Transcript Highlights:

• DHS also has made leadership changes and structure changes inside of DHS.
• . grant making at DHS.
• notifies DHS.
• notifies DHS.
• DHS oversees the EIDBI benefit.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• are still at DHS.
• are still working at DHS today. are still working at DHS today.
• review by DHS officials. review by DHS officials.
• I said, people can report fraud to DHS. I said, people can report fraud to DHS.
• DHS retained oversight of that report. DHS retained oversight of that report.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• and cannot provide as well as how DHS and cannot provide as well as how DHS and<00:10:20.519>
• <00:10:25.480> single-handedly with this is that DHS single-handedly with this is that DHS
• DHS decided, as you mentioned, Mr.
• <00:12:25.199> with understanding it also leaves DHS with understanding it also leaves DHS
• <00:12:49.199> is follow state law but let's say DHS is follow state law but let's say DHS

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• DHS, I guess. Go ahead. Yeah, number three, somebody else. DHS, I guess, is who that is. DHS?
• Number 15, DHS with SHC Services.
• Number 14, DHS, DCFS, with Wynn Counseling. Number 14, DHS, DCFS, with Wynn Counseling.
• Number 16, DHS, DDS, with April Peak.
• Number 17, DHS, DDS, with Derek Ross.

Summary: The subcommittee reviewed multiple methods of finance and construction items, including projects for Arkansas State University, Black River Technical College, UAMS, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and UCA. The UAPB Allied Health and Sciences Building appeared both as a method of finance and as an alternative delivery construction project, with East Harding Construction selected and AMR Architects as designer. Members approved the methods of finance, the alternative delivery project, and several discretionary grants, including Department of Health grants for a heart attack center designation and community health worker training, and DHS grants related to homeless services, behavioral health transition support, and an enabling technology pilot. The committee then reviewed service contracts, including RFQs, construction-related contracts, intergovernmental agreements, and a large number of out-of-state and in-state contracts. Testimony focused heavily on DHS staffing and state hospital contracts, the Arkansas State Police seatbelt survey, AEDC’s lithium supply chain analysis, and Shared Administrative Services’ new SuccessFactors performance-management contract. Members asked detailed questions about contract nursing costs, turnover, hiring timelines, and whether some contracts were being renewed or amended beyond their original projected costs. DHS and Veterans Affairs officials explained staffing shortages, retention incentives, and the use of contract labor as a supplement to state employees. Several contracts drew scrutiny and were held for further review. Representative Wardlaw raised concerns about projected costs and repeated amendments on the Department of Education security contract and on DHS staffing contracts, arguing that some had exceeded their original projected totals. The committee voted to hold contracts 5, 7, and 8 until Friday, while adopting the remaining contracts. The meeting ended after informational reports on service contract amendments without material change, executed contracts, and emergency procurements were presented, with no further business before adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number 12, DHS with U of A Little Rock.
• Number 18, DHS with UAMS.
• Number 23, DHS with UAMS.
• Number 40, DHS with Deloitte.
• DHS with Guidehouse.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Number 18 is DHS with UAMS.
• Number 15, DHS, DCFS with UAMS. This is for family first, Number 15, DHS, DCFS with UAMS.
• Number 18, DHS with UAMS.
• Number 45, DHS, DCFS with St.
• DHS with Sausalina of Madison.

Summary: The committee met to review a supplemental agenda item, procurement rule revisions, methods of finance, discretionary grants, contracts, reports, and a member disclosure. The supplemental agenda was accepted, and the Office of State Procurement’s rule revisions were approved after Jessica Patterson explained they were driven by 2025 legislative changes, including Act 782, CASO Consulting recommendations, and updates to sole source, bid, protest, and debarment provisions. The methods of finance and discretionary grants were also approved, covering a range of university capital projects, health and human services grants, historic preservation awards, and tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The committee then reviewed RFQs and six ratifications. The ratifications included a Workforce Connections payment to ACT WorkKeys for services provided during a contract gap, a Department of Health ratification for water-leak repairs, a large Department of Public Safety ratification for Motorola’s Arkansas Wireless Information Network upgrade, a Veterans Affairs HVAC ratification, an ADFA medical services ratification, and a UA Little Rock painting contract ratification. Members questioned the Public Safety ratification at length about why the expired Motorola contract was not caught sooner and why it took months after discovery to come forward; agency officials said the work was tied to bond funding and was not tracked in ASIS, and the chair urged agencies to develop better monitoring procedures. The committee approved a large slate of construction, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including many recurring service agreements for DHS, higher education institutions, corrections, health agencies, and state support functions. Several members asked about specific contracts, including aerial application services for correctional farms and a Southern Arkansas University custodial contract, and staff or agency representatives provided brief explanations. The meeting concluded with review of reports and approval of a member disclosure involving Representative Andrew Collins’ investment interest in a company leasing property to Arkansas Rehabilitation Services.

Transcript Highlights:

• DHS, I guess. Go ahead. Yeah, number three, somebody else. DHS, I guess, is who that is. DHS?
• Number 15, DHS with SHC Services.
• Number 14, DHS, DCFS, with Wynn Counseling. Number 14, DHS, DCFS, with Wynn Counseling.
• Number 16, DHS, DDS, with April Peak.
• Number 19, DHS, DDS, with Marsh George Clinic. Number 19, DHS, DDS, with Marsh George Clinic, P.A.

Summary: The ALC-Review Subcommittee reviewed seven methods of finance, including university projects at ASU Jonesboro and Mountain Home, Black River Technical College deferred maintenance, UA Batesville’s Farm Project Gateway Center, UAMS PET cyclotron equipment, a new allied health building at UAPB funded by a federal grant, and UCA’s multi-purpose arena design work. The committee also approved an alternative delivery construction project for UAPB’s Allied Health and Sciences Building, with East Harding Construction selected and AMR Architects as designer. Members then approved discretionary grants from the Department of Health and DHS, including support for a heart attack center designation, community health worker training, homeless services funding corrections, behavioral health transition support, and an enabling technology pilot. In the contracts section, the committee reviewed RFQs, construction-related contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and a large slate of out-of-state and in-state contracts covering topics such as seatbelt survey data collection, Medicaid and DHS systems, state hospital staffing and services, veterans’ services, education assessments, and state IT and procurement projects. Several contracts drew extended questioning. Senators and representatives pressed DHS and the Department of Veterans Affairs about heavy reliance on contract nursing and staffing costs, and officials said they were using pay incentives and recruitment efforts to increase state employee staffing. Members also questioned AEDC’s lithium supply chain study and the Department of Education’s security contract, with concerns about projected costs and repeated amendments. The committee held three in-state contracts—Department of Education security services and two DHS staffing contracts—until Friday, then adopted the remaining contracts and received informational reports on contract amendments, executed contracts, and emergency procurements before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number three, DHS with NAMI Arkansas.
• These are the DHS grants. Members, do we have any questions on DHS grants?
• Number seven, DHS with K.A. Lancaster.
• Number 7, DHS with K.A. Lancaster.
• Number 17, DHS DDS with Tamara Jolly, OTR. Number 17, DHS, DDS, with Tamara Jolly, OTR.

Summary: The committee first considered an $88,000 used tire program contract for District 4 with LTR Intermediate Holdings. Senators raised concerns that the tire district’s revised business plan had not yet been approved and that the contract could worsen cash flow before funding was confirmed. Questions were also raised about procurement language in the RFP that excluded bidders under corrective action plans. After discussion, a motion was made and approved to hold the contract until next month so the tire board could appear and answer questions. Members then reviewed a large slate of methods of finance, alternative delivery projects, and discretionary grants. These included capital projects at ASU Mid-South, Arkansas Tech, Ozarka, UA Fayetteville, UA Little Rock, UAMS, and UCA; a new UCA multi-purpose arena project estimated at $75.5 million; and DHS and Department of Health grants for aging services, substance abuse prevention, mental health, nutrition, hearing-loss follow-up, HIV services, and rural hospital quality improvement. All of these items were reviewed without objection. The committee also heard a ratification request from UAMS for a Family and Medical Leave Act outsourcing contract with FMLA Source. UAMS said an amendment had been prepared but never submitted for review, and payments continued after expiration; members expressed frustration and asked UAMS to review whether other contracts had similarly lapsed. The committee then reviewed numerous construction-related, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including airport economic impact study work, parking guidance technology at the University of Arkansas, veteran nursing services, and multiple DHS service contracts. Most items were reviewed without objection, and the meeting adjourned after reports of routine contract amendments and minor contracts were presented for information.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number six is DHS with UAMS.
• Number five, DHS with UAMS.
• Number six, DHS with UMS.
• Number seven, DHS... Number seven, DHS, ACA GPS. It's amended.
• Is that DHS also? It is DHS. It's Optimum. Okay. You up to Optimum or one of y'all?

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.

Transcript Highlights:

• payment left DHS a few days after. payment left DHS a few days after.
• recommendations for BHA and DHS. recommendations for BHA and DHS.
• OGM and DHS requirements. OGM and DHS requirements.
• DHS, MDH, MDE. And it's hard to tell. DHS, MDH, MDE. And it's hard to tell.
• working to find and stop fraud at DHS. working to find and stop fraud at DHS.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Madam Chair, DHS has a contract with the BCA.
• Madam Chair, DHS has a contract with the BCA.
• No, they serve the DHS OIG only.
• license is revoked or suspended by DHS license is revoked or suspended by DHS or<01:20:31.040>
• :32:52.199> to and 245 C15 will enable DHS to and 245 C15 will enable DHS to disqualify<01:32:

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Conducting work as a DHS employee for a company that held contracts with DHS was against policy, was
• DHS senior staff above me had conducted. DHS senior staff above me had conducted.
• :12.640> was company that held contracts with DHS was company that held contracts with DHS was
• that used to exist at DHS. that used to exist at DHS.
• investigations in DHS. investigations in DHS.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• G3 is DHS again. This is for $18,000.
• G4 is DHS again.
• G4 is, again, DHS.
• Number 11 is DHS with ARVAC.
• Page six, contract number 15 DHS. for DCFS clients.

Summary: The committee heard a series of appropriation requests and contract reviews across multiple sections. In Section B, members approved temporary appropriations for the Court of Appeals, Commerce/Aeronautics, and Insurance-related payments and refunds. Section C ARPA requests from DHS were approved to return unused federal funds. Section D infrastructure-related appropriations, including wildfire preparedness, broadband BEAD funding, forestry support, recycling, and oil and gas sample preservation, were approved after questions about broadband audit controls and performance safeguards. Section E DHS reallocations were approved, including large transfers within Medical Services from hospital medical to private and public nursing home lines, along with smaller transfers for children and family services, developmental disabilities, and youth services; members asked about the source and purpose of the medical services transfer. Sections F and G were reviewed, covering cash fund requests, federal grants, and miscellaneous grants, including community college storm repairs, corrections commissary and maintenance, 911 enhancements, maternal health, disability determinations, state police equipment, digital newspaper archiving, and CDL data improvements. In Section H, the committee reviewed pay plan appropriations and performance fund transfers tied to the new Class and Comp pay plan. Section I reviewed three methods of finance for UA Little Rock, UAMS, and the University of Arkansas system. In Section J, the committee reviewed discretionary grants, including a $1.4 million HIV services grant and nine tobacco prevention subgrants through UAPB. Members questioned the effectiveness, metrics, and addresses of some tobacco-cessation arts-based grantees, especially Arts Absolutely Inc.; after discussion, Representative Kavanaugh moved to expunge the vote on J2 and refer it back for review at a later ALC meeting, and that motion passed. J3, a Department of Energy and Environment grant for propane safety training and e-waste recycling services, was then reviewed. The committee also reviewed contracts in Section K. K-1 ratified emergency management nuclear planning work performed during a transition between agencies. K-2 construction contracts included architectural and engineering services for corrections, National Park College signage, a Razorback Road parking facility, and UAMS cyclotron installation. K-3 intergovernmental contracts covered health, education, autism waiver, stroke, newborn screening, Medicaid evidence review, and radiation testing services. K-4 out-of-state contracts included staffing, IT, tobacco prevention, audit, marketing, planetarium, recruitment, and janitorial services; Senator Irvin noted one contract appeared to belong in the out-of-state list rather than intergovernmental. K-5 in-state contracts covered staffing, cleaning, re-entry and treatment services, foster care and disability services, hearing officers, asbestos abatement, campus IT support, and janitorial work. The meeting ended after a brief personal update from Senator Irvin about tornado damage in Stone County and thanks to members for their concern, followed by adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number 13, DHS with UA Little Rock.
• Number 18, DHS with UAMS.
• Number 40 is with DHS and Deloitte.
• Number 40 is with DHS and Deloitte.
• DHS with Sausalina of Madison.

Summary: The committee met to review a supplemental agenda, procurement rule revisions, methods of finance, discretionary grants, contracts, and a member disclosure. The Office of State Procurement presented rule changes tied to 2025 legislative changes, including Act 782, with updates to sole-source definitions, unrealistic bids, protest requirements, debarment procedures, and recodification references; the committee voted to accept the supplemental agenda and approve the rules. Members also approved eight methods of finance covering university repairs, equipment replacement, property purchase, and capital projects, along with a large slate of discretionary grants for courts, health, DHS, historic preservation, and tobacco prevention programs. The committee then reviewed RFQs and six ratifications. The ratifications included a Workforce Connections payment to ACT WorkKeys, Department of Health costs from an ice-storm-related water leak, a large Department of Public Safety ratification for Motorola’s Arkansas Wireless Information Network upgrade, Veterans Affairs HVAC and medical-service payments, and a UA Little Rock painting contract. The Department of Public Safety ratification drew extended questioning about why the expired Motorola contract had not been renewed sooner and why the issue took months to reach the committee; agency officials said the project was bond-funded, had not been tracked in ASIS, and involved ongoing negotiations and system updates. Despite concerns, the committee approved the ratifications. Members also reviewed a long list of construction, intergovernmental, out-of-state, and in-state contracts, including numerous university, DHS, health, corrections, and state agency agreements. Several contracts were discussed in more detail, including an SAU custodial contract question about sales tax and transparency reporting, and Department of Corrections aerial application contracts for Tucker and Cummins farms, which officials said served separate facilities in different parts of the state. The committee approved the contract lists, reviewed reports, and accepted a disclosure from Representative Andrew Collins regarding his investment interest in a company leasing property to Arkansas Rehabilitation Services before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number five is DHS with UAMS.
• Number six is DHS with UAMS.
• Number six, DHS with UMS.
• Number seven, DHS. Number eight is DHS, EMSLink, Inc. This is an original contract.
• Is that DHS also? It is DHS. It's Optimum. Okay. You up to Optimum or one of y'all?

Summary: The PEER Review Subcommittee met to consider a large agenda of appropriation, transfer, contract, and other review items. Members approved temporary appropriation requests in Sections B through F, including funding for prosecuting attorneys, education-related adjustments, school operating needs, labor licensing divisions, ARPA fund returns from Workforce Services, IIJA grants for state police CDL implementation and a forestry-related county grant, reserve fund transfers for teacher scholarships, school facilities, and economic development, and a Commerce reallocation tied to organizational realignment. Cash fund requests in Section G and budget classification transfers in Section H were also reviewed, along with pay plan requests in Section I, overtime requests in Section J, and multiple methods of finance in Section K. The committee also reviewed discretionary grants in Section L, including agriculture promotion board grants and DHS aging/adult behavioral health grants, plus RFQs, construction contracts, intergovernmental contracts, and out-of-state contracts in Sections M1 through M5. Several items drew questions from members. Workforce Services explained that $225,000 in TANF-related funds would be returned to the federal government because the two-year hold period for uncashed or moved checks had expired. Commerce officials described the $25 million site infrastructure grant program, saying it supports site development, due diligence, and infrastructure build-out at eligible sites of 30 acres or more, including rural communities, with grant agreements and matching requirements providing accountability. DHS and Education officials answered questions about the Care Solace mental health referral contract, saying it is a statewide concierge/referral service that helps schools connect students to Arkansas providers and follow up so students do not fall through the cracks; members asked for more information on provider selection, school-day scheduling, and Arkansas vendor participation. The committee held one item over: the DHS discretionary grant item for the RSVP retired senior volunteer program in L2, after concerns were raised about whether state general revenue was being used effectively and how much administrative overhead the providers retain. Members also questioned several contracts, including a DHS sole-source contract with EMSLink for document management software and a DHS bridge contract with Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care for Medicaid inspections of care reviews; in both cases, agency staff explained the need to avoid service disruption and said follow-up information would be provided. A Department of Corrections reentry center contract was discussed for its recidivism results, and ARDOT retirement-system investment contracts were briefly explained. The meeting ended after a lengthy discussion of the Medicaid Trust Fund balance, with DFA and DHS officials saying the state is expected to finish the fiscal year without exhausting the fund, that a restricted reserve of $100 million is available as a backstop, and that the larger question is what minimum balance should be maintained going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• in at DHS in terms of program integrity. in at DHS in terms of program integrity.
• using MINITS and DHS system data.
• using MINITS and DHS system data.
• using MINITS and DHS system data.
• using MINITS and DHS system data.

Bills: HF3378

Keywords: human services, Optum reports, data privacy, transparency, legislative oversight, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:02:08.599> and we looked at other services in DHS and we looked at other services in DHS
• much in total has DHS much in total has DHS recovered<01:08:33.480> in<01:08:33.600> the
• He explained that credits result when DHS sends out payments for claims that have been billed to DHS
• DHS says it has no data emails, but in reality DHS does not retain data on a separate server, and the
• court is being lied to. data when Court subpoena DHS DHS says it data when Court subpoena DHS DHS says

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• DCT was still within DHS um last year. DCT was still within DHS um last year.
• of that work is informing the DHS of that work is informing the DHS process<01:19:38.960> as<
• <01:31:38.480> versus for what's happening at DHS versus for what's happening at DHS versus
• that's in the DHS lane. that's in the DHS lane.
• Um, we ourselves as the DHS uses.

Bills: HF3379

Keywords: housing stabilization, disability services, predatory funding, provider requirements, housing accessibility, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• dollar, every grant known to DHS, and found no fraud in DHS grants perpetrated by the same people who
• and found no fraud in Grant known to DHS and found no fraud in DHS<00:46:58.800> perpetrated<
• <00:58:21.839> from oversee we found no fraud in DHS from oversee we found no fraud in DHS
• <01:08:16.080> on<01:08:16.359> these by DHS on these by DHS on these activities<01
• <01:08:28.600> is system just pays and no one at DHS is system just pays and no one at DHS

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Human Services Committee met on January 22, 2025, to focus early in session on waste, fraud, abuse, and program integrity in Minnesota human services programs. The chair said taxpayers expect funds to reach people in need and asked the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) to present on resources, progress, and possible solutions. Members also asked the auditors to note where the legislature or agencies had already taken action to address prior findings. OLA staff summarized recent reports on grants management and oversight. They said noncompliance with grants policies has been pervasive across agencies, including problems at DHS in conflict-of-interest documentation and pre-award financial reviews. In one DHS review, 30 of 41 grant reviewers had missing or incomplete conflict forms, and 20 of 57 grants lacked required financial review documents; the issues affected about $11.5 million in grant funding. OLA said DHS spent more than $400 million in grants to nonprofit organizations from 2018 to 2022, and they identified broader factors affecting compliance such as inconsistent funding for grants administration, ad hoc training, inconsistent data systems, and limited enforcement authority. They noted 2023 legislative changes that allowed agencies to retain some grant funding for administration and directed an assessment of a statewide grants management system, and they said OGM training and staffing have increased, though training is still not required for all staff. The Financial Audit Division then discussed the senior nutrition program at DHS, which delivered about 3.1 million meals to more than 40,000 participants in 2022 through the Minnesota Board on Aging, area agencies, service providers, and subcontractors. The audit found nine findings across documentation, monitoring, contract oversight, participant recertification, and data quality. Examples included service providers failing to recertify participants or recording inaccurate data, the Board on Aging not performing monitoring visits since 2017 or financial reconciliations in 2022, and area agencies failing to complete required site visits. Survey results also suggested participant database inaccuracies. OLA recommended stronger monitoring, clearer procedures, and more reliable data to ensure services reach intended recipients. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• And as I mentioned before, many of the OJA kids are DHS kids and will go back to be DHS kids.
• This was intended to effectively use DHS to SWAT a family.
• there are bad actors even within DHS.
• We need serious reform with DHS.
• There's a big problem with DHS.

Bills: SB1778, SB1570, SB134, SB1966, SB1636, SB1725, SB1726, SB259, SB504, SB592, SB2030, SB1572, SB843, SB1242, SB1255, SB1262, SB1264, SB1286, SB1581, SB1290, SB1316, SB1319, SB1369, SB1379, SB1381, SB1400, SB1427, SB1436, SB1461, SB1496, SB1509, SB1534, SB1553, SB904, SB1592, SB1645, SB1684, SB1767, SB1772, SB1813, SB1894, SB1928, SB1946, SB1980, SB2040, SB2060, SB2061

Keywords: reading instruction, literacy, educational equity, intervention services, third grade retention, Strong Readers Act, child welfare, child safety, administrative transition, Department of Child Safety and Well-being, Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, juvenile justice, foster care, retirement, public employees, reemployment, benefit adjustment, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, memorial highways, bridge designations