AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES - DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SERVICES REAPPROPRIATION.
HB1082 is a fiscal-session reappropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities Services. It carries forward unspent balances from Act 133 of 2025 for capital improvement projects tied to developmental disability services facilities, including the Booneville Human Development Center and other Human Development Centers across the state. The bill authorizes the continued use of those balances beginning July 1, 2026, for demolition, construction, replacement, renovation, upgrades, and additions to facilities.
The bill specifies two reappropriations: up to $5,382,921 for implementation of the Booneville Human Development Center residential housing plan and up to $7,227,176 for continued implementation of master plans at each Human Development Center. It also includes standard fiscal controls, requiring compliance with state purchasing, accounting, budgetary, and revenue stabilization laws, and it allows the use of federal funds, grants, donations, and unobligated cash income to supplement state funds. An emergency clause makes the act effective July 1, 2026, to avoid delays in agency operations and project administration.
HB1082 does not create a new program or change eligibility rules; instead, it extends the availability of previously appropriated capital-improvement funds for the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services. Its practical effect is to keep construction and renovation funding available for developmental disability facilities, especially the Booneville Human Development Center and other Human Development Centers, and to authorize spending under the same project purposes established in Act 133 of 2025. The bill affects the Department of Human Services, the Chief Fiscal Officer’s designation of federal funds, and any contractors or vendors involved in the facility projects.
The available context suggests the bill was routine and broadly procedural, consistent with a Joint Budget Committee reappropriation measure. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes indicating opposition, and the bill’s emergency clause and fiscal language suggest an emphasis on continuity of government operations rather than controversy. The bill’s final status as Act 105 also indicates it advanced without documented public dispute in the provided materials.
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided record, and there are no committee transcripts or vote tallies showing disagreement. If any concerns existed, they would most likely have centered on the size and use of the reappropriated capital funds, the scope of construction and demolition work at Human Development Centers, or the reliance on federal and supplemental non-state funds. However, none of those issues are documented in the supplied discussion or voting history.