AN ACT FOR THE ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY - BEEBE APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
SB49 is a fiscal session appropriation bill for Arkansas State University–Beebe for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. It sets the university’s authorized staffing levels and maximum salary rates across administrative, academic, auxiliary, and temporary positions, including the chancellor, vice chancellors, faculty, IT staff, public safety, student services, and other support roles. The bill also authorizes up to 225 extra-help employees for part-time or temporary work.
The measure appropriates funds for the university’s personal services and operating expenses from both state operations funds and cash funds. It includes line items for regular salaries, extra help, matching funds, operating expenses, funded depreciation, contingency, capital improvements, debt service, transfers, and promotional items. The bill contains standard compliance language tying expenditures to state fiscal and procurement laws, and it includes an emergency clause so it takes effect on July 1, 2026.
SB49 does not create new substantive policy; it renews and structures the annual spending authority for Arkansas State University–Beebe. It authorizes a total of $15,411,242 in state operations appropriations and $38,158,145 in cash fund appropriations, while also establishing the maximum number of employees and salary ceilings the institution may use during the fiscal year. The bill affects the university’s budgeting, staffing, capital spending, and operating authority, and it is governed by existing Arkansas fiscal control, procurement, and higher education expenditure laws.
The available context suggests the bill was routine and noncontroversial. There are no recorded committee transcripts or roll-call votes indicating debate, opposition, or amendments, and the bill’s progression to Act 23 suggests it moved through the process as a standard budget measure. As an appropriation bill for a public university, it appears to have been treated as necessary annual funding legislation rather than a contested policy proposal.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Because SB49 is an appropriation bill, any potential concerns would likely have centered on the size of the university’s budget, staffing levels, salary caps, or the mix of state versus cash-fund spending, but none of those issues are shown in the available discussion or voting history. The absence of recorded debate suggests little or no visible opposition.