JBC-PEER Review

Red beans and some just did that. This call may be in order. Yes K.. Thank you wrote thank you Mr chairman we're ready our first item in B. these are the cash fund appropriation increase request of these are request by agencies to increase their spending authority for line items that are supported by their cash fund accounts be one of this is the racing commission they're asking for an increase in preparation of fifty thousand dollars and they note that they need the new spending authority to cover the cost of attorney fees associated with increased level of activity around casinos and horse racing and then be to is the department of education the Division of higher education and it's a regret request to increase appropriation for institutions to support the additional federal funding that they're receiving from the higher education emergency relief fund that's part of the cares that funding and so there are six universities that are receiving funding through this Arkansas tech university five million southeast Arkansas college two million five point six two point five six million you a community college at Batesville four point three five million as arca college three point two million south Arkansas community college six hundred five thousand and a issue Three Rivers half a million and that takes you through items be the cash fund appropriation increase and those are just a review items for the committee. Thank thank you. We have any questions. Seeing see no questions a without objection these items are reviewed Mr chairman the next group of items under see these are all going to be approval items the first one dealing with various temporary appropriation increase request these are far items supported by revenue sources other than cash or up federal funds the first one there is four department of public safety the requesting three hundred thousand dollars it's new spending authority that would allow the crime victims reparations Board to continue paying the claims for the remainder at FY twenty one and again that's an approval item for the committee. Thank you we have a I have a motion and a second all those in favor say aye. All those opposing sign. Motion passed. The next one C. two this is a restricted reserve fund transferred to request to transfer funds from their restricted reserve funds to agencies and this one is the department of public safety the Arkansas state crime lab they are requesting a transfer of five hundred nine thousand three hundred thirty three dollars from the restricted reserve fund to the Arkansas state crime lab according to the letter the funds will be used to support the new satellite lab that they're building in Lowell Arkansas and day explained that that this is the amount that was cut in category day of are as safe for the agency due to the COVID nineteen budget adjustments and then you also have a letter for the governor on that and again that that's another approval item for the committee. We have a motion by representative Boyd we have a discussion. Saying nine we have a second. The second by Senator Elliot all those in favor say aye. All those opposing signed. Motion passed. See three is another approval item this is preparation transfers special language in some department procreation bills allow transfers after approval by this committee or ale C. of this is the division of Education Division of elementary and second a secondary education and they're requesting transferring five million four hundred forty thousand dollars in spending authority from the school funding contingency section and date this appropriation would be reallocated across four different sections one point five million to the enhanced student achievement funding section to complete payments to school districts with students from low socio economic that background one point five four million to the alternative learning environment section for an unanticipated increases students one point two million to the declining enrollment section due to the revised distributions to public schools and open enrollment charter schools and one point two million to the teacher retirement match section to comply with a recent law there requires paying employer matching for employees at cooperatives that centers Easter seals and the correction school the the division has two of these that they can do a year and this is the second request that they're making for the year and again this is a and approval item for the committee. Thank you any discussion. I have a motion a representative void. We have a question from a from Senator Elliot. I'm I just want would you just repeat for me what you waste what you said is in here for the charter schools Senator Elliot can you speak it Speaker I just want to if you just repeat what what is up with the requested here for the charter schools. Senator Elliot I I noted that one point two million I'll was going to the declining enrollment section to the revised distributions to public schools and open enrollment charter schools. Is that right yes it is but is not broken out how much goes to. They're all in the same line item under declining enrollment of of what we receive yes ma'am but is not broken out how much is going to say about Mr may I ask if anybody from. Up there in the audience can tell us how much is going to which. Okay we'll get someone to come forward okay thank you. Please enter your several record. Jake we DFA office of budget my folks upon that information for you will have it here shortly okay all right. Could we just hold up until we get it here shortly on this item okay if you will come back to that. Sure whatever the committee needs I mean I I'm saying you're thinking shortly before we are out here right I sure hope so okay. Okay thank you this Mr thank you we will come back to that. Mr chairman will carry out now to item D. these are budget classification transfer request these request by agencies to make transfers among their five sub items of maintenance general operation in the event a certain item line item does not have enough spending authority or expected is expense another I. line item in their in the know has access to spare appropriation then they can make this request the one is the department of corrections division of corrections of their requesting to transfer million three hundred thirty two thousand six hundred ten from their professional fees to capital outlay and they know that this will be to purchase capital equipment in the deferred maintenance needs ID two is the department of education the Arkansas state library requesting the transfer eighty thousand from operating expenses to conference and travel and they know that this is due to some accounting reclassification of conference and workshop expenses and then number three is department of labor licensing professional bail bonds a licensing board requesting you transferred thirty thousand from operating expenses to capital outlay and they know that they'll does allow them to replace a vehicle for the agency and those are all the budget classification transfers. Okay a motion seconded by representative Boyd. All those in favor with this not a motion is not okay just religious review okay ria if there are no of no questions are no additional questions without objection these items are reviewed thank you Mr chairman the next group is miscellaneous federal grants in in the a section II these are when agencies are requesting increases spending authority of federal funds resulting from an end and unanticipated federal grant award none of the requested I have positions attached to them so they are just funding the first one is the department of commerce insurance department requesting seven hundred thirty thousand five hundred twenty six dollars an appropriation and this is a grant from the department of health and Human Services for the state health insurance assistance program to help senior citizens with insurance needs eighty two is the Department of Human Services this is for the Division of aging and adult and behavioral health requesting twelve million six hundred seventy six thousand six hundred twenty seven dollars this is a great that they received from the substance abuse and mental health services administration to prevent and treat substance use disorder E. three is the department of commerce with economic development commission the requesting fifty five thousand one hundred eighty three dollars that's a grant to launch a career counseling and workforce training project and number four is the department of public safety for the state crime lab the requesting a hundred thirty five thousand dollars an appropriation for the federal funds that they received a grant from the US department of justice to improve forensic science and medical examiner services E. five is a public safety state crime lab are requesting eighty seven thousand dollars this is a grant from the national highway traffic safety administration to complete toxicology text testing of motor vehicle crash samples in a timely manner manner to satisfy reporting and these items are review items only for the committee thank you we have any questions. Saying no questions these items are reviewed. Items of in elf or the a performance fund pay plan holding account transfers request by agencies for regular salaries extra help and personal services matching of their aid agencies requesting a total of five hundred thirty four thousand five hundred fifty five dollars almost all the agencies requesting their increases due to performance increases in salary adjustments I will note that parked in two areas and also knows that they have seasonal extra help as a reason for their additional appropriation and that chart is found on of page two of five and a half of those agencies making the request okay thank you senator Hammer thank you Mr somebody from the public defender commission here please. We just come forward. And please state your name for the record. Greg parish the executive director Arkansas Public fin Commission yes senator good morning Sir of the amount that you're requesting is that just take your your current number of personnel or you adding any personnel about that's on the agenda this one just take care of our current people this morning on. Senator follow up Mr yes Sir so how short are you throughout the state for public defenders in order to be able to keep up with the demand. Estimations of what I can give you a difference there's approximately a hundred positions difference between us and the prosecutors. we handle somewhere between ninety and ninety five percent of all felony swear there's a. An attorney involved. probably seventy five percent of all misdemeanors in addition we deal with city attorneys and so to answer your question I would say. To keep her head above water over the next five years anywhere from fifty to seventy five public defenders statewide. And how far are the backlog of cases in the court room because you don't have enough public defenders to be able to meet the the timeliness of of the court schedule. Before covid just give me an idea I can then I continue in Washington County before COVID we had gone from ninety days out for dropped about six months after COVID were now somewhere I would estimate and that's a rocket docket when I use Washington County because they they are set very fast elsewhere in the state I would say a minimum backlog of nine to ten months and with what's about to take place I predicted up until our people over the next two months. When we start back it's going to be horrendous not only for prosecutors public defenders Court split counties also having to incur the calls for additional jury pools and the percentage of those that are waiting to get their cases heard how many or sitting in the county lock up. I cannot give you an exact number of what I can tell you when this when the COVID started we were able to move a lot of cases prosecutors we were all working together request sitting in jail now is probably the worst of the worst the most violent felonies. And I do know that judges and everybody is just board call being at the bit to get these cases moving but it's an extensive backlog that's in the county jails right now and you know because of code we've had to meet a virtually with our clients. In a quite that two of. Meeting your surgeon. When you got to make a life changing decision. The other TV I mean you can't form that trust that we need to form with our clients. The burden thank you in last thing is you can't You can't get those cases heard if you don't have the public defenders to represent them in the courts so we're just kind of at a bottleneck is that a fair statement that's a that's a very first thing we can only trial one chase today and. five days a week but with with the shortage of people what you're talking about is in a lot of counties your term one public defender maybe to you've got jury trials for the next five days and you're just asking for rule thirty seven ineffective assistance of counsel on day three when something like that happens okay tell you what I'll make a commitment publicly to work with you in the interim and we'll see when due to connection is not Senator thank you thank you senator. Thank you any other questions. Seeing no other questions. This is reviewed. Mr chairman the next item is G. this is over time these are requested by agencies to increase their spending authority pay for overtime expenses only one agency on the schedule it's DFA revenues. Services skews me requesting fifty thousand dollars as ours is spending authority for overtime due to staff shortages and increased work output and that also is a review item in the details are found on page two of the items G.. We have any questions. Seeing no questions this item is reviewed. The next items item H. these are methods of finance there are two that have been sent over from DFA on page two of the schedule are the two MOFs first use a issue mid south for general campus renovations one point one million dollars they have a millage that will be covering that cost and then UAMS has a Schori sixth floor renovating web space for offices two hundred fifty seven thousand three hundred twenty five UAMS knows that they have reserves and revenues to cover the that MOF calls that's all the MOFs on today's agenda. Any questions. Seeing none these items are reviewed the next group of items are grants discretionary grants in the first ones in I. one are from the health department the first when there is for licensed dental hygienist of the second one is for tobacco control activities numbers three through seven of these are all grants up to provide office space and administrative support for the community health nurse specialist and the community health promotion specialist in the different schools and then numbers eight three sixteen a still for the health department these are all to fulfill tobacco control activities throughout the state. That takes this over of that's all of the department of health subgraphs the next group of grants beginning on page seven of item I of these or grants from the Department of Human Services the first one is for non the Arkansas number two is two two eight are all the same they are to provide improved quality of life for adults with disabilities with different area agencies on aging number that takes is the number eight number nine sorry there are no more for DHS we the next ones are for the Arkansas soybean promotion board of beginning on page ten and they have a few here the first one is for the for state fair for an agricultural learning center operated that the fair the second one is for research projects the third one is for membership dues the fourth one is for yield contest that they'll be participating in number five is for membership dues and number six on page twelve that's for the assisting in poultry education with the university of Arkansas center for poultry excellence in Fayetteville and then I for we have a grant from the division of workforce services this is the Ford tennis and this is to continue development expansion of the restore hope one hundred families initiative a hundred percent federally funded and those are all the grants on today's agenda. Thank you to have any questions. Seeing no questions without objection these items already the next group our contracts under J. and the first thing we have there is a note from a letter from Edward Armstrong as with those P. that none of the contract submitted appear on their face to be unlawful and are therefore submitted for review the first group contract that we look at Arkansas junction related contracts numbers one through four are all for a issue Jonesborough and those are all on call contracts for different architectural and engineering services number five is education department on on call engineering services contract number six is amendment or parks and tourism this is a contract that they have for doing some work at two Great Lakes resort state park. Number seven is the state police and this is an original contract this is for their architectural engineering services for construction of the new troop G. substation in Texarkana are you a fateful isn't on call commissioning contract and you see a has one therefore remodeling of the down health science building and those are all of the construction related contracts. We have any questions. Seeing no questions without objection these items are reviewed. The next group of conduct contract a beginning on page five or inter governmental contracts to that have been procured between agencies using inter governmental procurement department of commerce has the first one to provide a print if schools and electronic process to submit reports the state office number two is an original for the Department corrections they'll be collecting data and and cleaning it from the past five years of staffing levels units in may conduct cetera number three the health department this is to establish and operate a statewide communication infrastructure for the trauma system number four is the health department with UAMS this is for making available and the assistant professor work as the deputy science officer for the department of health number five is health department this is for the deputy state health officer and chief science officer number six DHS the first one with you of a to continue in person and online trainings on a variety of topics to make childcare providers needs identified by surveys number seven is with you a fait it bill to support a statewide early care and education professional development delivery system of two and four year colleges number eight all of these were DHS this one with you a fateful for the teeming for early childhood inclusion project number nine is healthy care arket childcare Arkansas program divide technical assistance in training to childcare providers on children's health topics number ten with UAMS to elevate social and emotional learning in Arkansas number eleven this is DHS with the insurance department to continue the all payer claims database operations related to Medicaid number twelve this is an amendment. To an existing contract that they have for Medicaid evidence based review project number thirteen DHS with UAMS for financial reporting and analysis for Medicaid programs waivers and grants number fourteen with Jefferson County this is for program in coordination or the county juvenile justice center number fifteen is UALR and this is an amendment to an existing project they have of for a value of that a waiting a proprietary bone scalpel System and again those are the inter governmental contracts on today's agenda. Thank you saying no questions without objections these items are reviewed and let's go back to the C. three I think Senator Elliot got her answer Mike recognize Senator Elliot. Okay with that said we have a motion to approve C. three and a motion. In a second by Senator Elliot. All those in favor say aye. All those opposing sign motion passed. Thank you Mr chairman we're back on J. three now which is on page twelve this is these are the out of state contracts of the first one is Arkansas heritage this is the as a contracted they have an ongoing contract for exhibit design fabrication at the Old State House Museum for first ladies of Arkansas effective it next is a issue Jonesborough and this is to provide legal services in matters before the Supreme Court and number three is community correction for electronic monitoring of offenders number four is DFA management this is for IT staff augmentation number five DEFA revenue services for online insurance verification system education department begins the next contracts of the first one is for facilities projects and number seven education for electronic transcript rogue Graham number eight on page fourteen is Emergency Management for radio communications site inspections a number nine is the health department for data management reporting of Arkansas state health alliance and records exchange this year program DHS's number ten and this is for a variety of providers to support a supplemental payments number eleven is DHS for linen rental and laundry services at the Arkansas Health Center number twelve DHS to provide integrated management application and implementation services for comprehensive industry standardized child nutrition program system number thirteen for psychological evaluations for DHS number fourteen on this one we have to actions actions three and four that we're looking at today and these are both this deals up this contract with qualified residential treatment program now. Over fifteen for emergency shelter services an amendment to that contract for DHS number sixteen is an amendment to a contractor DHS or therapeutic foster care number seventeen is contract amendment for enterprise project management office number eighteen is were value based care delivery and payment model. number nineteen is DHS with CMS financial reporting number twenty of. Is for human resources information system and then numbers twenty one through forty these are all going to be the same these are off or public employee retirement and they're all for investment management services the will also see these attacks in the in state as well number of forty one is public service commission or legal services of or the commission. Number forty two Skews me. Number forty two and forty six. These are for teacher retirement in there for management services and the number forty three number forty five number forty seven and number forty eight offered teacher retirement for consulting services number forty four that I skipped is for actuarial services for teacher retirement and so that should take is down to number forty nine forty nine to fifty three are all going to be for management services again these are all contracts this time of year four teacher retirement. Next we have you a fable where on page thirty two of item J. this is far continuation of a grant and contract management program and the number fifty five as you a Fort Smith FOR and facilities director to oversee maintenance and to process outstanding projects due to sudden vacancies of this position and those are all of the out of state contracts on today's agenda. Thank you senator Johnson you have a question on eleven on the linens. Now again okay thank you. Saying no Senator Ingram I'm just curious about the number two a issue Jonesborough that the legal fee of a hundred forty thousand dollars for a case that's in front of the Supreme Court of the United States just wonder what that have a issues tied in with score case with the spring court. You saying roadway issue system Senator that is a case of the alliance for defending freedom who sued us over free speech that's going through various appeals and as I went on appeal to the Supreme Court by them I believe of light not by us but by alliance for defending freedom. Okay thank you very much. Senator Elliot. Mister chair I have a question about the our teacher retirement this number forty two. On page sixteen. Forty two. Yes and paid sixteen is a professional consultants are services contract. Okay and. Please take your name for the record. yes thank you rod graves Arkansas teacher retirement. Mr of Mr graves these are state contracts and I'm wondering if are these the contract of for the people we pay to do investments and so forth for teacher retirement fund. A yes I believe you're looking at I'm. Which number it's it's number forty two on page sixteen. So the better to is the Allianz global investors capital is is is the contract if that helps any yes yes these are all of the contracts in this section or mixture of either consulting services or investment managers of that work for the system and our how to what extent we had the same contractors you know over how many or something along that line is there any change in here at all a lot of them have been in place gosh going back maybe ten plus years. and. To balance this do we have any of folks say in Arkansas who are doing any of the investing on behalf of a teacher retirement are they all out of state are we do have one in state manager that's Stevens. And how long has Stephen spend one of our managers it's a little longer than ten years right yes much like it's been for a long time okay and so have we have we made any it before we have we did this out when the last time we had an opportunity to have some other folks to be a part of this investment so the investment managers are are constantly monitored and reviewed by the investment consultants who make recommendations to the board to either higher or in the relationship and redeploy those assets the managers are gauge according to various criteria by the investment consultants including not only performance but also strength the back office size of firm that sort of thing so they're not necessarily bid out of the this time it's just sort of an ongoing process that the consultants trying to match investment managers that fit into needs of the system's overall portfolio in and design whether it be feels more like an RFQ thing rather than it's it's it's not necessarily in our if cue in the sense that were used to that are if you status the consultant to pick through our if queue and then the consultants do their own version of of that to determine what managers to recommend to the board. All right well I would just register as I as I have eight years before whatever we're doing seems to keep us. Using the same people over and over and over I just think that's something we ought to be taking a look at because it and I'm not saying that is not a plea a plea for people I'm qualified but it doesn't stand to reason to me and maybe I can be persuaded that we are stuck with the same folks over and over and over because somehow we are putting up a criteria that. Allows us to in there and I'm wondering about examine our criteria just so that we make sure we're not just stuck with the same folks over and over over on nobody else ever having a chance to be a part of this process that's that's what I'd like us to start thinking about in a more serious way thank you so much for your responses yes Sir thank you Mister chair. Senator Hammer. Thank you just a follow up questions Senator Elliot on those that have the contracts are they allowed is there performance based measure the chin their contract that in the event they don't perform to expectation that the contract can be terminated. I wouldn't say it's a specific performance based as far as a set number of but performance is definitely one criteria they're judged on in these contracts can be terminated by the system at any time for for a number of reasons. Has the system looked at their performance. Or do you do it annual review of their performance to determine that what they're giving you. Is actually to the benefit of the overall plan and system of yes senator the the consultant's review almost constantly and they provide a report to the board at every board meeting and sometimes it's a monthly report sometimes a quarterly report or year end report just depending on the the timing of the board. Have you ever had to terminate one because they didn't perform. There have been of a number of terminations typically the performance especially short term performance it may not measure in quite as much to that recommendation from a consultant to terminate to the board of but we have terminated based on performance and other factors such as changing key personnel at those manager in another words if they have a one of their head people leaves then that that also raises more questions but to answer your question yes there has been termination maze based on performance thank you. The last group of contracts or in state contracts J. four beginning on page thirty four the first one is Arkansas heritage this is original contract for janitorial services number two is the correction department an original contract for land level of leveling services DFA management services to provide comprehensive advertising marketing and public relations services number four is the education department for court reporters Services number five education or migrant education database number six is education school for the deaf or occupational therapy services for the school and number seven also for the school for the death of physical therapy services number eight is Emergency Management for some a wind towers needing lightning lighting repair skews me of nexus health department for comprehensive statewide media campaign to promote the Arkansas department of health Committee of tobacco prevention and cessation programs also number ten health department pharmacy services next or DHS contracts and there are a number of contracts for DHS numbers eleven three fifty five are all going to be contracts for them and I'll go through and and let you know how many of different types of contracts they have and then if you want to know that particular one second point that out to you that they have eight contracts dealing with qualified residential treatment programs they have a child care aware resource and referral contract they have three contracts dealing with specialized private license placement they have three for parent training services they have a contract listed for private licensed foster homes one for legal representation services they have five contracts up for emergency shelter service. As they have five for therapeutic foster care services they and they have seven for counseling services they have one for supervised independent living program they have for contracts on today's agenda for home studies one for adoption summaries one for intensive family services one for psychological evaluations one for psychological examiner and that for the Conway human development center one for dental services or the Bengal human development center and one for inspection care reviews that takes is over to. Page. Fifty two. and here are public redeploy a retirement of here are two of contracts for them for investment management number of fifty six and fifty seven that are in state contracts and then you had a teacher retirement a number fifty eight is for legal services and number fifty nine is the contract they just mentioned in state contract for management fees and management services for teacher retirement that is all of the in state contracts on today's agenda. Thank you to have any questions. Seeing no questions without objection these items are reviewed. Mr chairman the only other thing is we have a packet of a variety of reports that come for peer and for review and they are sample separately if people wanted to take them with them are if they have any questions about any of the items on those reports. Thank you to have any questions on that. Seeing no questions go to reviewed is there anything else at the Sturch chairman we are adjourned.