as the recipient of the grant. The appropriation is limited to the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027.
The bill also includes standard fiscal and administrative provisions governing how the money may be spent. It directs the Department of Corrections to budget, allocate, and expend the grant funds from the Division of Community Correction Fund Account, and it requires compliance with state procurement, budgeting, accounting, revenue stabilization, salary, and other fiscal control laws. The act contains an emergency clause so it can take effect on July 1, 2026, reflecting the legislature’s intent that the funds be available at the start of the fiscal year.
Impact
HB1004 would not change criminal statutes or create a new program in the Arkansas Code; instead, it would provide a one-year appropriation for a specific reentry center grant within the Division of Community Correction. The practical effect would be to fund services associated with reentry and community correction efforts, likely supporting individuals returning from incarceration through the Returning Home grant recipient. Because it is an appropriation measure, its legal impact is primarily on state spending authority and agency budgeting rather than on substantive law.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been treated as a routine budget measure, with no recorded committee debate or votes included in the available materials. The inclusion of an emergency clause and the standard fiscal language suggests an expectation of timely enactment to keep agency operations and grant funding on schedule. However, the bill ultimately died in House Committee at sine die adjournment, indicating that it did not complete the legislative process despite its apparent administrative nature.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. The only identifiable policy issue is the allocation of $506,000 to a single reentry center grant recipient, which could raise questions in general about targeted appropriations, program effectiveness, or funding priorities within corrections spending. Because there was no recorded debate, it is not possible to attribute opposition or support to any particular legislator, committee member, or stakeholder from the available record.