AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES - DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SERVICES APPROPRIATION.
HB1099 is an appropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities Services. It would provide $110,000 for a grant to Special Olympics to support athlete participation in the national Special Olympics competition during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. The bill directs that the money be paid from a cash fund in the State Treasury, with the Chief Fiscal Officer transferring the same amount from the General Revenue Allotment Reserve Fund into that cash fund upon the act’s effective date.
The measure is a fiscal-session appropriation rather than a policy bill, and it includes standard provisions governing how the funds may be spent. It requires compliance with state procurement, accounting, budgetary, revenue stabilization, and salary-control laws, and it states legislative intent that the funds be used consistently with the agency’s budget materials and related legislative records. The bill also contains an emergency clause making it effective July 1, 2026, to ensure the appropriation is available at the start of the fiscal year.
HB1099 would affect state budgeting and fund transfers rather than creating or amending substantive program law. It would authorize a one-time $110,000 appropriation to DHS’s Division of Developmental Disabilities Services for a Special Olympics grant and require a corresponding transfer from the General Revenue Allotment Reserve Fund to the designated cash fund. The practical effect would be to provide state support for Special Olympics athlete participation in national competition, subject to normal fiscal controls and appropriation limits.
The available record shows no recorded committee testimony or votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the materials provided. Based on the bill’s narrow purpose and standard appropriation language, the measure appears to have been a routine funding request for a well-known disability and athletic program. However, the bill ultimately died in House Committee at sine die adjournment, indicating it did not advance to final passage despite being introduced.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. The only notable issue apparent from the text is the source and mechanics of the funding: the bill would move money from the General Revenue Allotment Reserve Fund into a cash fund for a Special Olympics grant. In the absence of committee discussion, it is not possible to identify whether concerns involved the amount appropriated, the use of reserve funds, or broader budget priorities.