AN ACT FOR THE JUDICIAL DISCIPLINE AND DISABILITY COMMISSION APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
SB13 is an annual appropriation bill for the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission for fiscal year 2026-2027. It authorizes funding for the commission’s personal services and operating expenses, including salaries for six positions: a director, fiscal support supervisor/expert, legal support specialist, investigator II, administrative coordinator, and attorney II.
The bill sets the commission’s total appropriation at $804,239, funded from the Miscellaneous Agencies Fund Account. The appropriation covers regular salaries, employee matching costs, operating expenses, conference and travel, professional fees, and investigator expenses. It also includes standard language requiring compliance with state fiscal and procurement laws, and an emergency clause making the act effective July 1, 2026 so the commission can continue operating without interruption.
SB13 does not change substantive judicial discipline law; instead, it authorizes the spending authority needed for the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission to operate during the 2026-2027 fiscal year. It affects state budget law by establishing the commission’s maximum staffing level, salary structure, and line-item appropriations, and it directs that expenditures comply with Arkansas fiscal control statutes, procurement rules, and budgetary procedures. The act became Act 66, making the appropriation effective for the new fiscal year.
The available record suggests the bill was routine and noncontroversial. There are no committee transcripts, recorded votes, or other discussion snippets indicating opposition or debate, and the bill advanced to become Act 66. As an annual appropriation measure, it appears to have been treated as a standard budget item necessary for agency operations.
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided materials. Because SB13 is a narrow appropriation bill, any disagreement would likely have centered on funding levels, staffing, or operating expenses for the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, but the record provided does not show such disputes. The emergency clause and the use of the Miscellaneous Agencies Fund Account are standard features of appropriation legislation and do not appear to have been controversial here.