AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.
SB38 is the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs appropriation act for fiscal year 2026-2027. It sets the agency’s maximum authorized staffing level at 305 employees and provides funding for salaries, benefits, operating expenses, travel, and other routine costs across the department’s major programs, including state operations, veterans’ homes, veterans’ cemeteries, the military funeral honors program, the disabled veterans’ services office, and the Arkansas Veterans’ Child Welfare Service.
The bill also includes major capital and expansion funding for veterans’ facilities. It appropriates $15 million in state cash funds and $30 million in federal funds for land acquisition, improvements, construction, renovation, and equipment for a new State Veterans’ Home in Northwest Arkansas, and $2 million in federal funds for construction and expansion of the North Little Rock Veterans’ Cemetery. In addition, it authorizes extra-help positions for veterans’ homes and cemeteries and includes a special language provision allowing up to $50,000 to be transferred for cemetery realignment and maintenance expenses.
SB38 does not change substantive veterans’ policy law; instead, it authorizes spending and staffing for the Department of Veterans Affairs for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. It amends the state’s budget framework by setting appropriation limits from the Miscellaneous Agencies Fund Account, cash funds, federal funds, and the Military Funeral Honors Fund, and it directs how those funds may be used for operations, services, and facility projects. The act also includes carry-forward authority and compliance language tying expenditures to state fiscal control laws, procurement rules, and budget procedures.
The overall sentiment around SB38 appears strongly supportive and routine, consistent with a budget measure for veterans’ services. The bill passed both chambers overwhelmingly, including a 33-0 Senate vote and a 92-0 House vote on third reading, and it was approved as Act 16. The lack of recorded committee testimony suggests little visible controversy in the available record, and the broad funding for veterans’ homes, cemeteries, and support services likely contributed to the unanimous support.
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available materials. The only potentially notable issues are the size and allocation of funding for the Northwest Arkansas State Veterans’ Home and the North Little Rock cemetery expansion, along with the special language allowing a transfer for cemetery maintenance. However, the unanimous votes indicate no recorded opposition on the floor, and no committee transcript is available showing disagreement over staffing levels, capital spending, or the carry-forward provision.