AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION - DISBURSING OFFICER APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
SB76 is an appropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Disbursing Officer, for fiscal year 2026-2027. It creates a $2,000,000 capital improvement matching grant program for county extension offices, with the funds to be used through the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. The bill is limited to the stated appropriation and includes standard fiscal and procurement compliance language.
The measure also contains an emergency clause, making it effective July 1, 2026, so the funding can be available at the start of the fiscal year. As an annual appropriation, it does not create a permanent program in statute so much as it authorizes spending for the specified year and purpose.
SB76 authorizes state spending from a cash fund in the State Treasury for matching grants to county extension offices for capital improvements. It affects the Department of Finance and Administration as the disbursing officer and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture as the recipient/administering entity for the grant program. The bill also reinforces compliance with state procurement, accounting, budgetary, and revenue stabilization laws, but it does not amend substantive program law beyond the fiscal-year appropriation.
The available context suggests the bill was noncontroversial and routine, consistent with a standard budget appropriation measure. There are no recorded committee transcripts or vote details indicating opposition, and the bill ultimately became Act 142. The inclusion of an emergency clause indicates legislative support for immediate implementation at the start of the fiscal year.
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided record. Because there are no committee transcripts or vote breakdowns, there is no evidence of debate over the amount, the use of matching grants, the role of county extension offices, or the administration through the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Any potential concern would likely have centered on budget priorities or the use of state cash funds, but that is not documented here.