Summary: The committee first took up several subcommittee reports. The Claims Review Litigation Reports Oversight Subcommittee report was adopted after noting two Department of Corrections settlement reviews and one affirmed denial/dismissal by the Claims Commission. The JBC Personnel Subcommittee report was also adopted, covering governor’s letters and amendments, with items related to the Auditor of State and Lieutenant Governor sent back for further review and one Lieutenant Governor amendment not passing. Next, the peer review subcommittee report was adopted after discussion of various temporary appropriations, ARPA and infrastructure-related appropriations, reserve fund transfers, and a resource reallocation. Two DHS-related items were held, including a discretionary grants item and a contract with DHS and EMS/LINQ; one hold was later released after additional information was provided. A member asked about returned ARPA funds, and staff explained the money was being returned to the federal government because it was not fully expended within the federal time frame. The committee then discussed several bills and amendments with special language, including Senate Bills 63, 67, and 73 and House Bills 1089, 1090, and 1093, along with amendments to the Department of Health, the Office of the Treasurer, and the State Board of Election Commission. Leadership warned that holds on bills should be resolved by the following Thursday or be released, and members were encouraged to work with agencies and notify leadership if agencies were not responsive. The meeting then adjourned.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, a quorum present, and several members granted leave. The chamber recognized guests and adopted the consent calendar resolutions without objection. House Resolution 1006, by Rep. Schulz, was adopted 92-0 to authorize introduction of a non-appropriation bill increasing the Homestead Property Tax Credit from $600 to $675, with Schulz citing the Amendment 79 fund’s capacity and rising costs as reasons for acting now. On the budget calendar, the House passed House Bill 1014, the DHS Division of Provider Services, Quality Assurance appropriation, by 82-9 with the emergency clause. House Bill 1062, funding the DHS Tobacco Settlement Program for Medicaid-related and other specified services, passed 87-4 with the emergency clause after brief questions about whether it included AED funding and whether it used general revenue; the sponsor said it was settlement money and likely did not include AEDs. The House then took up a large batch of Senate appropriation bills, passing the grouped bills 92-0-1. Several Senate bills were considered separately. Senate Bills 9 and 11, both for the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, passed 77-8-6 and 79-7-6. Senate Bill 12, for the Arkansas Ethics Commission, passed 82-9. Senate Bill 17, for Arkansas Teacher Retirement, passed 93-0, Senate Bill 18, for the liquefied petroleum gas board, passed 90-1-1, and Senate Bill 37, for the Workers’ Compensation Commission, passed 80-11-1. Senate Bill 5, the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission appropriation, failed 71-14-8, and Senate Bill 56, for continuing education of local officials, failed 30-52-4. The House then adjourned until Tuesday at 1:00 p.m., with committee meetings announced for Tuesday morning and after adjournment.

Summary: The committee first considered House Resolution 1016, which would have allowed introduction of a bill by Representative Richmond addressing disclosure and restrictions for certain real-estate arrangements where buyers purchase interests in entities rather than direct ownership of property. Richmond said the measure was aimed at transparency, consumer protection, and preventing private tribunals or discriminatory practices, while several members questioned whether it would affect homeowners associations, hunting clubs, arbitration clauses, or duplicate existing law. After discussion, the committee voted down the resolution. House Resolution 1006, sponsored by Representative Schultz, proposed increasing the Homestead Tax Credit by $75, from $600 to $675, using a fund created by Amendment 79 and supported by sales tax revenue. Schultz argued the fund could support the increase now and that families needed relief amid high prices. The committee approved the resolution. The committee then heard House Resolution 1007, presented by Senator King and Representative Eaton, which sought to change how turnback funds are distributed to counties, with a focus on giving counties more predictable annual funding for roads, jails, water, sewer, public safety, and other infrastructure. Members raised concerns about taking $150 million off the top of sales tax revenue and about whether the bill should be handled through budget language instead; the resolution failed. House Resolution 1008, by Representative Wooten and Senator King, would have amended the LEARNS education program to reduce costs, limit or change eligibility, and add performance-based requirements and reporting for certain school-choice funding. Supporters said the program was financially unsustainable and needed accountability, while opponents argued the proposal would create larger problems and that the issue should be handled in the regular session. The resolution failed after a point of order prevented reading a supporting letter into the record. Finally, House Resolution 1009 and House Resolution 1013, both tied to Senator Bryant’s proposals on local control over crypto mines and data centers, were discussed together with testimony about water use, energy demand, and local opposition; both failed. House Resolution 1015, which would have amended the IDEA economic-development bill to remove eminent domain authority and address board accountability, also failed after members said more concerns remained to be worked out.

Summary: The committee first considered the Lieutenant Governor’s Office budget and personnel request. Office representatives said they wanted to move the office to the state pay plan to better align salaries with other constitutional offices and remain competitive, noting that OPM had approved the positions and grades. Senators questioned the size of the requested increases and the office’s workload, and after discussion the motion to adopt the proposal failed on an 8-8 tie. The committee then voted to expunge that vote and returned to the regular agenda. The committee approved a series of Governor’s letters involving position transfers and appropriation adjustments across several agencies. These included changes for AETN, the Department of Health and Nursing Board/Dietetics Board, multiple DHS divisions, DFA shared services and budget management, and the Department of Public Safety shared services division. Most of these items involved moving positions and associated salary appropriations between divisions, with no major opposition and motions passing. A lengthy discussion followed on the transfer of child nutrition and related nutrition programs from the Department of Education to the Department of Agriculture. Education and DFA officials explained that the programs fit better under Agriculture because the funding and commodities are tied to USDA programs, and they clarified that both state and federal funding and all related positions would move. Senators raised concerns about the math in the letters, the split between state and federal funding, and whether all program resources were being transferred. After the explanation, the committee approved the Education side of the transfer and then approved the Agriculture companion letter. The committee also discussed the Educational Freedom Account program budget. Officials said the $309 million request matched current participation and included a $70 million reserve in case applications increase. Several senators expressed concern about the program’s growth and its effect on public education funding and adequacy, while others noted that the program’s rules and funding levels could be adjusted through the State Board and future legislative action. The committee then approved a Public Safety classification change and a member amendment changing a title at East Arkansas Community College from assistant to the president to assistant to the chancellor, with no change in positions or appropriation.

Summary: The Joint Budget Committee met to consider several budget-related items and amendments. An amendment to Senate Bill 30 concerning the Office of the Governor, offered by Senator Rice, would have canceled funding for a senior advisor position tied to former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri; Senator Rice and Representative Wooten criticized the position’s cost and Profiri’s lack of responsiveness to the legislature and taxpayers. The chair referred that amendment to the personnel committee for review, and other members were told further discussion would occur there. The committee also referred an amendment by Senator Johnson related to the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism to special language, and referred House Bill 1080 by Representative Ladyman for the Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities, to special language as well. In other business, Senator Dismang explained a revised special language amendment for ADEQ’s waste tire program to correct a timing issue in the governor’s letter; the committee suspended the rules so it could be considered and then referred it to special language for the next day’s agenda. The meeting included recognition of student guests from Jonesboro High School and Hendrix College. No substantive votes were taken on the contested personnel amendment, and the meeting adjourned with plans to reconvene the next morning.

Summary: The PEER Review Subcommittee met to consider a large agenda of budget, appropriation, transfer, and contract items. Members approved temporary appropriation requests for several agencies, including the Auditor of State, Department of Education, and Labor and Licensing; ARPA return requests from Workforce Services; Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requests for State Police and Agriculture; restricted reserve transfers for teacher scholarships, school facilities, and economic stimulus; a Commerce reallocation of positions and spending authority; cash fund, budget classification, overtime, and pay plan requests; and 17 methods of finance items for universities and other agencies. Most items were approved without objection after brief explanations from staff and agencies. Several items drew questions and were held or discussed further. A Department of Human Services discretionary grant package for the RSVP program was held over after Senator Irvin raised concerns about whether the grants were an effective use of state general revenue and asked for more information on administration costs and program operations. In the contracts section, Representative Richardson questioned a DHS sole-source contract with EMS Link for document management software and a DHS contract with Presidio; the EMS Link item was held for additional answers, while the Presidio item was clarified as not sole-source and was allowed to proceed. Members also asked for more information on a Department of Education mental health referral contract with Care Solace, which officials said is a statewide concierge/referral service connecting students to Arkansas providers and telehealth options. The committee also reviewed monthly reports, including the Medicaid Trust Fund. DHS and DFA officials said the fund was currently sufficient to finish the fiscal year, though it was being drawn down and would likely require a $100 million transfer from restricted reserves in FY27, with another $100 million set aside in the governor’s budget as a backstop. Members discussed the need to define a minimum reserve level and to better account for ongoing Medicaid costs in the budget. The meeting ended with no further business and adjournment.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present. The chamber recognized several guests, including state troopers, a nurse of the day, students, a cheer team, and a representative-elect. The Governor’s office also reported approval of House Bill 1002, Act 1. The House then moved into the red and yellow calendars to consider a series of appropriation bills and amendments. House Bill 1003, the Arkansas House Representative Staff appropriation for fiscal years 2026-2027, passed unanimously with its emergency clause. On the budget calendar, the House adopted amendments to several appropriation bills, including funding changes for the Labor and Licensing Board, the University of Arkansas Community College at Rich Mountain, the State Treasurer, the Department of Finance and Administration, the Department of Education, Northwest Arkansas Community College, and Fort Chaffee-related appropriations. Members also batched and passed a large group of appropriation bills by a 94-1 vote, while some bills were pulled out for separate consideration. Several separate bills were then considered. House Bill 1014, for the Department of Health and Human Services’ DIPSQA appropriation, failed on a 74-9 vote with 12 present. House Bill 1021 (Arkansas State University–Mid-South), 1027 (Health Services permit agency), 1049 (Treasurer’s office appropriation for animal rescue shelters), 1056 (Martin Luther King Jr. Commission), 1061 (Department of Labor and Licensing), 1074 (Oil and Gas Commission), 1075 (Division of Agriculture and Arkansas Bioscience Institute), and 1079 (Department of Corrections contraband cell phone prevention program) all passed, while House Bills 1060 (Arkansas State Library) and 1062 (Medicaid Tobacco Settlement Program) failed. The House also adopted House Resolutions 1004 and 1005, which were described as necessary to introduce a non-appropriation bill. At the end of the meeting, the House adopted a motion to adjourn until 11 a.m. the next day. Announcements were made for House Rules, Special Language, and Joint Budget committee meetings scheduled for the following day.

Summary: The committee opened by explaining a new process for non-controversial resolutions: they will be heard on Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. for presentation only, without a vote, and then placed on a Thursday consent calendar for approval. Regular resolutions will continue on the red calendar. Members were told the new procedure may take some adjustment, and the committee proceeded through the first set of items under that system. House Bill 1003, by Speaker Brian Evans, was presented as a staff appropriation measure to allow payment for House staff; it was approved without questions and sent to the red calendar. House Resolution 1017, by Representative Stetson Painter, recognized May as ALS awareness month and was approved for the blue calendar. House Resolution 108, by Representative Mark McElroy, honored the Barton Bears for winning the state basketball championship; after a brief question about the opponent, it was approved and scheduled for the red calendar, with a request to move it to the next Wednesday noted. House Resolution 1019, by Representative Joey Carr, recognized the economic impact of NewCorp Corporation, and House Resolution 1020, by Representative Richard Womack, honored Frederick Henry Middleton for 50 years of service in Arkadelphia; both were approved for the blue calendar. Several other items were skipped because sponsors were absent, including House Memorial Resolution 1001, House Memorial Resolution 1002, and House Resolution 1021. With no further business, the committee adjourned.

Summary: The committee first received a report on the executive protection detail, which was filed without questions. Members were then given a long advance list of House and Senate bills ready for consideration, followed by several amendment requests from agencies. The committee adopted amendments for the Auditor of State to increase special deputy expense allowance, the Administrative Office of the Courts for court interpreters and substitute court reporters, and several other items including local sales tax refunds, county property tax redistribution, and local law enforcement funding. It also held one amendment on House Bill 1034 and moved a Northwest Arkansas Community College cash fund increase tied to tornado-related campus repairs. The committee then considered a series of member amendments and appropriation items, including increases for the Public Defender Commission and deputy prosecuting attorneys to cover higher bar license fees, and a $12 million federal appropriation-only item. A lengthy discussion followed on a proposal from Senator Wallace and Representative Tosh to fund a pilot program for prison cell-phone detection/jamming technology at two correctional facilities. Sponsors and Department of Corrections officials said the system would target illegal contraband phones, would be procured through an RFP, and would be a two-year pilot; members raised questions about legality, cost, scope, data, and whether the department should use existing budget authority. The committee ultimately advanced the item by motion. The committee also took up an amendment from Senator Caldwell for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, seeking a $4 million appropriation increase. Testimony emphasized that the division’s extension offices and research functions are underfunded, that salaries are not competitive, and that the request would help with staffing and flexibility; other members questioned why the division needed more appropriation authority when it already had room under current limits and noted that the request exceeded the higher education board’s recommendation. The amendment was adopted after extended debate. Finally, the committee began acting on governor’s letters, adopting amendments for a $150 million increase to the homestead property tax credit, a $23,000 reallocation for the Insurance Department’s conference costs, $100,000 for property appraisal review work, $1.5 million for career and technical education professional development, $300,000 for DFA regulatory federal spending, $5 million for Inspector General fraud investigations, a consolidation of appraiser/abstractor/home inspector appropriations, deletion of a completed Fort Chaffee readiness center appropriation, and a revised reappropriation for corrections capital projects that would add special language restricting use of the $73.7 million prison-expansion reappropriation. The committee also heard a summary of a supplemental appropriations package involving fund transfers for pregnancy resource centers, senior centers, assistance grants, used tires, and UAMS pregnancy/stroke programs.

Summary: The Joint Budget Committee’s Claims Review and Litigation Oversight Subcommittee met to consider two proposed litigation settlements from the Department of Corrections and one appealed claim from the Claims Commission. In the first settlement, Caroline Arnett v. Larry Norris, et al., members asked about the underlying sexual assault allegations, whether policies had changed, and whether PREA audits and other safeguards were in place. The department said audits were underway and that steps had been taken to prevent similar conduct. The committee approved the settlement by voice vote. In the second settlement, Latasha Ridgel v. Arkansas Department of Corrections, members raised concerns about the length of the case and the fact that it involved similar allegations. The department cited attorney turnover, COVID-related delays, and scheduling difficulties; the settlement was approved by voice vote. The committee then reviewed Sharon Greer and Deanna Hayes v. Commissioner of State Lands, an appeal of a Claims Commission dismissal involving a 2009 tax sale of family property in Crittenden County. The claimants said they did not learn of the sale or the $4,200 in excess proceeds until 2025, and argued that notice was inadequate and that the overage should not have gone to the county. The Commissioner of State Lands’ office responded that notice was sent to addresses on file, certified mail receipts were returned, and a post-sale notice explained the process for contesting the sale and claiming excess proceeds. The office also argued the claim was untimely, that the commission lacked jurisdiction, and that state law bars monetary damages against the commissioner for actions related to tax-delinquent land sales. Members discussed broader concerns about the tax-sale and excess-proceeds process, including whether excess proceeds should be held longer or routed differently, but noted those issues would require legislative changes rather than action in this case. The committee then voted to affirm the Claims Commission’s dismissal of the claim. The meeting adjourned after the motion passed.

Summary: The committee met to consider several budget and staffing requests tied to constitutional offices and the Supreme Court, with opening remarks noting that fringe benefits are now calculated at 40% to 45% and that constitutional officers may pay the maximum if they choose. Item B, a Supreme Court request for one new Supreme Court police chief position with no appropriation increase, was approved. Item C, from the Secretary of State, sought five additional Capitol Police corporal positions, title realignments, and salary maximum adjustments, along with a $498,000 appropriation increase; members questioned how the office could absorb pay changes without new funding, and the office explained it was cleaning up a large and outdated classification structure while also preparing to provide security for an additional building. The item was approved. Item D, from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, proposed moving from line-item maximum salaries to state pay-plan grades, with no change in total positions but about a $349,000 increase in salaries and matching funds. Office representatives said the office had not had raises in nearly a decade and needed the change to stay competitive and retain staff, but members raised concerns about comparing the office’s pay to other agencies and about office staffing and accessibility. Senator Hill asked to hold the item for offline discussion, and the committee agreed to hold it until the next day. Item E, from the Auditor’s Office, requested salary realignments, increases to line-item maximums, and two new positions tied to UCP claims and compliance work, with a total increase of $579,468. The auditor said the office had already pulled a government relations position from the request after an updated packet was issued, and defended the remaining increases as market-based and revenue-neutral, with some work funded by interest earnings. Members questioned the need for a legislative affairs position and whether the salary increases were aligned with the market, but after discussion the committee approved the item. The meeting then adjourned.

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum present. Members granted leave for Representatives Brad Hall and Brandon Achor, dispensed with reading the previous day’s journal, and recognized several guests, including law enforcement officers, the doctor and nurse of the day, leadership groups, family members of a representative, representatives-elect, and other visitors in the galleries. The main item of business was House Bill 1001, an appropriation for the Arkansas House of Representatives for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Representative Vaught presented the bill as the fiscal-session appropriation, and no one spoke against it. The House passed the bill and its emergency clause by a vote of 96 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 present. After passage, Representative Meeks moved to adjourn until 1:00 p.m. the next day, and the motion carried. Members also announced upcoming committee and caucus meetings, including House Management, Joint Budget Committee, Rules, personnel, Energy Caucus, and House Prayer Caucus meetings scheduled for later that day or the next morning.

Summary: The commission first approved the prior meeting minutes and then adopted the annual authorization for expense reimbursement for commissioners performing official duties under Arkansas Code 25-16-902. Members noted that legislative commissioners would not receive reimbursement for the meeting day if they were already in session and receiving legislative per diem. The commission then heard a LexisNexis proposal for pricing increases and replacement volumes for Arkansas Code publications. LexisNexis said the proposed increase was about 7 percent, citing higher costs and the producer price index, and recommended replacing three volumes in 2026 and four in 2027 based on supplement size and the age of the volumes. Members asked about public pricing, the basis for selecting replacement volumes, and whether a statewide contract for judicial legal research services might be possible; LexisNexis said it would connect the senator with its sales team. The commission approved the pricing and replacement volume proposal. Staff also provided an update on the codification project for state treasury funds. The project will move duplicative fund-creation language into Title 19 only, repeal duplicate provisions elsewhere in the code, and be presented later as a technical corrections bill. Members discussed whether any funds appeared obsolete and whether future legislation could eliminate unused funds, and staff said DFA maintains a list of obsolete funds that could be included in future cleanup work. The chair said the commission would likely meet again in the fall to consider technical corrections, and the meeting adjourned.

Summary: The House opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, established a quorum, and granted several leave requests for absent members. The chamber then dispensed with the previous day’s journal and reported no committee reports, unfinished business, or executive communications before moving to the red calendar. House Resolution 1002, authorizing recesses of the House or Senate for four consecutive days or longer, was explained by Representative Walker. No one spoke against it, and the resolution passed by voice vote and was adopted. The House also recognized visiting law enforcement officers, Dr. James Hunt, and Nurse Lee Fasio. On the budget calendar, House Bill 1002, the general appropriation bill, was presented by Representative Johnson as the constitutionally required first appropriation measure. The bill was read for the third time and passed with the emergency clause by a vote of 93 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 present. The House then adopted a motion to adjourn until 1 p.m. Tuesday, and several committee meeting announcements were made for Tuesday and later that day.

Summary: The committee met briefly to organize a long agenda and stated that its main purpose was to refer letters and requests to the appropriate committees, while passing over items not needing referral until the following Tuesday. No substantive debate on policy issues occurred; the discussion was procedural and focused on routing agency and governor’s letters. Under agency communications, letters from the Auditor of State, Supreme Court, Secretary of State, and Lieutenant Governor were referred to the Personnel Committee because they contained positions. Under the governor’s letters, numerous items were referred either to Personnel or Special Language, including requests involving the Department of Education, Finance and Administration, Health, DHS divisions, Correction, Agriculture, Public Safety, Shared Administrative Services, Commerce/Workforce Services, Energy and Environment, and the Finance Disbursing Officer. Several items contained positions, several contained special language, and some contained both. The meeting concluded with notice of a busy schedule for the following week: Personnel at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, JBC at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Claims after JBC on Tuesday, Peer Review after JBC on Wednesday, and Special Language at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. No votes or substantive actions beyond referrals were recorded, and the meeting adjourned.