Arkansas Senate Bill SB16

Arkansas 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/1/26
• Refer: 4/8/26
• Report Pass: 4/22/26
• Engrossed: 4/23/26
• Enrolled: 4/28/26
• Chaptered: 4/29/26
• Passed: 4/29/26

Caption

AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, HERITAGE, AND TOURISM - CAPITOL ZONING DISTRICT COMMISSION APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

Summary

SB16 is a fiscal-year appropriation bill for the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism’s Capitol Zoning District Commission for FY2026-2027. It establishes the maximum number of regular employees and authorizes one temporary or part-time “extra help” position, then appropriates funds for salaries, matching costs, and ordinary operating expenses. The bill also includes a small separate cash-fund appropriation for additional operating expenses. The act provides $257,040 from the Miscellaneous Agencies Fund Account for operations, including $176,446 for regular salaries, $938 for extra help, $63,700 for personal services matching, and $15,956 for operating expenses. It also appropriates $2,000 from cash funds for additional operating expenses. Like other Arkansas appropriation acts, it is limited to the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and contains standard provisions requiring compliance with state fiscal, procurement, accounting, and salary laws. The emergency clause makes the act effective July 1, 2026.

Impact

SB16 does not create new regulatory policy; it authorizes spending and staffing for the Capitol Zoning District Commission within the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. Its legal effect is to set the commission’s FY2026-2027 budget, employee cap, and permissible use of state and cash funds, while reaffirming that expenditures must comply with existing Arkansas fiscal-control statutes and related administrative rules. The bill becomes Act 131 and governs the commission’s appropriations for the new fiscal year.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests broad support and little controversy. The bill passed third reading unanimously in the Senate, 32-0, and there are no committee transcript excerpts indicating debate or opposition. As a routine budget measure, it appears to have been treated as a standard appropriations bill necessary to keep the agency operating.

Contention

No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided record. Because SB16 is a narrow appropriation for an agency’s operating budget, any potential concerns would likely have centered on staffing levels, salary amounts, or the source of funds, but no objections, amendments, or disputed issues are shown in the transcripts or vote history. The absence of recorded opposition indicates the bill was largely noncontroversial.