AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - DIVISION OF CORRECTION APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
HB1079 is an appropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, Division of Correction, for fiscal year 2026-2027. It authorizes $1,000,000 in cash-fund spending for procuring, implementing, and operating corrections intelligence technology and related services intended to detect, identify, monitor, and mitigate contraband wireless device activity inside correctional facilities.
The bill is narrowly focused on funding rather than changing substantive criminal or corrections law. It sets the amount and purpose of the appropriation, requires compliance with state fiscal and procurement laws, and includes legislative intent language tying expenditures to the budget materials and official testimony. It also contains an emergency clause making the act effective July 1, 2026, so the funding is available at the start of the fiscal year.
HB1079 affects state law by creating a specific one-year appropriation for the Department of Corrections, Division of Correction, and by directing funds to contraband interdiction and corrections intelligence technology. It does not amend the criminal code or correctional operations statutes directly, but it authorizes spending for technology and services used in prisons to detect and reduce unauthorized wireless device use. The bill also reinforces existing fiscal controls by requiring compliance with procurement, accounting, and budget laws.
The available record shows no committee debate, recorded votes, or opposition, and the bill ultimately became Act 64. Based on the bill’s passage and the absence of recorded controversy in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears neutral to supportive, with the measure treated as a routine appropriations item for corrections operations.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. If there were concerns, they would most likely relate to the use of $1,000,000 in public funds for surveillance or interdiction technology, the effectiveness of contraband wireless device mitigation, or procurement and implementation costs. However, none of those issues are reflected in the supplied legislative record.