Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development - Senate
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Bills discussed (11)
| Bill | Title | Sponsor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
SB421
Act 578
· 8 mentions in agenda, transcript, chapter
Matched: “…HOLESALER OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS FOR THE PETROLEUM PRODUCTS. SB421 Hester TO AUTHORIZE THE ARKANSAS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSI…”
|
TO AUTHORIZE THE ARKANSAS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION TO ISSUE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT … | Hester | Notification that SB421 is now Act 578 |
|
HB1149
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…ON AND CONSERVATION. DEFERRED BILLS Number Sponsor Subtitle HB1149 Vaught CONCERNING VEGETABLE GARDEN PROTECTION. SB281 Gilmor…”
|
CONCERNING VEGETABLE GARDEN PROTECTION. | Vaught | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
HB1656
Act 1024
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…EMOVE CERTAIN SUBSTANCES THAT ARE DEFINED AS HEMP PRODUCTS. HB1656 Beck TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION AND…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION. | Beck | Notification that HB1656 is now Act 1024 |
|
SB281
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…title HB1149 Vaught CONCERNING VEGETABLE GARDEN PROTECTION. SB281 Gilmore TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING AGRICULTURE; TO ESTABLIS…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING AGRICULTURE; TO ESTABLISH THE PRODUCER BILL OF RIGHTS FOR COMMODITY … | Gilmore | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB290
Act 921
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…sor Subtitle SB400 Irvin TO AMEND THE FAIR-FUNDING PROGRAM. SB290 B. Johnson TO PROHIBIT A MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUANCE OF PERM…”
|
TO PROHIBIT A MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUANCE OF PERMITS IN WATERSHEDS AND OTHER BODIES OF … | B. Johnson | Notification that SB290 is now Act 921 |
|
SB396
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “AGENDA (REVISED 03/17/2025 @ 8:30AM Removed SB396 from Agenda Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and…”
|
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSES; AND TO AUTHORIZE THE ARKANSAS STATE … | A. Clark | Sine Die adjournment |
|
SB400
Act 933
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…Jr Sen. Jamie Scott REGULAR AGENDA Number Sponsor Subtitle SB400 Irvin TO AMEND THE FAIR-FUNDING PROGRAM. SB290 B. Johnson T…”
|
TO AMEND THE FAIR-FUNDING PROGRAM. | Irvin | Notification that SB400 is now Act 933 |
|
SB415
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…SSUANCE OF PERMITS IN WATERSHEDS AND OTHER BODIES OF WATER. SB415 Crowell TO AUTHORIZE THE DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY…”
|
TO AUTHORIZE THE DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TO MAINTAIN A DELINQUENT LIST OF BUSINESSES FAILING … | Crowell | Sine Die adjournment |
|
SB455
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…OF WATER, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND POLLUTION ABATEMENT PROJECTS. SB455 J. Bryant TO ALLOW REGULATION OF HEMP PRODUCTS BY ARKANSAS…”
|
TO ALLOW REGULATION OF HEMP PRODUCTS BY ARKANSAS TOBACCO CONTROL; AND TO AMEND THE UNIFORM … | J. Bryant | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
|
SB84
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…IRE CERTAIN ACTIONS RELATED TO COMMODITY CHECKOFF PROGRAMS. SB84 B. Johnson TO PROHIBIT A MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUANCE OF PERM…”
|
TO PROHIBIT A MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUANCE OF PERMITS IN WATERSHEDS AND OTHER BODIES OF … | B. Johnson | Sine Die adjournment |
|
SB85
· 1 mention in agenda
Matched: “…SSUANCE OF PERMITS IN WATERSHEDS AND OTHER BODIES OF WATER. SB85 Caldwell TO PRESERVE PUBLIC PROPERTY; AND TO PRESERVE TIMBE…”
|
TO PRESERVE PUBLIC PROPERTY; AND TO PRESERVE TIMBER AT THE PINE TREE RESEARCH STATION. | Caldwell | Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment. |
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- October 8, 2026
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
0:00
Call this meeting of the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development Committee to order. We've got several on the agenda today. I don't think it's going to run. Senator Irvin? Senator Irvin? Are you going to pass over that? Senator Hester? Yes. Senate Bill 421. if you would introduce yourself please for the record
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
0:39
introduce yourself for the record please so state senator bart hester uh senate bill 421 remember this is a program that we've been doing for 40 years in the state and every 20 years we have to re-up it um and by re-upping it means it goes to the people of the state of arkansas for a vote. So it would, it's not a constitutional amendment. It'd be very similar. It will be on the ballot. The whole, all the people of Arkansas have to vote on it. And it's these general obligation bonds. And it is the bonds that we use to leverage the federal resources for the water
and sewer projects for our local communities. And if you want to, I can pass this around, but over the last four years, here are the projects that were funded by this bond um program and so um a majority of of these um are are low interest loans through our natural resources commission some are forgivable depending on the needs but this is the same language we've been using for 40 years in the state of Arkansas and how we how we wrap it the reason we need to
do it today even though we have two years left is like I say the people of Arkansas have to vote on it in 2027 to continue the program growing so uh from a from a perspective of accountability a the people of arkansas have to vote this committee agrees to send it to the people the people have to vote on it and then uh every two years uh the natural resources commission has to come to this body and say here's our plan here are the projects that we plan to be doing with this money uh and then this body through uh alc most likely would approve the project list that they're going
to do. So we have oversight down from the beginning and at the end.
I'm happy to answer any questions, or certainly Secretary Ward could help answer questions.
Speaker 10
2:36
Questions of the committee? Senator Hickey?
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
2:38
So, Senator Hester, I'm sorry, I'm just now seeing this. So has anything changed
as far as the $500 million, any of these numbers, or is that what's been on the books? The number is
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
2:50
increasing, but I'd ask Secretary Ward to sit down here with me.
Speaker 19
2:54
I'll step over. You would introduce yourself for the record. Yes, sir. Wes Ward from the Department of Agriculture. So you're correct in the question. So the authorities stay the same. The funding has increased from $300 million to $500 million, but it still has the maximum of $60 million per biennium. So overall amount increases just to make that process a little bit easier, but the yearly biennial process is the same.
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
3:26
Let me ask you a question real quick on something you brought up. Senator Harris said some of this is forgivable. What is the obligation to the state if it's a forgivable? How does that
Speaker 24
3:41
affect general revenue? So, and we do have some numbers of what we've used
Speaker 19
3:46
over the last, since 2021. All of that has been through loans over the last five years. So there is some of that gets deferred where they, like, some of the irrigation projects up to $165 million can be used for the irrigation projects.
But overall, the debt service is $14.8 million per year, which is, this would just continue that, doesn't add any additional general revenue costs. It's just a continuation of existing authorities. 14.8 of general
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
4:13
revenue funds is used to pay back the bond. That's right. Yes, sir.
Chair
Unverified
4:20
Senator Hickey, you're recognized. You took
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
4:24
part of my question, but that's okay. So I think Senator Hester said 20 years.
So we're never going to reach the – we could go over up to the $500 million. So if we do that, though, why would the GR not increase? I don't guess I understand that. It looks like to me, although it may be out in the future, that from where we are now, that there could be an increase in GR in the future
Speaker 19
4:58
from what it is now. I think that's a possibility.
I think that's where, and what this bill lays out, is that apartment, and through natural resources, would come up with a general obligation work plan that gets reviewed by the governor. It gets presented to the chief fiscal officer of the state. They make sure that the fiscal impacts are able to be covered. The legislature also approves that. So I think it could increase, but it would only be if the legislature decided to increase it. I would
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
5:29
add on that to say that this is a choice.
Like every one of us have water and sewer needs, desperate needs in our districts. This is a direct response to that. The $300 million is just not adequate anymore. We have to have increases. I mean, I don't know. My number is going to be wrong. Is it $8 billion or $13 billion worth of needs in the state of Arkansas right now? But the current RSA accounts for what we've had in RSA for the previous years, about $30 million a year to go to this.
It's already accounted for in the budget that was presented to us.
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
6:07
may i continue if we were staying at 300 million i i would i would say well it's what we've been doing and it's where we're at but because of this increase i see no way that it's not going to affect our gr and i mean if we should have a green sheet on this the way i see it i don't know that this committee requires that or doesn't
require that but uh it the forgivable amount so if we increase this any amount that's forgave of course is is the state the state forgives it and that's a direct
hit on our gr so by increasing this if we do go to 500 and i hear what you're saying the general the general assembly would have to do that which we will i mean it's you know people are going to be coming down here saying my
water project and this and that so if if we're increasing it is the forgivable amount usually a percentage of what the total has been? Is that
Speaker 19
7:11
the way that works? So recently, over the last five years, it's all been loaned.
So we've not used any of this for principal forgiveness. And on that question, I would kind of point back to page six, lines one through three, where the total principal amount of bonds to be issued during any bond biennium shall not exceed $60 million per year, which is what the existing – so we cannot exceed that in a biennium, which is what we're doing now, so it would not increase how much we're pulling out. I understand. It's
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
7:44
just over the 20 years, it's definitely going to go up.
About $200 million, more than likely. It would just extend that period. Senator
Speaker 39
8:02
Gilmore. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And that was my question because I had read there on page 6 about the $60 million, and then so you
Senator Ben Gilmore
Unverified
8:08
addressed that. The second one was going back to what you were talking about, the terms of the bonds. Is that all of that on page 7? Is that where that's spelled out, just to make sure I'm tracking?
Speaker 19
8:21
It is. So these are the authorities that exist in this Senate Bill 421, are essentially the very same, the same authorities that we used in 1997 for general obligation bond authority and then in 2007 general bond obligation authority. So it's written the exact same, like nothing has changed. We have bond council that helps us walk through that process and the terms and all the conditions to make sure that we're complying with the law as written.
Speaker 30
8:53
But it is a continuation, the same as what we've used for the last 20-plus years. thank
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
9:02
later just if you don't mind walk me through the process of one more one more time of what this is setting up so and it doesn't you can't go into effect until july 1st 2027 and walk
Speaker 19
9:15
me back from there yes sir if i'll try to answer that correct me if i get off off course here so so we do have remaining i think about 72 million bond authority remaining right now so uh so this once the legislature should the legislature pass
this it would have to go to a vote of the entire population of arkansas in november of 2026 so there's a there's a gap there and our existing bond authority would cover that period uh following that is when we would work to implement the same process so we would uh before we use any A new bond authority, natural resources commission, we would come up with a work plan. We would work through that, work with the governor's office. It would be presented through DFNA, Chief Fiscal Officer of the State,
to make sure the financial impacts are not insurmountable or burdensome. That's when it gets presented back to the legislature to review the work plan, make sure that there's not any issues, anything of concern that you all see. Then it goes back to the governor for final signature. Absolutely. Just to make sure
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
10:17
when we're talking about green sheets or trying to predict what that looks like, number one, it's going to take a vote by the people. It doesn't go into effect until July 1st, 2027. Then ultimately, it's going to be based that that green sheet would be based on what the governor would provide to the legislature and ultimately the approval by the legislature.
So there's no – I'm not even sure how we would arrive at a number of impact with so many variables and hurdles in place to even get to be able to realize the potential of what you have, not to even mention our bond rating and all these other things that would go into account to be able to achieve that. And we're talking about something that could not even go in place until July 1, 2027. Thank you. Senator Hickey? Agree with
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
11:07
Senator Dismay on that, although I mentioned the green sheet.
So I don't know if this may be Senator Hester. So we pass this. If it gets passed by the people, then we have it structured where ALC would be the one that would be the body where it would have to come before as far as that. Let me ask you, is that the way it's been done for the last 20 or 40 years or whatever? But since it's getting up to this amount, I'm not for sure that we don't need to navigate this through a regular session.
So I wonder, instead of doing that, if we could just structure this, especially since we meet every year, so that it comes before the full General Assembly since it's such a large number. I understand what you are trying to do. Again, if it wasn't for the increased amount, I'd be like, well, we've been doing what we're doing. and it's important projects, but I'm just thinking that maybe we need to alter it so that it comes before us each time. And when I say us, this body so that as Senator Dismaner,
whoever the budget chair may be at that time, that they'll be able to navigate through that along with the DF&A, the governor's office, and we can all do it at
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
12:23
one time. You've got to present soon. Are you presenting to the ALC or through what is the process you're about to present? so we we
Speaker 19
12:32
we do so any any time before we issue any bonds it does go through that process um so we're i would say before any money ever leaves the door there there is a constant process
Speaker 25
12:42
of going back to the legislature to make sure that that work plan that two-year biennial work plan
is has been reviewed and is sufficient for i wouldn't care if you're under
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
12:52
under a bind under a bind now that you say in this fiscal year that it could be done the way that you've always done but in the future fiscal years or whatever that it would it would somehow come before the before this whole body during during and
again i don't you do it annually or what do you normally do it's it's a biannual process it's a biannual so we could actually it could coincide with the regular session i may we
Speaker 30
13:19
do have bond council here they're okay i may ask them to comment on
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
13:24
that i don't mean to be hard on this it's just it's getting up to the number of half a billion dollars that it has the
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
13:34
potential you know you'd like to have someone else
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
13:37
comment on it no I just think that's where I'm going to be on it again I want to be
supportive of what we're trying to do here I just because of the numbers I think I think maybe it possibly needs a little a little rework and a different
Senator Matt Stone
Unverified
13:53
structure thank you senator warden um the the 300 million dollars that that was a number from 20 years ago is that
Speaker 19
13:59
correct yes sir that's that's correct we used 300 million in 1997 as well as in 2007 so the purpose was really just to make it to make that authority extend a little bit longer so that we didn't have to go through this well i
Senator Matt Stone
Unverified
14:14
understand that it's 200 million dollars more but basically it's just um the present value of that money so we're not really doing anything different from what we've already done although it's a larger number it's 300 million had the same purchase of power back then and so i mean it's been working so if we have a process that's set up in place
we may just need to continue that process any other questions
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
14:49
no one has signed up to speak for or against anyone in the audience wish to speak for or against long time no see yeah introduce yourself for the record please thank you dennis sternberg ceo
Speaker 62
15:08
of Arkansas Rural Water Association. Just to give you a quick rundown, we've got about 680-some public water systems, 300-and-some wastewater systems. This money is essential, as Secretary Ward has mentioned. The last two bond issues has been a tremendous help, but the future is going to need more money, and I think it's appropriate to do this, and I'd just like to speak in favor of the
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
15:31
bill. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone have a question?
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
15:34
Mr. Jerenberg? Just appreciate you being here, and I don't think anybody's debating what you're saying.
I want to be very, very upright with that. But do you see any issues? I guess you've been involved in this somewhat, of course. Do you see any issues if we did a restructure to just allow this so as those monies have been increased that they would have to come to the General Assembly so that we would deal with all of that during our normal budgeting process to make sure that whenever it does start getting up above the $300 million or $400 million, that will be years down the road, but we're setting policy right now,
which is the way we have to look at this. Do you see a problem with that timing of that, with your experience? I can't hardly
Speaker 62
16:22
say yes or no on that. You know, it's built in with the $60 million biennium. Again, it's worked, so I wouldn't want to change myself. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Any other questions? Thank you, Mr.
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
16:33
Sternberg. Senator Hester, would you like to close for your bill? I would. Members, I'll just show you again, and we know,
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
16:42
and I think that this is critical to every – there's a star on here at least in the last four years in every county. This is critical to what we do. The legislature has ample oversight now when we vote to the people and then when it comes back for the legislature's approval. So with that, I
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
17:02
ask for a good vote.
Will of the committee? With motion, second, Senator Gilmore. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed?
No. Congratulations, Bill passes. Andrew of all, are you still in the room? Yes, sir. Would you stay here until the meeting's over? I'd like to visit with you. That way you don't drive up here for naught. Yeah, thank you. senator bryan are you in the room he's not let me see if i can find him there's a lot of people here uh do that uh represent
beck's not here uh i think there's gonna be an amendment on that bill so they're gonna pass over that today so let me get over that uh senator urban's passed over hers okay johnson's passed over his let me see if i can get senator bryan here because there's a lot of people here for that i just messaged him you just messaged him okay we'll stand in recess for about five minutes waiting see if we can get an answer see whether or not he's coming
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
18:53
Okay, Senator Bryan's tied up, so he's not going to be here. We'll stand adjourned.
Agenda
Call to Order
SB421 Hester TO AUTHORIZE THE ARKANSAS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION TO ISSUE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF WATER, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND POLLUTION ABATEMENT PROJECTS.
Recess
Reconvene
Adjourn
Documents
| Title | Type | Pages | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agenda — AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - SENATE, Mar 18, 2025 | Agenda | 1 | Official source ↗ |
Speakers
Senator Ronald Caldwell
Unverified
Senator Bart Hester
Unverified
Speaker 10
Senator Jimmy Hickey, Jr
Unverified
Speaker 19
Speaker 24
Chair
Unverified
Speaker 39
Senator Ben Gilmore
Unverified
Speaker 30
Speaker 44
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
Speaker 25
Senator Matt Stone
Unverified
Speaker 62