AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
HB1036 is the Arkansas Department of Health appropriation act for fiscal year 2026-2027. It sets maximum employee counts and authorizes funding for shared services, operations, trauma system activities, health building and local health grants, emergency medical services, WIC food instruments, interpreter services for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and the Full Independent Practice Credentialing Committee. The bill also includes special language governing how certain funds may be transferred, carried forward, and reported, and it requires minimum spending for the Breast Care Program.
In addition to appropriations, the bill amends Arkansas law on voluntary infant surrender. It expands the list of safe surrender locations to include emergency medical services providers, defines that term, and updates related immunity, confidentiality, custody, and dependency-neglect procedures. It also adds detailed requirements for newborn safety devices at volunteer fire departments, including alarm and video monitoring standards, response-time conditions, and 911 notification procedures.
The bill primarily affects state fiscal law by appropriating more than $329 million for Department of Health operations and additional amounts for trauma system, EMS, building improvements, WIC, interpreter services, and credentialing committee expenses. It authorizes staffing levels across a wide range of public health, medical, administrative, IT, and inspection positions, and it creates or continues special fund-transfer and carry-forward authorities tied to trauma care, contraceptive access, and other program needs. The bill also amends Arkansas Code §§ 5-27-205 and 9-34-201 through 9-34-203 to expand and clarify safe-haven surrender rules for newborns and to adjust related child welfare procedures and liability protections for providers and agencies.
The available record suggests the bill moved as a routine budget measure and ultimately became Act 163, with no recorded committee transcript debate or roll-call votes in the provided materials. The absence of recorded opposition or amendments in the context indicates the measure was likely treated as a standard appropriations package for the Department of Health. The inclusion of public health program funding and the safe-surrender provisions suggests broad institutional support for the bill’s core purposes.
No specific contention is documented in the provided committee materials or votes. Potentially sensitive provisions include the large appropriations for Department of Health operations, the mandated minimum funding for the Breast Care Program, the carry-forward authority for trauma and contraceptive-related funds, and the expansion of safe-haven surrender law to emergency medical services providers and volunteer fire departments with detailed device and monitoring requirements. If there was disagreement, it is not reflected in the supplied record.