AN ACT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE TREASURER OF STATE - ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
HB1048 is an appropriation bill for the Arkansas Office of the Treasurer of State for fiscal year 2026-2027. It allocates money from the Arkansas Citizens First Responder Safety Enhancement Fund to support two specific organizations: the Arkansas Ambulance Association for emergency medical expenses and the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police for local law enforcement expenses. Each program receives $310,000, for a total appropriation of $620,000.
The bill is limited to funding and does not create or amend broad regulatory policy. It authorizes the Treasurer’s Office to disburse the appropriated funds subject to existing state fiscal controls, procurement rules, budgeting procedures, and other applicable laws. It also includes a legislative intent section tying spending to the stated purposes in agency requests and legislative materials, and an emergency clause making the act effective July 1, 2026.
HB1048 affects state law by providing a specific one-year appropriation for emergency medical and local law enforcement assistance through the Office of the Treasurer of State. It directs funds from the Arkansas Citizens First Responder Safety Enhancement Fund to the Arkansas Ambulance Association and the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, while requiring compliance with Arkansas fiscal control statutes and related budgetary laws. As an appropriation act, its practical impact is to authorize spending for these first responder-related organizations during the 2026-2027 fiscal year rather than to change substantive criminal, public safety, or emergency medical law.
The available record suggests the bill was noncontroversial and moved as a Joint Budget Committee measure, with no recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials. Its purpose—supporting ambulance services and police leadership through dedicated appropriations—appears consistent with routine budget support for public safety and emergency response functions. The bill’s final status as Act 99 indicates it was enacted without visible opposition in the supplied context.
No specific points of contention are shown in the provided transcripts or vote history. Because the bill is a straightforward appropriation, any disagreement would likely have centered on budget priorities, the size of the allocations, or the use of the Citizens First Responder Safety Enhancement Fund, but none of those concerns are documented here. The absence of recorded debate or dissent suggests broad agreement, or at least no notable public controversy in the available materials.