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Unknown speaker
0:00
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Speaker 2
2:00
Members, Chair, Cesar Quorum, we're going to go ahead and get started.
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
2:30
first up uh our members will go through this real quick we're going to take all of the items or go through all the items in b1 i will come back we'll go through each one of those individually if you have questions hit your mic for instance when i say b1a if you have a question on b1a do not hit your mic if you have a question on b1k if we're on b1a all right so we'll take those as we
go through the list don't get ahead of yourself in the queue if you don't mind
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
3:00
with that thank you mr. chair we're in section B these are various temporary appropriation appropriation requests B1 our fiscal year 27 requests that's for the year that starts next month in July B1A is Department of Health Minority Health Commission is 800,000 of spending authority is the request this is to support the maternal health outreach media campaign it's paid with fund balances. B is division of county operations. It's 371,582 in spending authority. This is a return
funds from the low-income home energy assistance program. That's a block grant. The letter explains that there were overpayments made prior to the program and the appropriation for the program moving to energy and environment. DHS needs the spending authority to send the funds back because they had administered the program when the overpayments were made. C is a letter from education division of elementary and secondary education it's for 6.4 million spending authority this is to rebuild the win high school it was struck in 2023 by a tornado this is supported by the facilities partnership fund which is fund balances set aside funds and transfers from the public
school fund d is a letter from the division of aging adult behavior health at dhs is for two million spending authority this is to spend senior citizen carry forward funds e is from the office of personnel at shared administrative services. It's for $7.6 million in appropriation. This is to fund additional technical staff and software costs, including time management software for the state financial management system that will be utilized by departments. It's supported by the state central services fund. F is a letter from the treasurer of state for $300,000. This is to
address custodial banking fees and cybersecurity measures. It's supported by the state central Services Fund. Item G is a letter from Public Safety. It's 1.5 million in spending authority. This is to pay claims for the Crime Victims Reparations Program. It's supported by special revenues from criminal fees and damage settlements. H is a letter from Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Trainings for $60,000. This is to conduct leadership and professional development training supported by a grant from the Office of Skills Development. I is a letter from State Crime Lab. It's for 1.7 million. This is a
to purchase and maintain lab equipment and supplies for diagnostic testing and cyclical accreditation fees. It's supported by medical marijuana revenue. J is a letter from the Division of State Police. It's for $80,000. It's to pay overtime worked by state police driving track personnel. It's supported by special revenues from fees on criminal background checks. K is another letter from the Division of State Police. It's for $175,000. This is to be used for promotional testing. It's supported by special and general revenue. L is a letter from the division of
emergency management. It's for $80,000. It's for outsourcing lab testing of samples for radiation levels. It's supported by special revenues. ILM is a letter from the division of aeronautics. It's for $5 million. This is to distribute grants to airports and qualifying applicants for the development, promotion, and education of aeronautics and aviation. It's supported by aviation sales and use taxes. N is a letter from the securities department. it's for $60,000. This is to pay salary related reimbursements with the bank department. The two departments have a separate salary sections in their shared operations bill. This is an accounting
workaround to correctly allocate expenses between shared administrative support staff. The letter says they will correct this in their budget for the next biennium. O is a letter from the Department of Military. It's for $925,000. This is to match the federal cooperative funding agreement about 25 percent to design a new medical command rating the center it's supported by a transfer from the restricted reserve fund which will be requested later in the agenda uh we are on p this is the division of state police 40 000 to pay for constructing services
i'm sorry consulting services to maintain compliance with the national highway safety traffic office requirements it's supported by special revenue q is a letter from economic development commissions for 10 million this is to operate the community assistance grants program is supported by a previous transfer from the restricted reserve fund that was 15 million in may of 2025. r is a letter from game and fish is for 5 million is to incentivize landowners to undertake conservation practices this is supported by a restricted reserve fund transfer that will be requested later in the agenda s is a letter from emergency management for 430 000 to pay the
increased cost of tower maintenance lightning uh lightning repairs and generator maintenance supported by general revenue. T is a letter from commission on law enforcement standards and trainings for 225,000 to cover a 911 skills lab training facility. It's supported by the public safety trust fund which is fees on phone lines and wireless services. Mr. Chair that's the end of the various temporary appropriation for fiscal year 27. All right thank you members we're going
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
7:45
to go through these each one. All right Representative Vladyman you're welcome for a question on b1a uh
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
7:54
no i had one on d sorry i don't have one on a d i'll turn off and go to d
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
8:01
all right perfect all right thank you questions on b1a b c d all right you recognize representative yeah i'd
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
8:13
like to ask dhs to come to the table All right, we've got somebody
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
8:20
here who can answer questions on B1D. Or maybe someone else can answer it,
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
8:27
but I think it's the department. Okay, yeah, and if
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
8:30
you could, just recognize yourself for the committee,
Speaker 25
8:32
and then, Representative, you're welcome to ask
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
8:38
your question. Jay Hill, DHS, Division of Aging. I'm over here. Jay, thank you for being here. I had a question. Maybe you can help me understand this. It says $2 million carried forward. We just had a meeting with the Area Agency on Aging up in northeast Arkansas, and they were talking about they didn't have enough money to fund their needs. Does this mean we're carrying $2 million forward that we did not spend?
Speaker 24
9:05
No, sir. I believe this is the $2 million that
Speaker 25
9:08
was a special fund. It was allocated in FY26 and FY27. is specific to food services only so this was the additional funding granted to senior centers outside of rsa it's it's not it's not part of the typical budget that we have on an annual basis this was again this is 26 and 27 only and it is specific to food services food purchases uh delivery of food for for seniors and yeah i understand that
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
9:36
and i understand that we out we
put two million dollars in that account the legislature did so did we spend that two million this year and is this for the appropriation for next
year correct sir yes all right that answers
Representative Jeff Wardlaw
Unverified
9:56
my question thank you yes sir seeing no other questions thank you mr hill thank you refer back
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
10:02
to uh chairman dismay all right thank you questions on e f g representative you're
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
10:10
recognized for a question on g uh f oh f if anyone here from treasurer state cyber security to answer questions if you could
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
10:22
just recognize yourself for the committee and And then, Representative, you're
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
10:33
welcome to ask your question. Michael Harry, Treasurer's Office. I'm over here. Just had a question about that $150,000 appropriation. It talked about that's for the custodian fee for the BNY Mellon Bank,
and that's for our security of our funds. The way I read this, is
Michael Harry
Unverified
10:51
that correct? They're the custodian of our trades. So they actually hold the paper on all the trades and the banking for the cash transactions, things like that. The reason for the uptick in the fee is that we had an influx of COVID funds, and as those get spent down, the balance goes down. And there was a clause in the contract that if the balance went below a threshold, then the fees jumped up.
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
11:16
So that's where we're at right now. So when I read that, the fees are based on the balance that we have. Yes, sir. Is that correct? Yes. So when that balance goes down, the fees will go up, basically. That's correct,
sir. And the coronavirus money was just the federal money that we spent, and that caused our balance to go down? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Okay,
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
11:36
that's all I need. Thank you. Thank you. Representative Kavanaugh, you're recognized for
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
11:42
a question. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm over here. So when you negotiated that we had the COVID fees,
they based the fee or the COVID money, They based the fees based upon the balance that when we had the COVID money. When are you going to renegotiate it based
on what our non-COVID funds will be? And will we be able to see a decrease in that fee that they
Michael Harry
Unverified
12:03
charge us? Thank you for the question. I'm not exactly sure when that contract is up, but we will be negotiating the contract with them based on the balances that we have. That contract was negotiated during a prior administration, so we kind of got saddled with it.
but we'll definitely make sure that we're
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
12:24
protected going forward. Okay, thank you. Thank you. All right, thank you. I
see no other questions. Thank you. All right, members, it's going to take us to G, H, I. Questions
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
12:40
on J, K, L, M, N, O, P,
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
12:45
or Q. All right, seeing that members on item R, I need to make a disclosure.
I don't think we have the form. We're not able to locate one right now, so I'll make sure we put that on file by Friday. But my brother has a company that manufactures and sells hog traps, which I think ultimately would be maybe a product sold in this program. So, again, I've got a disclosure to make on R. All right, S or T? all right members what's the wheel of the committee
all right we've got a motion to approve
all items in r1 we have a second any discussion on the motion seeing none all those
in favor signify by saying aye all those opposed motion carries it's going to take us to uh
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
13:46
to Thank you, Mr. Chair. We're in B2. These are 27 continuation of 26 appropriation. All items on this schedule were approved earlier this year. Agencies on this list are requesting to continue projects into the new fiscal year that starts
in July. Staff check to make sure all continuation amounts are at or below what was requested in fiscal year 26. All total, agencies are requesting $48.7 million in spending authority approved for this year to continue into the new fiscal
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
14:15
year. Any questions on B2? Representative Ladyman, you're recognized for a question.
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
14:21
Yeah, I have a question on the DHS number 5. All right, do
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
14:26
we have anyone from DHS connected to your question on item number 5?
And if you could, just recognize yourself for the committee, and then, Representative,
Speaker 55
14:45
you're welcome to ask your question. Jennifer Berze, Director of the Division of Developmental
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
14:51
Disability Services. Jennifer, thanks for being here. And I just, I know this is, I think you told me it was for Phase 2 of Boonville, but where
are we at on Boonville? I mean, in the total project, do you know, or can you answer that?
Speaker 59
15:07
Do you have that information? So we just started the new four or eight beds construction, but there are still additional buildings that are going to be started this year. So we're in the thick of it, but they are not completed, and it just started. Do you know how many
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
15:25
more buildings are needed, how many this would build? I think there's eight more, but let
Speaker 59
15:30
me check on that and verify for you. Okay. All right. Thank you.
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
15:37
All right. Thank you, members. Any other questions on B2? Seeing no questions, we've got
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
15:41
a motion to approve. We've got a second. Any discussion on the
motion? Seeing none. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. All those opposed? Motion carries. C1A. Thank you, Mr.
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
15:53
Chair. We're in Section C. These are carries the actual appropriation requests. There's only one. It's for fiscal year 26. It's from the Department of Finance and Administration dispersing officer. It's for $6,000 in spending authority. This is to allow return of care funds to federal partners. All right.
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
16:07
Thank you, members. Do we have any questions on C1A? Seeing no questions, what's the will of the committee? We've got a motion to approve. We've got a second. Any discussion on the motion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. All those opposed? Motion carries. We're
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
16:23
going to go through all of D1. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We're in Section D. These are the American Rescue Plan Act Appropriation Request, D-1, or Fiscal Year 26 Request. That's the year we're currently in. D-1A is the University of Arkansas Community College at Rich Mountain. This is a reallocation of previously awarded appropriation for the ALIGN program.
That's the Arkansas Linking Industry to Grow Nurses Program. They're requesting to move $18,000 from regular salaries to personal services matching. This is just to correct their budget. D-1B is also another reallocation for the ALIGN program at Rich Mountain, but this is from a different grant award this is to move 47 000 from salaries to match it's also to correct that budget and c is a request from asubb it's another align reallocation it's to move 33 000 from salaries and conference and travel to operating expenses the request says this
is to match the appropriation to program needs mr chair those are all the 26 opera requests all right
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
17:18
thank you members do we have any questions on d1 all right so you know questions what's the will of committee we've got a motion to approve we've got a second any discussion on the motion seeing none all those in favor
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
17:33
signify by saying aye all those opposed motion carries d2 thank you mr chair we're in d2 this is a fiscal year 27 request for the fiscal year that starts next month d2a is uh ua little rock this is 520 000 appropriation they have a grant from the us
department of treasury for a small business credit initiative technical assistance grant program This is to provide resources so that very small businesses and socially and economically disadvantaged business owners can receive legal, accounting, and financial advisory services. This is intended for those qualifying businesses that are involved in the capital program or other federal programs that support small businesses. D2B is ASU Mountain Homes, $170,000. This is for the Align program and their partnership with the Baxter Health. This is to address critical workforce shortages in nursing.
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
18:17
Mr. Chair, those are all the 27 ARPA requests. All right. Thank you. Members, any questions on D2? All
right. Seeing no questions, what's the will of the committee? We've got a motion to approve. We've got a second. Any discussion
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
18:34
on the motion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. All those opposed, motion carries. D3. Thank you, Mr. Chair. D3 is the fiscal year 27 continuation of 26 appropriation. The agencies are requesting $162 million in spending authority and four positions from the direct federal grants and $112 million in awards made by the state.
This is to be continued into fiscal year 27.
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
18:53
All right, thank you. Members, any questions? All right, seeing no
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
18:57
questions, what's the will of the committee?
We've got a motion to approve. We've got a second. Any discussion on the motion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying
aye. All those opposed, motion carries. Section E. We'll do one, two, then three. Thank
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
19:11
you, Mr. Chair. We're in Section E. This is the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Appropriation Request, E1 or 2026 Request. There's only one. It's from the Division of Environmental Quality. This is a reallocation of previously awarded appropriation.
They're requesting to move $6,500 from extra help to personal services matching. This is to correct their budget for the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant as part of the National Recycling Goal and Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal. All right, thank you. Members,
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
19:34
any questions on E1? All right, seeing no
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
19:37
questions, we've got a motion to approve. We've got a second. Any discussion on the motion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying
aye. All those opposed, motion carries, E2. Thank you, Mr.
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
19:48
Chair. We're in E2. These are 27 requests for the next fiscal year.
E2A is a game of fish. It's $1.5 million. This is a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior to restore and maintain 4,000 acres in the Ozark National Forest. B is a public safety division of state police. This is a request for $37.9 million. They have a grant from the National Highway Safety Administration to provide a coordinated highway safety program. C is the Division of Emergency Management. The request is for $171,000 in appropriation. They have a grant from FEMA for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities and Grant Program for Hazard Mitigation Activities.
This is a request for additional appropriation to go along with an updated grant award with new funds for subgrants and administrative costs. D is a Division of Environmental Quality. It's $1.6 million. They have a grant from the U.S. Department of Interior to refurbish acid mine drainage sites. E is, again, Environmental Quality. It's for a little over a million. They have a grant from the EPA to enhance the Division's brownfield program. And F is Division of Emergency Management, $4.8 million. They have a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to work with local governments to assess risk and combat the threat of cyberattacks.
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
20:57
All right, thank you, members. We have any questions on E2. All right, Representative Kavanaugh, you're recognized for a question. On B. B? Yes, if I could have the agency come
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
21:07
down for a moment. All right, Public Safety. and if you
could just recognize yourself for the committee and then
Speaker 75
21:28
representative you're welcome for your question Karen Perry
Speaker 77
21:39
CFO Department of Public Safety Mike Hager
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
21:42
Secretary Department of Public Safety thank y'all for being here my questions are pretty quick on this I noticed that we've got We're given 17.9 million out in grants, but I'm just looking at where the other expenses are going for this money We've got one line that says operating expense and that's like 7.6 million. What actually makes up that 7.6 million?
Do we you know I tell me exactly I'm just talking about items that might make up operating expenses ma'am
Mike Hager
Unverified
22:13
unfortunately uh bridget white our director was unable to be here today that's probably something we're going to have to get with her and get an itemized uh account for and get back with you if that's okay okay yeah and if you don't mind just
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
22:27
give me the information give it to staff also on professional fees because that's my question for both of them so i can answer the
professional fees that's probably going to be um the advertising contract okay so the advertising contracts 3.6 million dollars I'm not sure who okay yeah if you
can get that information for me I'd appreciate it okay all right thank you
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
22:53
all right thank you members any questions on C D
E or F all right so you know other questions we've got a motion to approve e2 we've got a second any discussion on the
motion seeing none all those in favor signify by saying aye all those opposed motion carries e3 thank you
William Parrish
Unverified
23:13
mr. chair e3 are the 27 continuation of 26 appropriation agencies are requesting 807 million in spending authority and
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
23:18
one position approved for this year to continue into the new fiscal year all right thank you members we need
Speaker 11
23:26
questions on e3 all right seeing no questions
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
23:30
we've got a motion to approve we've got a second any discussion on the motion seeing none all those in favor
signify by saying aye all those opposed motion
William Parrish
Unverified
23:40
carries f1a thank you mr. chair section f is appropriation and or fund transfer requests f1 there's only one request is for 26 this is a letter from the division of elementary secondary education special language in their bill allows
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
23:55
a transfer after approval by ALC the request is to transfer 2.6 million appropriation from the national board of professional teacher standards line to the merit teacher incentive line the letter says the division will utilize savings in this incentive program to make for funding available to educators through the merit teacher incentive program all right
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
24:14
thank you members do we have any questions on f1a all right seeing no questions we've got a motion to approve we've got a second any discussion on the motion seeing none all those in favor signify saying aye all those opposed
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
24:30
motion carries section g thank you mr chairman section g this is the restricted reserve fund transfer request section g1 or all these requests are for official year 27 g1a is a letter from the department of military it's a 925 000 transfer from the various general discretion majority vote set aside account this is to design a new medical command rating
center the letter notes this is the state share that would leverage almost 2.8 million in federal funding the spending authority was approved in the various temporary appropriation section earlier in the agenda g1b is a letter from the division of agriculture at university of arkansas it's for a five million dollar transfer from the various general discretionary majority vote set aside this is to construct the center of excellence for food science and innovation at fadeville the letter notes this project will bridge arkansas agriculture and the food industry c is a letter from uapb it's a three million dollar transfer from the again the various
general discretionary majority vote set aside this is to construct a new university police facility according to the letter the current facility has operational limitations that constrains the university's ability to support modern public safety functions D is a letter from Game and Fish Commission it's a $5 million transfer it's again from the various general set aside this is to incentivize landowners to undertake conservation practices this is a continuation of a program that was piloted in 24 with 3.5 million that was that reach landowners in 67 counties.
E is a letter from the Department of Education, Arkansas Educational Television Commission. This is a $500,000 transfer. It's from the various general set-aside. This is to fund agency needs in the areas of infrastructure or operating
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
26:11
expenses. All right, thank you. Members, do we have any questions on G1A, B, C? D, members, I made a disclosure earlier on, I lost it, B1R, this is tied to that same disclosure, that is G1D, again, I'll have something on file before we go into full ALC, and then do we have any questions on E?
Alright, seeing none, we've got a motion to approve, we've got a second, any discussion on the motion? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. All those opposed? Motion
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
26:53
carries. H1A. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Section H is a state central services deduction request. This is for 27. This is a letter from the Department of Finance Administration. The CFO requests maintaining the deduction on general and special revenues that fund those agencies supported by the state central services fund at 2%.
Arkansas Code requires the CFO to determine the appropriate percentage deduction between 2% and 3% and then obtain approval of ALC. the letter notes the deduction has been included in the official forecast and provides sufficient funding all right thank you members
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
27:23
do we have any questions on h1a all right seeing no questions we've got a motion to approve we've got a second in discussion on the motion seeing none all those in favor signify by saying aye all those opposed motion
carries we're going to move on to our review items J
sorry passed over I I want a thank you mr.
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
27:49
chair this is a section I a reallocation request this is an item to recommend approval to ALC personnel as the action this is for fiscal year 27 this is the reallocation from the Department of Commerce special language allows the department to request up to two reallocations within a fiscal year for efficient and effective operations This is the first request for 27 on page four is a summary of the reallocations requested the department requests
Transferring 68 positions between divisions Most of the positions are coming out of the division of workforce services and workforce policy and innovation and they are going to Reemployment and shared services They're also transferring 3 million in spending authority from the division of workforce services and send it to reemployment the increased capabilities access network the governor's commission on adult literacy and the construction industry craft training program these adjustments support the department's organizational realignment prevent shortfalls and it closely mirrors the reallocation department requested in april of 26. all right
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
28:48
thank you members do we have any questions on i1a
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
28:51
all right seeing no questions we need a motion to recommend approval we've got a motion we've a second in discussion on the motion seeing none all those in favor
signify by saying aye all those opposed motion carries it's going to take us to
William Parrish
Unverified
29:11
our view items thank you mr over in section j this is an appropriation or fund transfer
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
29:15
request j1 is a 26 request j1a is department of shared administrative services office state technology it's for a three million dollar transfer it's from various line items to a telecommunications
technology delivery line the spending authority will accommodate the extra projects in two years worth of e-rate reimbursements the office has received b is a letter from the division of higher education it's a 600 000 transfer from adhe transition to the national guard tuition waiver program the letter says it will allow the division to fund the remaining students for the spring 2026 semester we're going to move to j2 j2 are the 27 requests uh this item uh first one j2a is a letter from
the commission for a parent council it's a 70 000 transfer from parent council reimbursements to extra help is to pay three new extra help attorneys mr chair
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
30:09
those are all the requests for 26 and 27. all
Speaker 88
30:16
right thank you uh representative you're recognized
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
30:19
for a question on j1a Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just had a brief question regarding the items 0003, 10, 11, and 46 on that J1A. I know it's special language that they're pulling from on kind of the approval to make the transfer.
I was just curious if they could elaborate to the specifics of what those transfers are for. All right.
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
30:47
Do we have anyone? There we go. If you could just recognize yourselves for the committee, and then if you don't mind, Representative, restating your question. Yes, sir. Thank
Speaker 91
30:58
you. Jay Harden, Director of Office of State Technology. James Caldwell,
Speaker 92
31:02
CFO, Shared Administrative Services. Guys, thank you for coming to the table today.
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
31:07
i was just reading through the proposal it references act 777 of 2025 section 40 which i read through a special language that kind of authorizes the the transfer of funds and i was curious if you could elaborate to the specific items that are mentioned here uh three million dollars and i see it's it looks like it's five different items but doesn't really specify what that is curious if
Speaker 94
31:32
you could elaborate yeah so those commitment items uh zero zero is salary zero three is fringe benefits uh commitment item 10 is professional services and then the other one
is capital outlay those are all in our operating appropriation section um we're not going to spend all of that and we have other needs so we're trying to use that special language to put the money where we can actually
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
31:55
use it and i guess did i read
correctly the part of the kind of the genesis of this is because of the e-rate is is straining you
Speaker 94
32:05
so in generally we get one year of e-rate they were behind so the last two years we've had to make this same request last year we've gotten two funding years of e-rate which is about six and a half million we have to use
our appropriation to return that to the department of education and then the public schools that use our internet service and that that is what's really put a strain on our budget the last two year. So we're trying to do it within the confines of what we were appropriated rather than asking for additional. Is that going to
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
32:32
continue like the next time around? Do we think we're going to
Speaker 94
32:35
have the same thing? We should be caught up now with the most recent funding year. So it should be about the six and a half to seven million a
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
32:43
year going forward. And this may go beyond the scope. And if it does, I apologize. Uh, if I'm remembering correctly, are we going to have a lot of, uh,
you met, you referenced the schools, are we going to have a lot of these internet contracts that are renewing in a year that is that going to is that going
Speaker 100
33:02
to change what this looks like dramatically yeah we're in the process of putting out an ifb
Speaker 102
33:07
for the k-12 connectivity so we're hoping that this will lower the contract prices that we're paying currently
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
33:14
so you don't anticipate that those contracts are going to increase and then make
Speaker 100
33:18
this even worse no historically we've always
Speaker 102
33:20
seeing about a 10 to 15 percent decrease on rebidding those because they're already four years old
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
33:30
mr chair all right thank you all right members any other questions on j1a b or j2a all right with that we need a motion to review items or item j we've got a
motion we've got a second any discussion on the motion seeing none all those in favor signify by saying aye all those opposed motion carries all right section k thank
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
33:55
you mr chair we're in section k these are cash fund appropriation requests k1 are 26 requests k1a is a letter from the division
of elementary and secondary education it's three million dollars in appropriation this is to send a quarterly reimbursement to the state medicaid office from the match the division collects from various school districts as medicaid providers reimbursement covers services such as targeted case management and psychological services speech language pathology physical therapy and occupational therapy there will be a seven million dollar request in the 27th section item b is a letter from the division of corrections is for 200 000 in appropriation this is to pay one
Speaker 87
34:32
call architectural service fees it's supported by revenue from rent collected
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
34:37
all right members we have any questions on k1a or k1b seeing no questions do we have have any objections to reviewing section k1a
and b seeing none they stand reviewed k2 thank you mr chairman k2
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
34:52
these are fiscal year 27 requests uh the first item a is a letter from the division of elementary and secondary educations for 7 million this is the 27 request to transmit school district match to the state medicaid office b is a letter from the division of higher educations for 500 000. this is to continue the youth mental health corps is supported by a grant
from Impact Assets. C is a letter from the Division of State Police. It's $156,500. This is to pay for 12 narcotic detention canines. This is supported by the Attorney General Opioid Grant. D is a letter from Parks, Heritage and Tourism, Outdoor Recreation. It's for almost $1.5 million. This is to provide bikes, safety equipment, and support to elementary schools for the All Kids Bike Program. It's supported by funding from the Minority Health Commission. E is a letter from Shared Administrative services is for 40,000 this is to establish a new state motor pull program after the state fleet was
transferred from dfa this is part of a new proof of concept that will use shared fleet model to achieve cost savings it will be supported by customer billing f is public safety commission on law enforcement standards and trainings for 17 000 this is to pay personnel calls at the law enforcement safety office program and supported by program fees mr chair that's
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
36:10
all of 27 cash all right thank you members do we have any
questions on k2 a b c d e or f
all right seeing no questions or any objections to any of those items here no objections items k2 or all the items in
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
36:29
k2 are reviewed thank you mr sherwin k3 these are 27 continuation of 26 appropriation agencies are requesting 96.7 million in spending authority approved for this year to continue into the
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
36:41
new fiscal year all right thanks uh members may have any questions to uh k3 any objections even objections item k3 is reviewed section l we'll do both of those
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
36:54
thank you mr chair we're in section l these are budget classification transfer requests l1 are the 26 requests the first one in l1 is department of agriculture it's a 25 000 transfer from professional fees to operating expenses. This is due to increase in fuel and maintenance costs. Number two is the Office of the Governor. It's a $12,000 transfer. It's from operating expenses to professional fees. It's to pay invoices for legal fees. Number three is Labor and Licensee Accountancy Board. It's a $5,000 transfer. It's from operating expenses to conference and travel.
It's to meet a projected deficit in the appropriation of the line item. And four is Disability Determination for Social Security Administration. It's $500,000. It's from operating expenses to professional fees. It's to cover the addition of seven contracted medical consultants to process cases and for medical records. This is for after receiving more than doubling of the out-of-state cases. That's the end of 26. We're going to move to 27 now in L2. The first item in L2 is A, Department of Commerce, Insurance Department.
This is $100,000 transfer from operating expenses to professional fees. This is to support operations of the senior Medicare patrol. Mr. Chair, those are all
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
38:04
the BCTs All right, thank you members. All right, representative Cavanaugh you recognized for a question on L1A Okay, any questions on L1 a B Be all right. You're recognized. Thank you. If I
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
38:21
could have someone from the governor's office to come down my question
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
38:29
And if you could just recognize yourself for the committee, and you are welcome
Speaker 92
38:40
to ask your question, Representative. Thank you. Jim Hudson, Secretary of DFA. James Caldwell, CFO, Shared
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
38:46
Administrative Services. Thank you. Real quick question. We notice that this is for legal fees. Yes, ma'am. Why would we have outside legal fees? Why would the Attorney General not represent the Governor's office?
Speaker 113
38:58
Yes, ma'am. It's a good question. So the governor is a nominal party in a case in California.
It is a former employee of the Game and Fish Commission that just sued everybody under the sun, including her. And so she is a party, and so she has to respond to it. We have a local council in California that are answering any of the pleadings that come in. AG can't represent her in California. Obviously, they're Arkansas attorneys. So the case should be winding down, but this is, again, she's just a party by name only. but she does have to defend herself she just isn't in
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
39:30
one of the many people they're being sued because of their position in the state yes ma'am that's
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
39:35
right okay thank you yes ma'am all right thank you senator irvin
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
39:39
recognized for a question what is the name of the individual who was the
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
39:49
former employee that's suing her we can get that to you i don't i don't know okay thank you all right thank you any other questions on l1b all right seeing none uh l1c d or l2a all right seeing none is any objections to reviewing any of the items in section l hearing no objections all item in section l have been reviewed section m
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
40:11
thank you mr chair we're in section m these are miscellaneous federal grant appropriation requests m1 are all 27 requests the first item a is from the economic development commission This is for $1.5 million and to establish one position. They have a grant from the National Science Foundation to improve research capacity. This increase in appropriations needed to finalize outstanding invoices and return any excess funds to federal partners. B is Division of State Police, $434,000.
It's a grant from the Department of Justice for the Internet Crimes Against Children program. Number three now is Division of Emergency Management, $907,000. They have a grant from FEMA to develop emergency management capabilities and support activities. We're on D. This is Division of Emergency Management, $4.1 million. They have another grant from FEMA for the, or from the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program. E is Department of Military, $93,000, and to establish a position. They have a grant from the Department of Military to fund a position to supervise facility maintenance at Camp Robinson
and to oversee the Energy and Sustainability Program. F is Department of Public Safety, $1.2 million. They have a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to enhance victim compensation payments. G is Department of Military, $4.9 million. Grant from the National Guard Bureau to fund the design work for a new C-130 consolidated maintenance facility for the 189th Airlift Wing at the Little Rock Air Force Base. H is Division of Emergency Management, $1.6 million. They have a grant from the Department of Homeland Security for the national preparedness goal.
I is Military, again, $2.7 million. They have another grant from the Department of Homeland Security for a construction project on their medical command facility. J is Division of Emergency Management. This is $4.3 million. This is another Homeland Security grant for the National Preparedness Goal. K is Division of Emergency Management, $2.4 million. A grant from FEMA to support nonprofit organizations that are deemed high risk of terrorist attacks with preparedness efforts. L is Agriculture, $2.5 million. They have a grant from the USDA Forest Service for the Pine to Hardwood Reforestations Cost Share Program.
Mr. Chair, those are
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
42:24
all the 27 MFGs. All right, thank
you. Representative Rose, you're recognized for a question on M1A. I'm at F, Mr. Chair.
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
42:34
All right, hold tight. Questions on M1A, B, C,
D, E, all right, you're up, F. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was curious
if somebody could just speak to the totality of VOCA grant funding
and what this would represent for FY27, if this is it or if this is 10% or what their expectation is on that. i think they're
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
43:08
contemplating who to bring forward so we'll see if we've got somebody thank you and then i'll i'll also
Speaker 118
43:14
have something on i believe it's k yeah on k as well all right when we
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
43:24
get there i'll get it for you different agency okay um if you could just recognize yourself for the committee
Speaker 74
43:31
Karen Perry, CFO, Department of Public Safety Lisa Dian, Crime Victims Reparations Board You're recognized for your question, Representative,
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
43:40
or restate your question Yes, sir, thank you. Thank
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
43:44
you both for being here today I'm sure as you're well aware, a lot of the non-profit groups that had previously received VOCA funding over the last few years have reached out to a number of us about the decline in those numbers And I was curious if you can just give us any insight into what you believe that's going to look like for the next fiscal year and kind of what this would represent.
Is this a grant that some of those nonprofits will be vying for, or is this something that you're dispersing to individuals?
Speaker 120
44:16
No, this is one of the grants that is dispersed among different nonprofits. The money that we have is just going to be allocated for claims, so we don't really disperse this money for anything else but claims that we receive either for the sexual assault program or the crime
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
44:35
victims program. So in kind of looking at it broadly over the entire fiscal year,
do you know what percentage roughly this will represent in terms of funding for VOCA in Arkansas? I don't know
Speaker 122
44:50
the exact number, but I can tell you that VOCA nationally used
Speaker 120
44:55
to distribute to Arkansas about $20 million. And this year, I think it only distributes $7 to $8 million. So we were lucky enough to get the $1.2 million, because that's why other organizations are struggling. As far as the percentage, I don't know.
we would hope that at least for the next grant season we can get at least the same that we got this time instead of a reduction because we do need every penny that we receive to pay for these claims no and i i hear
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
45:26
you and i believe you and your due diligence in this uh i hear you say hope and i appreciate mr hudson
kind of the table as well but i hear you say hope are there any indicators that suggest that we're going to see a similar number or we are we just kind of hopeful that we're going to see that
Speaker 122
45:44
i'm not aware of if any indicators uh yet of how it's going to look
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
45:48
later on mr and if you could just recognize yourself for the committee
Speaker 113
45:54
and you're welcome to answer the question yes mr chairman uh jim hadson secretary and dfa so she's speaking to really just one you know small funding stream that's coming out of voca the voca grants are administered out of dfa i think for the federal fiscal year 25 the total amount that's been awarded is about 11 million dollars from the feds that's certainly down from the high water mark which would would have been 2019 and that was about 20 million dollars but that was actually
an anomalous year I think you know we're we're not too far under what the historical average has been I think when you when you hit a high number like 20 million dollar people begin to recalibrate what their expectations are and you know that's just probably not a number that's realistic going forward. Um, you know, I think we should expect that for FY26, it could be something consistent with FY25. Um, it really is all dependent upon what the
Speaker 130
46:48
feds are doing and particularly in terms of collections of fines and court costs at the federal U S district court level.
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
46:57
So at this time, it's your belief that it's going to look similar
to the previous year. I do. All right. Uh, that's all I have on this. Thank you. Thank you
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
47:11
both. thanks sir representative you said k later is that right uh yes okay all right uh representative pilkington
Chair
Unverified
47:17
you're recognized for a question well it was
Representative Aaron Pilkington
Unverified
47:25
sort of particular hudson but um yeah i share representative rose's concerns i appreciate coming down the table
uh but i just want to get a little more clarity i mean you're saying we're around the same number we're going to get but are you know are we thinking there's going to be a small decrease because of collections are we improving how collections are going is it getting worse i mean just give me a little more flavor for those comments i can't i can't do that okay
Speaker 131
47:50
we're not in charge of collections for that that's that's happening i'm aware
Representative Aaron Pilkington
Unverified
47:53
i just what is on the ground or what are you
Speaker 113
47:56
hearing or i think the the indications that we hear from department of justice are that you know the decline
has stabilized okay so i think it's in the realm of where we're at right now i would not expect a you
Speaker 130
48:07
know any sort of runoff of the number you know going forward that's
Representative Aaron Pilkington
Unverified
48:11
fine so we just make sure i'm hearing you correctly we feel that it's stabilized we shouldn't see another drastic fall and then a couple percentages of where we're currently at for the last year right i can speak
Speaker 113
48:25
with greater confidence on matters of state revenue when it comes to the federal government And their revenue streams, I have no confidence that really are dependent upon them to tell us what the number is.
And I would say just in general, you know, I think all of our nonprofits are having to adjust because, you know, the federal government is, you know, reassessing its spending patterns, thank goodness. And so I think we have to just, you know, always have just a little bit of caution in terms of our spending plans going forward, anybody who's receiving that federal funding, because, you know, they are tapering down those numbers.
Representative Aaron Pilkington
Unverified
49:01
generally speaking I just would appreciate as we move forward any more information related to this
would be helpful for us because we're getting reached out to and unfortunately the number of or at least from my understanding the number of assaults and rapes and things like that are not declining in Arkansas so the need is still there and so as these things change I think it's good for us to be very aware of
Speaker 113
49:25
all these moving parts and what I would encourage all of our non-profits it's a mixture Obviously, the funding that is made available through VOCA is very important, but then also what they're able to fundraise from the communities,
what's able to be supported from local governments as well. I think all of us working together can
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
49:48
address the problem. All right, thank you. Any other questions on F?
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
49:52
Seeing none. G, H, I, J, and then Representative Rose, you're recognized for a question on K. Thank you, sir.
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
50:05
Just similar questions along the lines of whether the NSGP is going to look similar to the previous couple of years
or if we think it's going to be less, more, and then specifics to that.
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
50:19
All right. and if you all could just recognize yourselves for the committee, and then if you don't mind,
Speaker 144
50:26
restate your question. Representative. All right. Good morning. A.J. Gary, Director of the
Speaker 146
50:31
Arkansas Division of Emergency Management. Jody Lee, Arkansas Division
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
50:34
of Emergency Management. Thank you. Thank you both for coming
to the table today. Having worked with some folks and talked with others who have applied for
or been recipients of those NSGPs, I was just curious, And I can't remember all of the qualifications on whether it's houses of worship, schools, public, private, state, et cetera. But I know that those are essential funds that have been used for safety measures. And I was curious if you know if this number is similar to less than, more than previous year, previous two years. We
can double check. I believe they're very close to what we've gotten previously.
And as you look through that, is this the totality for the fiscal year? Is there another run that's going to take place where the state may receive more
Speaker 152
51:28
of these or this is it? So this is it. It's a once-a-year grant program. So when the applicants apply for it, our team makes sure that they fit all the criteria. We don't select who receives that funding. That's done at the federal level. You disperse
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
51:44
it, but it's selected based on their application.
Speaker 152
51:48
Yes, sir, that is correct, and then we manage that program. So non-profit, if they're awarded the funds, what that means is they're approved for their project. They will do that project, they'll send the paperwork through us, and we
Speaker 151
52:01
get them reimbursed for that. If it's all right
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
52:04
with the chairman, for the benefit of the committee, if you're familiar enough with it to
just kind of make everybody aware for those who have entities who could apply for this? Could you kind of specify who could apply and how it would benefit
those organizations? The main benefit
Speaker 154
52:24
for it has been churches, and it's for
Speaker 146
52:28
security enhancements based on potential terrorism threats that they may receive. Could faith-based organizations
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
52:35
or schools apply for this as well? So a school
Speaker 146
52:40
wouldn't be a non-profit, but other faith-based organizations, yes. And we can get you the notice
Speaker 152
52:50
of intent on that, can we not, Jody?
We can get that to you that spells out what
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
52:58
that criteria is. Now a nonprofit Christian school could apply. Is that correct? Correct. Okay. All
right. And it's predominantly for safety measures for any type of terrorist attack or threats against faith. against the non-profits yes sir okay
Speaker 88
53:12
all right thank you thank you mr chair all right thank you members any other questions on k
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
53:21
or l all right seeing no questions is there any objections to any
or would anyone like to object to any of the items in m1 all right seeing no objections all items in M1 are reviewed
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
53:39
M2. Thank you Mr. Chair we're at M2 these are 27 continuation of 26 appropriation agencies are requesting 58 million in spending authority approved for this year to continue to
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
53:52
the new fiscal year. Members any questions on M2 seeing no questions any objections all right seeing no objections M2 is
reviewed section n let's go ahead let's do all of section n yes
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
54:05
sir mr. chair this is section n these are pay plan appropriation requests and one are the 26 requests six agencies request 910 thousand five hundred and pay plan appropriation for salaries and match the largest request comes from parks and tourism of 500,000 and agriculture at 395,000 all site the salary adjustments that came from implementation of the pay plan within the class and comp act in two
uh is a request for 27 this is for the department of veterans affairs they request 822,000 in pay plan appropriation for salaries and match and the request says the department has a new organizational structure and shifted cost share to cash
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
54:49
funds rather than general revenue all right thank you Members,
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
54:53
any questions on N1A, B, C, D, E, or F? Any questions on N2A? All right, seeing no questions, do we have any objections reviewing any of the items in N1 or N2?
Seeing no objections, those items stand reviewed.
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
55:11
O, O1A. Yes, sir, we're in Section O. This is overtime appropriation request. This is for 26. There's just one item. the department of human services division of children and family services it's 165 000 in overtime appropriation this is due to rising case lows staff vacancies and emergency child protection demands that occur outside
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
55:32
of regular hours all right thank you members any questions on a1 or
i'm sorry o1a any objections seem no objections o1a is reviewed section p
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
55:44
thank you mr chairman section p this is the year in adjustments appropriation requests this is a a letter from the CFO requesting prior approval of year-end adjustments to close out books on fiscal year 26. Without this prior approval, chairs from ALC and peer would have to be on standby throughout the evening on June 30th to respond with emergency review should DFA discover accounts are short in the last hours of the fiscal year. According to the letter, if accounts cannot be cleared, unanticipated issues could potentially delay payroll, vendor payments may not be processed, and the loading of fiscal year 27 information to ACES may
interrupted all impacting state operations the request is for prior review to make budget classification transfers and provide up to 1 million in various temporary appropriation mfgs and cash appropriation any actions taken will be reported at the next peer meeting all right thank
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
56:32
you members any questions on p1a any objections to reviewing seem no objections i understand reviewed takes us to our reports members do we have any questions on the reports in section q any questions on the reports in section r
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
56:50
all right with that that concludes our business and we are adjourned thank you members
Agenda
A. Call to Order
Items for Approval
B. Various Temporary Appropriation Requests
C. CARES Act Appropriation Request
D. American Rescue Plan Act Appropriation Requests
E. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Appropriation Requests
F. Appropriation and/or Fund Transfer Request
G. Restricted Reserve Fund Transfer Requests
H. State Central Services Deduction Request
Item to Recommend Approval to ALC-Personnel
I. Reallocation of Resources Request
Items for Review
J. Appropriation and/or Fund Transfer Requests
K. Cash Fund Appropriation Requests
L. Budget Classification Transfer Requests
M. Miscellaneous Federal Grant Appropriation Requests
N. Pay Plan Appropriation Requests
O. Overtime Appropriation Request
P. Year-end Adjustments Appropriation Request
Reports
Q. Quarterly Reports
R. Monthly Reports
S. Other Business
T. Adjournment
Documents
No documents posted.
Speakers
Speaker 2
Senator Jonathan Dismang
Unverified
Senator Missy Irvin
Unverified
Representative Jack Ladyman
Unverified
Representative Frances Cavenaugh
Unverified
Speaker 25
Speaker 24
Representative Jeff Wardlaw
Unverified
Michael Harry
Unverified
Representative Ryan A. Rose
Unverified
Speaker 55
Speaker 59
Speaker 75
Speaker 77
Mike Hager
Unverified
William Parrish
Unverified
Speaker 11
Speaker 88
Speaker 91
Speaker 92
Speaker 94
Speaker 100
Speaker 102
Speaker 103
Speaker 87
Speaker 113
Speaker 118
Speaker 74
Speaker 120
Speaker 122
Speaker 130
Chair
Unverified
Representative Aaron Pilkington
Unverified
Speaker 131
Speaker 144
Speaker 146
Speaker 152
Speaker 151
Speaker 154