JBC-Personnel
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6 documents
Bills discussed (3)
| Bill | Title | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
SB30
Act 134
· 5 mentions in agenda, chapter, transcript
Matched: “…S. Evans, ex officio A. Call to Order Member Amendments: B. SB30- Office of the Governor Amendment JAR144 Senator Rice Const…”
|
AN ACT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR. | Joint Budget Committee | Notification that SB30 is now Act 134 |
|
SB29
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “D. SB29- Lieutenant Governor - Revised letter dated April 17, 2026,…”
|
AN ACT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR. | Joint Budget Committee | DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. |
|
SB51
· 2 mentions in chapter, agenda
Matched: “C. SB51- Auditor of the State - Revised letter dated April 17, 2026…”
|
AN ACT FOR THE AUDITOR OF STATE - OPERATIONS AND UNCLAIMED PROPERTY PROGRAM APPROPRIATION FOR … | Joint Budget Committee | DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. |
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- October 5, 2026
Unknown speaker
0:00
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
All right, members, we're going to go ahead and call this meeting
to order so today we're going to take some of these items out of order without
objection we're gonna go ahead and handle items C and D first and then come back to item B so with that we will all turn it over to Tony Robinson for item C thank you
Speaker 5
3:19
madam chair item C beginning on page 9 is a revised letter and a minute amendment for the auditors office after the previous letter and amendment re-referred from jbc a summary of the changes requested by the auditor in the new letter can be seen on the spreadsheet on page 17. they have lowered their requested increases in regular salary
and match in both their operations and ucp appropriations down to 10 percent regular salaries and match for operations is now 245
Chair
Unverified
3:46
490 regular salary and match for ucp is now at 109 711 members do we have any questions on
item c all right seeing none do
i have a motion for approval in a second a motion in a second is there any discussion
all those in favor please say aye all opposed no motion carries item
Speaker 5
4:17
d madam chairman item d on page 19 is a revised letter and amendment from the lieutenant governor's office after being re-referred from jbc this revised request keeps their positions at line item maximums with requested increases
Chair
Unverified
4:30
shown on the spreadsheet on page 23. the spreadsheet also details the revised requests for regular salary and match appropriations totaling 99 876 or 17.43 percent
all right members do we have any questions
on item d seeing none do i have a motion for approval motion and a second any discussion oh sorry hang on discussion um speaker evans you're recognized oh okay yep um all right any other discussion seeing none all those in favor please say aye opposed no motion
carries thank you guys and now we're going to move to item b all right
Speaker 5
5:14
madam chairman item b beginning on page three
is a member amendment from senator rice that will amend amend senate bill 30 for the governor's office the amendment will remove one governor senior advisor position at an SPC 11 lowering the total authorized positions from 59 to 58 the amendment
Chair
Unverified
5:29
will also lower regular salaries by 189 thousand two hundred and eleven dollars and matching by seventy five thousand six hundred and eighty four dollars for a total reduction of two hundred and sixty four thousand eight hundred ninety five dollars all right I'm
senator rice you are recognized okay you represent from
here go to the table um well we're just having discussion if you would you
Senator Terry Rice
Unverified
6:06
can do it at your at your seat is great i'm sorry i didn't hear you at your seat is great where you're at okay you're ready
for me to present yes ready for discussion thank you madam chair i brought this amendment to sb 30 to the joint budget committee which is the process available the amendment is necessitated because many arkansas all citizens from around the state feel the former Secretary of Corrections, Joe Perfury,
has broken the public trust with him and has been disingenuous in his former title, Secretary of Corrections, in the continuing Department of Corrections process on multiple issues. In the 18 years I've been in the legislature, we have required state employees to testify. As co-chairs of Joint Performance Review, Representative Cozart and myself agreed, Mr. Perfury needed to answer legislators' questions regarding his corrections work.
The procurement of the Franklin County land had zero public input. Mr. Perfury publicly promised transparency and communication would follow. It did not. I don't believe that one of you would invest your own money in a project that didn't even have the promise of water, yet the legislature wanted to invest millions of taxpayer dollars in a project ripe with basic questions that would drive cost up tremendously and not have a turning back point, just obligate more money without taxpayers' voice.
As allowed by the Arkansas Constitution, which we all took an oath to uphold, the Board of Corrections members asked Mr. Perfury to share his intended plans as secretary, and they would work with him. He ignored multiple attempts. A master, a major trust breaker was Mr. Peary's refusal to appear as requested by both chairs at the September Joint Performance Review Committee meeting. This is exactly the mission that Joint Performance Review was set up to handle.
And I'll briefly tell you the duties. The Joint Performance Review Committee, which I'm going to abbreviate as JPR, shall have the authority and responsibility, one, to make random and periodic performance review of specific government programs and agencies, two, conduct investigations in such specific problem areas of the administration of state government as may be brought to the attention
of or as determined by the jpr committee or the co-chairs of jpr number three refer specific problems regarding the operation of state government to appropriate interim committees of the general assembly for continuing study four conduct hearings on citizen complaints and views regarding the operation of state government and serve as a forum for citizens to air their complaints and suggestions regarding the operation of state government. Five, review the expenditures
of the various agencies, departments, and programs of state government to assure that they are being administered in accordance with legislative intent and being administered in such manner as to provide the taxpayer with the greatest service at the lowest reasonable cost. Number six, Make such reports and recommendations to the governor, the general assembly, and the legislative council as the JPR committee deems necessary or appropriate to promote more effective and efficient operation of state government.
And a 7A was added investigation, investigate allegations of violations of election law referred by the attorney general's office. to finish up respectful factual presentations were made by the public in jpr september committee two agency heads did attend but multiple times they said they didn't know or weren't sure of important questions mr perfuria as former secretary of corrections should have been
there to answer legislators questions as i was told during that meeting he was in the capital had been seen in the hall at the same time he didn't even reply and chose to snub legislators questions the lack of support from legislators on the jpr committee to issue a subpoena is troubling for a separate legislative branch that has the right and authority to do that.
The largest trust breaker was former Secretary of Corrections Joe Perfuris pulling a major corrections contract that had been worked on for a year and a half. Did he favor someone else? Was just scrapping a committee's vast time spent working on this and replacing them with other people for what he thought would be a predetermined outcome? I don't know. He wouldn't answer.
It resulted in costing Arkansas taxpayers over $350 million, I am told, not the $300 million I said previously. As Secretary of Corrections at that time, Joe Perfury is accountable for what he caused and the lack of want or will to work with others. Gray hair hasn't worked for him. It doesn't automatically produce wisdom. $1 million already spent on compensation with what results?
$350 million wasted. Almost $1 million spent by Veneer for what? At least the Department of Corrections refused their billing Arkansas for liquor, first-class airfare, and hotel upgrades. Even Donald Trump replaces appointees when they prove they can't perform duties successfully. Let's make a statement that we don't want to continue spending $265,000 a year on bad results
and demand public testimony to the legislature's Joint Performance Committee if Joe Perfury is to continue as a state employee. I would appreciate a yes vote for the Arkansas taxpayers you
Senator Mark Johnson
Unverified
12:51
represent. Thank you, Madam Chair. Is there
any other discussion? Representative Lane Jean,
you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. I
Representative Lane Jean
Unverified
13:07
don't have discussion. I want to either have the Governor's Office or the Department of Corrections come to the table if anybody's here.
Someone from the Governor's Office, Corrections, or DFA come to the table. Madam
Senator Terry Rice
Unverified
13:27
Chair, you have a board member here, I see. representative
yeah representative jean i think you've got somebody
standing up that may want to come forward well i that's fine come to the come to the table and i've got a few questions before we start in on the questions if that's okay that's fine if
Lee Watson
Unverified
14:11
you'll state your name and who you're with for the record please jim hudson secretary dfa my name
is lee watson i serve on the board of corrections um just before we start in on
questions are are you here on behalf of the board of corrections have they given you permission to speak on their behalf no so you're just here as an independent yes person yes citizen okay um senator can i recognize senator disming real quick i'll come back to you if
it's in if the line of questioning is with this yeah yeah
okay you recognize senator disming i'm just going to make
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
14:55
sure so we've asked a board of corrections to come up and talk about
a governor's office position, one of the same board members that was adamant that the governor not have influence on their position. I'm not sure what value he's going to bring, but if we're going to just have back and forth that aren't tied to the position, then I don't think that's the purview of this subcommittee or really even JBC. I mean, if we just want to air laundry about how he doesn't like a man, then I don't think that's appropriate for this committee. And so whatever he does,
speak to I mean I think we need to be pretty restrained on what we allow them to do I think there is definitely irony in someone from the Board of Corrections wanting to talk about the governor's hire. Senator Hester
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
15:50
you're recognized. Yeah so you you're not speaking on behalf of the board. No. They did not ask you to come. No. So you said just a second ago you were here as a citizen is that correct yes okay we don't allow citizens to give testimony in in budget committee
so if if you're here on behalf of the board maybe that's different but if you're here as a citizen
Lee Watson
Unverified
16:15
we don't we don't take testimony in this committee i responded only because the question was asked if anybody was here from you know with the department so i just
Speaker 48
16:26
want to make sure i made my presence now
Representative Jim Wooten
Unverified
16:37
I understand Senator Desmayne and Senator Hester, but Lee Watson is a member of a state board.
Now, whether or not he's appearing on behalf of the board, to me, is not an issue. Now, I'm sick and tired of the governor's office running the show, and they don't even show up today. And this is not right for the people of Arkansas. And Mr. Watson is on the board. He has suggestions. He has comments. If he wants to make them, if they're relevant to the matter that Senator Rice has brought before us,
I think he should be permitted to
Speaker 23
17:29
do so. Representative Gene, you're recognized. Thank you, Madam
Representative Lane Jean
Unverified
17:34
Chair. I just got a few questions. I don't know if Mr. Hudson or Mr. Watson can answer this. You know, and I really would have liked somebody, what is the timeline for Mr. Perfury, which I support, taking over the Department of Corrections.
You know, there's been some shift on the board. I don't think there's any objection to the board, certainly a majority of the board, to hire him. What are we waiting on? Will he be head of the Department of Corrections by July 1 of 2026, which this bill doesn't affect it until after that? Nobody's told me what the plan. I've asked several members. Nobody knows. I just want to know what the plan is of Mr. Furry's return to the Department of Corrections.
Speaker 53
18:28
Reverend Gene, I can't speak to any sort
Speaker 55
18:33
of timeline about that. What I can say is Secretary Wallace, she is the secretary, and she will continue to be the
Speaker 56
18:40
secretary until the governor decides she's not the secretary. So
Speaker 58
18:45
you've heard no plans of the timeline of when he returns?
Speaker 56
18:52
that, no service. Okay. But in the interim, he continues to do his job as an advisor to the governor.
Representative Lane Jean
Unverified
18:59
I understand that. Mr. Watson, do you have any idea of anything you've heard on the board? Not on that topic, no. Okay. So we have no timeline of when he'll return to the Department of Corrections? No. Just that hadn't been discussed. And if it's got anything to do with the lawsuit, we've got a new board now. The lawsuit could have been dropped. Has that been discussed?
Speaker 61
19:30
Publicly, it has, and that's still in the courts
Representative Lane Jean
Unverified
19:34
at this time. Okay. Well, I guess I've got all I'm going to get. Appreciate it.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, sir.
Senator Mark Johnson
Unverified
19:44
Senator Johnson, you're recognized. Thank you, Madam Chair. So, I
heard a lot of, I don't know who to ask this question to, but the performance in his current job is what's pertinent to the discussion, and all the discussion that was given was a job that he doesn't currently hold.
i think that's a relevancy right now it's uh it's not what what was done before it's what he's doing now as an advisor that's pertinent to this discussion representative kavanaugh you're recognized
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
20:28
thank you madam chair and i'm not sure who can answer this i'm gonna ask this question best way i know how if this amendment were to pass and the job was to go away and the
the appropriation for the money there's nothing that prohibits the governor from hiring him as another position is that not correct that is correct okay you interpret that correctly okay i just want to make sure i understand even if this were to pass he could still have a job in the governor's staff if she so chose and it's in her her purview to hire who she wants correct thank you and just to
Speaker 55
21:04
make sure if i may just that members are clear the governor is making no request of you to change her budget she's she's not asking anything of you other than to
continue to approve that which you've approved approved before and she consistently manages her budget conservatively she returned last time over a million dollars of her budget back to the state treasurer she is a shrewd and
Speaker 56
21:31
effective manager of her office's budget all right seeing
no other discussion or questions all right what's the will of the committee I mean I don't
okay motion in a second any other discussion all those in favor please say aye opposed no the nose have it do I see five
Speaker 4
22:39
All right, Madam Chair, starting with Senator Petty, Senator Blake Johnson, Senator Bryant,
Speaker 73
22:48
Senator Caldwell, Senator Hill, Senator Letting, Senator Dismang, Senator Hester.
Representative Kavanaugh. Representative Jeremiah Moore. Representative Richmond. Representative Holcomb. Representative McCullough. Representative Clowney. Representative Gene. Representative Evans.
all right members motion fails we will move on on to item e
Speaker 5
25:09
all right madam chairman moving on to item E this is regular business items item E on page 25 is a request from OPM for the reinstatement of a labor market rate at the crime lab the request will allow crime lab to pay up to $300,000 to medical examiners working within the facility the estimated cost to increase all employees excuse me madam chairman so they're taking they're taking the new employees there's two new employees up to 300,000 OPM has recommended the
requested rate and the action requires approval in lieu of review by the committee
all right is there any discussion or questions on this Senator Bryant you're recognized like you
Senator Joshua Bryant
Unverified
25:57
maybe just for staff or are the existing employees medical examiners already above 300,000 I think I would
let Kay barnhill into that yes sir the $300,000 rate was approved last year and the existing examiners are already there this is for two new ones they are non
employees as of yet they're trying to recruit these people to the state
okay any other questions seeing none do I have a motion for approval
got a motion in a second. Any discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Opposed, no. Motion carries. Item F.
Speaker 5
26:39
Madam Chairman, item F on page 29 is a request from ASU Jonesboro for 11 positions from the higher ed central growth pool. The request for positions is tied to the opening of the
new school for veterinary medicine. They're requesting one clinic director, one communication specialist, computer support technician, a lab manager, administrator, a lab coordinator, four lab technicians mental health clinician and one project program administrator the Department of Higher Education has recommended the requested titles and positions all right any
questions on this seeing none do we have a motion that this is
reviewed motion and a second any discussion all those in favor please say aye opposed no motion carries all right members that wraps up all of the business on our agenda today thank you meeting adjourned
Agenda
A. Call to Order
Member Amendments:
B. SB30- Office of the Governor Amendment JAR144 Senator Rice
Constitutional Officer Requests:
C. SB51- Auditor of the State - Revised letter dated April 17, 2026, from Auditor Dennis Milligan Revised Amendment JAR136
D. SB29- Lieutenant Governor - Revised letter dated April 17, 2026, from Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge Revised Amendment JAR134
Regular Business:
E. Request from Department of Public Safety, Division of Arkansas State Crime Lab for the re-establishment of a Labor Market Rate for Medical Examiners. - Requires Approval (Col. Mike Hagar, Secretary)
F. Request from Arkansas State University-Jonesboro for eleven (11) positions from the Higher Education Central Growth Pool established in AR Code 6-63-319. (Dr. Todd Shields, Chancellor)
Documents
| Title | Type | Pages | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agenda — JBC-PERSONNEL, Apr 21, 2026 | Agenda | 1 | Official source ↗ |
| Ex. B Governor SB30 | Exhibit | 6 | Official source ↗ |
| Ex. C Revised Auditor SB51 | Exhibit | 10 | Official source ↗ |
| Ex. D Revised Lieutenant Governor SB29 | Exhibit | 6 | Official source ↗ |
| Ex. E Department of Public Safety - Crime Lab | Exhibit | 4 | Official source ↗ |
| Ex. F Arkansas State University-Jonesboro | Exhibit | 24 | Official source ↗ |
Speakers
Senator Breanne Davis Chair
Unverified
Speaker 5
Chair
Unverified
Senator Terry Rice
Unverified
Senator Mark Johnson
Unverified
Representative Lane Jean
Unverified
Speaker 32
Lee Watson
Unverified
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
Speaker 48
Representative Jim Wooten
Unverified
Speaker 23
Speaker 53
Speaker 55
Speaker 56
Speaker 58
Speaker 59
Speaker 61
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
Speaker 12
Speaker 4
Speaker 73
Senator Joshua Bryant
Unverified