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SB4 • 2026

AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARDS APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARDS APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

Budget
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Joint Budget Committee
Last action
2026-05-01
Official status
Senate -- Notification that SB4 is now Act 146
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARDS APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARDS APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

What This Bill Does

  • AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARDS APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

No action history is stored for this bill yet.

Official Summary Text

AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARDS APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL YEAR.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
*CJW019* 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Fiscal Session, 2026 SENATE BILL 4 3
4
By: Joint Budget Committee 5
6
7
For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION FOR PERSONAL SERVICES 9
AND OPERATING EXPENSES FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - 10
LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARDS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 11
ENDING JUNE 30, 2027; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 12
13
14
Subtitle 15
AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - 16
LICENSING AND REGULATION BOARDS 17
APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2026-2027 FISCAL 18
YEAR. 19
20
21
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 22
23
SECTION 1. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 24
ACUPUNCTURE AND RELATED TECHNIQUES. There is hereby appropriated, to the 25
Department of Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State 26
Treasury as determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for 27
operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of 28
Acupuncture and Related Techniques for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, 29
the following: 30
31
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 32
NO. 2026-2027 33
(01) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 34
(A) OPER. EXPENSE $2,999 35
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

2 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

(C) PROF. FEES 8,001 1
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 2
(E) DATA PROC. 0 3
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $11,000 4
5
SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - STATE BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF 6
ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE COUNSELORS. There is hereby appropriated, to the 7
Department of Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State 8
Treasury as determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal 9
services and operating expenses of the Department of Health - State Board of 10
Examiners of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors for the fiscal year ending 11
June 30, 2027, the following: 12
13
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 14
NO. 2026-2027 15
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $7,400 16
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 566 17
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 18
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 10,000 19
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 20
(C) PROF. FEES 14,000 21
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 22
(E) DATA PROC. 0 23
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $31,966 24
25
SECTION 3. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 26
ATHLETIC TRAINING. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of 27
Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as 28
determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services 29
and operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of 30
Athletic Training for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 31
32
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 33
NO. 2026-2027 34
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $480 35
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 37 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

3 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 1
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 20,000 2
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 3
(C) PROF. FEES 0 4
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 5
(E) DATA PROC. 0 6
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $20,517 7
8
SECTION 4. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 9
CHIROPRACTIC EXAMINERS. There is hereby established for the Department of 10
Health - Arkansas State Board of Chiropractic Examiners for the 2026-2027 11
fiscal year, the following maximum number of regular employees. 12
13
Maximum Annual 14
Maximum Salary Rate 15
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 16
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 17
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 18
(2) PAS01P ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST 1 GRADE SGS05 19
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 2 20
21
SECTION 5. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 22
CHIROPRACTIC EXAMINERS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of 23
Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as 24
determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services 25
and operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of 26
Chiropractic Examiners for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the 27
following: 28
29
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 30
NO. 2026-2027 31
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $91,815 32
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 35,643 33
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 34
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 60,000 35
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 2,500 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

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(C) PROF. FEES 12,672 1
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 2
(E) DATA PROC. 0 3
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $202,630 4
5
SECTION 6. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS BOARD OF EXAMINERS 6
IN COUNSELING. There is hereby established for the Department of Health - 7
Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the 8
following maximum number of regular employees. 9
10
Maximum Annual 11
Maximum Salary Rate 12
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 13
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 14
(1) PHP02C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR II 1 GRADE SPC04 15
(2) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 2 GRADE SGS04 16
(3) FFS04P FISCAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST 1 GRADE SGS04 17
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 4 18
19
SECTION 7. EXTRA HELP - ARKANSAS BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN COUNSELING. 20
There is hereby authorized, for the Department of Health - Arkansas Board of 21
Examiners in Counseling for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum 22
number of part-time or temporary employees, to be known as "Extra Help", 23
payable from funds appropriated herein for such purposes: two (2) temporary 24
or part-time employees, when needed, at rates of pay not to exceed those 25
provided in the Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, or its 26
successor, or this act for the appropriate classification. 27
28
SECTION 8. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN 29
COUNSELING. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 30
payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as determined by 31
the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services and operating 32
expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas Board of Examiners in 33
Counseling for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 34
35
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

5 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

NO. 2026-2027 1
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $225,143 2
(02) EXTRA HELP 4,000 3
(03) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 84,472 4
(04) OVERTIME 12,000 5
(05) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 6
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 113,800 7
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 4,000 8
(C) PROF. FEES 11,000 9
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 10
(E) DATA PROC. 0 11
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $454,415 12
13
SECTION 9. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 14
DENTAL EXAMINERS. There is hereby established for the Department of Health - 15
Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the 16
following maximum number of regular employees. 17
18
Maximum Annual 19
Maximum Salary Rate 20
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 21
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 22
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 23
(2) PAS01P ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST 1 GRADE SGS05 24
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 2 25
26
SECTION 10. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF DENTAL 27
EXAMINERS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 28
payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as determined by 29
the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services and operating 30
expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of Dental 31
Examiners for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 32
33
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 34
NO. 2026-2027 35
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $155,097 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

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(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 48,708 1
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 2
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 119,637 3
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 7,166 4
(C) PROF. FEES 42,126 5
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 6
(E) DATA PROC. 0 7
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $372,734 8
9
SECTION 11. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS DIETETICS 10
LICENSING BOARD. There is hereby established for the Department of Health - 11
Arkansas Dietetics Licensing Board for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the 12
following maximum number of regular employees. 13
14
Maximum Annual 15
Maximum Salary Rate 16
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 17
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 18
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 19
(2) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS04 20
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 2 21
22
SECTION 12. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS DIETETICS LICENSING 23
BOARD. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 24
payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as determined by 25
the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services and operating 26
expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas Dietetics Licensing Board for 27
the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 28
29
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 30
NO. 2026-2027 31
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $90,348 32
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 28,672 33
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 34
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 5,000 35
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

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(C) PROF. FEES 0 1
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 2
(E) DATA PROC. 0 3
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $124,020 4
5
SECTION 13. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS BOARD OF 6
DISPENSING OPTICIANS. There is hereby established for the Department of 7
Health - Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians for the 2026-2027 fiscal 8
year, the following maximum number of regular employees. 9
10
Maximum Annual 11
Maximum Salary Rate 12
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 13
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 14
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 15
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 1 16
17
SECTION 14. EXTRA HELP - ARKANSAS BOARD OF DISPENSING OPTICIANS. There 18
is hereby authorized, for the Department of Health - Arkansas Board of 19
Dispensing Opticians for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum 20
number of part-time or temporary employees, to be known as "Extra Help", 21
payable from funds appropriated herein for such purposes: one (1) temporary 22
or part-time employees, when needed, at rates of pay not to exceed those 23
provided in the Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, or its 24
successor, or this act for the appropriate classification. 25
26
SECTION 15. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS BOARD OF DISPENSING 27
OPTICIANS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 28
payable from the Board of Dispensing Opticians' Fund, for personal services 29
and operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas Board of 30
Dispensing Opticians for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 31
32
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 33
NO. 2026-2027 34
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $49,750 35
(02) EXTRA HELP 1,200 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

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(03) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 18,943 1
(04) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 2
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 23,900 3
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 4
(C) PROF. FEES 0 5
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 6
(E) DATA PROC. 0 7
(05) REFUNDS/REIMBURSEMENTS 200 8
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $93,993 9
10
SECTION 16. EXTRA HELP - ARKANSAS BOARD OF HEARING INSTRUMENT 11
DISPENSERS. There is hereby authorized, for the Department of Health - 12
Arkansas Board of Hearing Instrument Dispensers for the 2026-2027 fiscal 13
year, the following maximum number of part-time or temporary employees, to be 14
known as "Extra Help", payable from funds appropriated herein for such 15
purposes: two (2) temporary or part-time employees, when needed, at rates of 16
pay not to exceed those provided in the Uniform Classification and 17
Compensation Act, or its successor, or this act for the appropriate 18
classification. 19
20
SECTION 17. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS BOARD OF HEARING 21
INSTRUMENT DISPENSERS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of 22
Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as 23
determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services 24
and operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas Board of 25
Hearing Instrument Dispensers for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the 26
following: 27
28
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 29
NO. 2026-2027 30
(01) EXTRA HELP $30,200 31
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 2,328 32
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 33
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 17,800 34
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 35
(C) PROF. FEES 350 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

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(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 1
(E) DATA PROC. 0 2
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $50,678 3
4
SECTION 18. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE MEDICAL 5
BOARD. There is hereby established for the Department of Health - Arkansas 6
State Medical Board for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum 7
number of regular employees. 8
9
Maximum Annual 10
Maximum Salary Rate 11
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 12
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 13
(1) PHP07C MEDICAL BOARD DIRECTOR 1 GRADE SPC07 14
(2) FFS03C FISCAL SUPPORT MANAGER 1 GRADE SGS09 15
(3) CTR02P TRAINER 1 GRADE SGS07 16
(4) IIV04P INVESTIGATOR III 1 GRADE SGS06 17
(5) PAS01P ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST 5 GRADE SGS05 18
(6) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 2 GRADE SGS04 19
(7) FFS04P FISCAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST 2 GRADE SGS04 20
(8) HDH07P HR SPECIALIST 1 GRADE SGS04 21
(9) PAS03P ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST 16 GRADE SGS02 22
(10) IIS06P IT INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE IST08 23
(11) IIS04P IT INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYST 1 GRADE IST06 24
(12) IAS08I WEBSITE SPECIALIST 1 GRADE IST05 25
(13) IUS04P USER SUPPORT SPECIALIST 1 GRADE IST02 26
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 34 27
28
SECTION 19. EXTRA HELP - ARKANSAS STATE MEDICAL BOARD. There is hereby 29
authorized, for the Department of Health - Arkansas State Medical Board for 30
the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number of part-time or 31
temporary employees, to be known as "Extra Help", payable from funds 32
appropriated herein for such purposes: two (2) temporary or part-time 33
employees, when needed, at rates of pay not to exceed those provided in the 34
Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, or its successor, or this act 35
for the appropriate classification. 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

10 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

1
SECTION 20. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE MEDICAL BOARD. 2
There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be payable from 3
the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as determined by the Chief 4
Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services and operating expenses of 5
the Department of Health - Arkansas State Medical Board for the fiscal year 6
ending June 30, 2027, the following: 7
8
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 9
NO. 2026-2027 10
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $1,494,219 11
(02) EXTRA HELP 24,500 12
(03) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 584,489 13
(04) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 14
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 1,379,645 15
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 19,000 16
(C) PROF. FEES 21,000 17
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 18
(E) DATA PROC. 0 19
(05) REFUNDS/REIMBURSEMENTS 7,500 20
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $3,530,353 21
22
SECTION 21. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 23
NURSING. There is hereby established for the Department of Health - Arkansas 24
State Board of Nursing for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum 25
number of regular employees. 26
27
Maximum Annual 28
Maximum Salary Rate 29
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 30
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 31
(1) EEX25A NURSING BOARD DIRECTOR 1 GRADE MED10 32
(2) LAT05P ATTORNEY III 1 GRADE SPC08 33
(3) LAT04P ATTORNEY II 1 GRADE SPC05 34
(4) FFS03C FISCAL SUPPORT MANAGER 1 GRADE SGS09 35
(5) PAS08I EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT 1 GRADE SGS07 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

11 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

(6) CPR05P PUBLIC INFORMATION COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS07 1
(7) ILS03I LEGAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST 4 GRADE SGS06 2
(8) IIV04P INVESTIGATOR III 1 GRADE SGS06 3
(9) PAS01P ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST 1 GRADE SGS05 4
(10) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS04 5
(11) FFS04P FISCAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST 1 GRADE SGS04 6
(12) PAS03P ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST 8 GRADE SGS02 7
(13) MNU04P NURSE PRACTITIONER 2 GRADE MED08 8
(14) MNU07C REGISTERED NURSE MANAGER 2 GRADE MED07 9
(15) MNU06P REGISTERED NURSE 5 GRADE MED05 10
(16) IIS06P IT INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE IST08 11
(17) IUS04P USER SUPPORT SPECIALIST 1 GRADE IST02 12
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 33 13
14
SECTION 22. EXTRA HELP - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF NURSING. 15
There is hereby authorized, for the Department of Health - Arkansas State 16
Board of Nursing for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number 17
of part-time or temporary employees, to be known as "Extra Help", payable 18
from funds appropriated herein for such purposes: one (1) temporary or part-19
time employees, when needed, at rates of pay not to exceed those provided in 20
the Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, or its successor, or this 21
act for the appropriate classification. 22
23
SECTION 23. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 24
NURSING. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 25
payable from the State Board of Nursing Fund, for personal services and 26
operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of 27
Nursing for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 28
29
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 30
NO. 2026-2027 31
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $2,228,273 32
(02) EXTRA HELP 5,000 33
(03) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 746,142 34
(04) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 35
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 1,040,914 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

12 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 43,448 1
(C) PROF. FEES 2,000 2
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 3
(E) DATA PROC. 0 4
(05) REFUNDS/REIMBURSEMENTS 1,000 5
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $4,066,777 6
7
SECTION 24. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF NURSING - SCHOLAR 8
LOANS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health - Arkansas 9
State Board of Nursing, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the 10
State Treasury as determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for 11
the Nursing Student Loan Program to make student loans for the fiscal year 12
ending June 30, 2027, the following: 13
14
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 15
NO. 2026-2027 16
(01) NURSING STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM $100,000 17
18
SECTION 25. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF NURSING - NURSING 19
EDUCATION WORKSHOPS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of 20
Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as 21
determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for operating expenses 22
of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of Nursing - Nursing 23
Education Workshops for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 24
25
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 26
NO. 2026-2027 27
(01) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 28
(A) OPER. EXPENSE $14,325 29
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 30
(C) PROF. FEES 2,000 31
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 32
(E) DATA PROC. 0 33
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $16,325 34
35
SECTION 26. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF NURSING - ARKANSAS 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

13 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

CENTER FOR NURSING GRANT. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of 1
Health - Arkansas State Board of Nursing, to be payable from the State Board 2
of Nursing Fund, for a grant for personal services and operating expenses for 3
the Arkansas Center for Nursing for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the 4
following: 5
6
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 7
NO. 2026-2027 8
(01) ARKANSAS CENTER FOR NURSING GRANT $173,000 9
10
SECTION 27. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - STATE BOARD OF OPTOMETRY. 11
There is hereby established for the Department of Health - State Board of 12
Optometry for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number of 13
regular employees. 14
15
Maximum Annual 16
Maximum Salary Rate 17
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 18
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 19
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 20
(2) FFS04P FISCAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST 1 GRADE SGS04 21
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 2 22
23
SECTION 28. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - STATE BOARD OF OPTOMETRY. 24
There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be payable from 25
the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as determined by the Chief 26
Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services and operating expenses of 27
the Department of Health - State Board of Optometry for the fiscal year 28
ending June 30, 2027, the following: 29
30
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 31
NO. 2026-2027 32
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $110,887 33
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 40,545 34
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 35
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 32,000 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

14 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 1
(C) PROF. FEES 35,000 2
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 3
(E) DATA PROC. 0 4
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $218,432 5
6
SECTION 29. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 7
PHARMACY. There is hereby established for the Department of Health - 8
Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following 9
maximum number of regular employees. 10
11
Maximum Annual 12
Maximum Salary Rate 13
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 14
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 15
(1) EEX28A PHARMACY BOARD DIRECTOR 1 GRADE MED12 16
(2) LAT05P ATTORNEY III 1 GRADE SPC08 17
(3) FFS05P FISCAL SUPPORT SUPERVISOR/EXPERT 1 GRADE SGS07 18
(4) PAS01P ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST 2 GRADE SGS05 19
(5) PAS03P ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST 1 GRADE SGS02 20
(6) MPA02C PHARMACY BOARD ADMINISTRATOR 1 GRADE MED11 21
(7) MPA03P PHARMACY INSPECTOR 3 GRADE MED09 22
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 10 23
24
SECTION 30. EXTRA HELP - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY. There is 25
hereby authorized, for the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of 26
Pharmacy for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number of part-27
time or temporary employees, to be known as "Extra Help", payable from funds 28
appropriated herein for such purposes: four (4) temporary or part-time 29
employees, when needed, at rates of pay not to exceed those provided in the 30
Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, or its successor, or this act 31
for the appropriate classification. 32
33
SECTION 31. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 34
PHARMACY. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health - 35
Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, to be payable from the cash fund deposited 36
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15 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

in the State Treasury as determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, 1
for personal services and operating expenses of the Department of Health - 2
Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, 3
the following: 4
5
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 6
NO. 2026-2027 7
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $1,261,330 8
(02) EXTRA HELP 30,000 9
(03) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 363,030 10
(04) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 11
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 586,985 12
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 29,120 13
(C) PROF. FEES 0 14
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 15
(E) DATA PROC. 0 16
(05) REFUNDS/REIMBURSEMENTS 3,000 17
(06) IMPAIRED PHARMACIST PROGRAM 50,000 18
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $2,323,465 19
20
SECTION 32. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY - PHARMACY 21
STUDENT LOANS AND SCHOLARSHIPS. There is hereby appropriated, to the 22
Department of Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State 23
Treasury as determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for grants 24
to colleges of pharmacy in Arkansas for pharmacy student loans and 25
scholarships of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy 26
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 27
28
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 29
NO. 2026-2027 30
(01) PHARMACY STUDENT LOAN/SCHOLARSHIPS $400,000 31
32
SECTION 33. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 33
PHYSICAL THERAPY. There is hereby established for the Department of Health - 34
Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the 35
following maximum number of regular employees. 36
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16 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

1
Maximum Annual 2
Maximum Salary Rate 3
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 4
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 5
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 6
(2) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS04 7
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 2 8
9
SECTION 34. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF 10
PHYSICAL THERAPY. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, 11
to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as 12
determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services 13
and operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of 14
Physical Therapy for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 15
16
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 17
NO. 2026-2027 18
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $118,146 19
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 42,672 20
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 21
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 89,833 22
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 23
(C) PROF. FEES 8,490 24
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 25
(E) DATA PROC. 0 26
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $259,141 27
28
SECTION 35. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF PHYSICAL THERAPY - 29
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of 30
Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as 31
determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for a scholarship 32
program of the Department of Health - Arkansas State Board of Physical 33
Therapy for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 34
35
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

17 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

NO. 2026-2027 1
(01) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM $200,000 2
3
SECTION 36. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS BOARD OF PODIATRIC 4
MEDICINE. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 5
payable from the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as determined by 6
the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services and operating 7
expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas Board of Podiatric Medicine 8
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 9
10
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 11
NO. 2026-2027 12
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $1,800 13
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 138 14
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 15
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 4,052 16
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 17
(C) PROF. FEES 250 18
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 19
(E) DATA PROC. 0 20
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $6,240 21
22
SECTION 37. REGULAR SALARIES - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS PSYCHOLOGY BOARD. 23
There is hereby established for the Department of Health - Arkansas 24
Psychology Board for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number 25
of regular employees. 26
27
Maximum Annual 28
Maximum Salary Rate 29
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 30
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 31
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 32
(2) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS04 33
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 2 34
35
SECTION 38. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS PSYCHOLOGY BOARD. 36
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There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be payable from 1
the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as determined by the Chief 2
Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal services and operating expenses of 3
the Department of Health - Arkansas Psychology Board for the fiscal year 4
ending June 30, 2027, the following: 5
6
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 7
NO. 2026-2027 8
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $93,090 9
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 37,222 10
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 11
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 61,540 12
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 3,000 13
(C) PROF. FEES 24,727 14
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 15
(E) DATA PROC. 0 16
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $219,579 17
18
SECTION 39. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS PSYCHOLOGY BOARD - SCHOLARSHIP 19
PROGRAM. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health - 20
Arkansas Psychology Board, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the 21
State Treasury as determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for 22
scholarships for psychology students pursing training as psychological and 23
neurological technicians for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the 24
following: 25
26
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 27
NO. 2026-2027 28
(01) PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS $150,000 29
30
SECTION 40. REGULAR SALARIES - ARKANSAS SOCIAL WORK LICENSING BOARD. 31
There is hereby established for the Department of Health - Arkansas Social 32
Work Licensing Board for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum 33
number of regular employees. 34
35
Maximum Annual 36
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Maximum Salary Rate 1
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 2
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 3
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 4
(2) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS04 5
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 2 6
7
SECTION 41. EXTRA HELP - ARKANSAS SOCIAL WORK LICENSING BOARD. There 8
is hereby authorized, for the Department of Health - Arkansas Social Work 9
Licensing Board for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number 10
of part-time or temporary employees, to be known as "Extra Help", payable 11
from funds appropriated herein for such purposes: one (1) temporary or part-12
time employees, when needed, at rates of pay not to exceed those provided in 13
the Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, or its successor, or this 14
act for the appropriate classification. 15
16
SECTION 42. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS SOCIAL WORK LICENSING 17
BOARD. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 18
payable from the Social Work Licensing Fund, for personal services and 19
operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas Social Work 20
Licensing Board for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 21
22
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 23
NO. 2026-2027 24
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $116,308 25
(02) EXTRA HELP 6,000 26
(03) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 41,609 27
(04) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 28
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 42,000 29
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 6,000 30
(C) PROF. FEES 7,000 31
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 32
(E) DATA PROC. 0 33
(05) REFUNDS/REIMBURSEMENTS 500 34
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $219,417 35
36
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SECTION 43. REGULAR SALARIES - BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE 1
PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY. There is hereby established for the Department of 2
Health - Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology for 3
the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number of regular employees. 4
5
Maximum Annual 6
Maximum Salary Rate 7
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 8
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 9
(1) PHP01C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR I 1 GRADE SGS06 10
(2) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS04 11
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 2 12
13
SECTION 44. EXTRA HELP - BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN SPEECH-LANGUAGE 14
PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY. There is hereby authorized, for the Department of 15
Health - Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology for 16
the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number of part-time or 17
temporary employees, to be known as "Extra Help", payable from funds 18
appropriated herein for such purposes: one (1) temporary or part-time 19
employees, when needed, at rates of pay not to exceed those provided in the 20
Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, or its successor, or this act 21
for the appropriate classification. 22
23
SECTION 45. APPROPRIATION - OPERATIONS - BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN SPEECH-24
LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY. There is hereby appropriated, to the 25
Department of Health, to be payable from the cash fund deposited in the State 26
Treasury as determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, for personal 27
services and operating expenses of the Department of Health - Board of 28
Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology for the fiscal year 29
ending June 30, 2027, the following: 30
31
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 32
NO. 2026-2027 33
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $98,930 34
(02) EXTRA HELP 12,000 35
(03) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 39,482 36
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(04) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 1
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 50,516 2
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 3,250 3
(C) PROF. FEES 12,800 4
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 5
(E) DATA PROC. 0 6
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $216,978 7
8
SECTION 46. REGULAR SALARIES - ARKANSAS SPINAL CORD COMMISSION. There 9
is hereby established for the Department of Health - Arkansas Spinal Cord 10
Commission for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the following maximum number of 11
regular employees. 12
13
Maximum Annual 14
Maximum Salary Rate 15
Item Class No. of Fiscal Year 16
No. Code Title Employees 2026-2027 17
(1) PHP02C HEALTH BOARD DIRECTOR II 1 GRADE SPC04 18
(2) SCM06P LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER 1 GRADE SPC01 19
(3) PHS05P HEALTH PROGRAM COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS07 20
(4) FFS02P FISCAL SUPPORT COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS06 21
(5) PAS02P ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE SGS04 22
(6) PAS03P ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST 3 GRADE SGS02 23
(7) MRE06P VOCATIONAL REHAB COUNSELOR 2 GRADE MED04 24
(8) MRE02P REHABILITATION COORDINATOR 14 GRADE MED02 25
(9) IIS04P IT INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYST 1 GRADE IST06 26
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 25 27
28
SECTION 47. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS SPINAL CORD COMMISSION - STATE 29
OPERATIONS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 30
payable from the Miscellaneous Agencies Fund Account, for personal services 31
and operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas Spinal Cord 32
Commission for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the following: 33
34
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 35
NO. 2026-2027 36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

22 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

(01) REGULAR SALARIES $1,235,781 1
(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 488,409 2
(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 3
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 219,888 4
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 15,620 5
(C) PROF. FEES 19,065 6
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 7
(E) DATA PROC. 0 8
(04) LONG TERM ATTENDANT CARE 261,610 9
(05) SPINAL TREATMENT PROGRAM 772,000 10
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $3,012,373 11
12
SECTION 48. APPROPRIATION - FEDERAL OPERATIONS - ARKANSAS SPINAL CORD 13
COMMISSION. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be 14
payable from the federal funds as designated by the Chief Fiscal Officer of 15
the State, for operating expenses of the Department of Health - Arkansas 16
Spinal Cord Commission for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the 17
following: 18
19
ITEM FISCAL YEAR 20
NO. 2026-2027 21
(01) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 22
(A) OPER. EXPENSE $20,000 23
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 3,000 24
(C) PROF. FEES 5,000 25
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 26
(E) DATA PROC. 0 27
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $28,000 28
29
SECTION 49. APPROPRIATION - CASH - ARKANSAS SPINAL CORD COMMISSION. 30
There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Health, to be payable from 31
the cash fund deposited in the State Treasury as determined by the Chief 32
Fiscal Officer of the State, for operating expenses of the Department of 33
Health - Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission for the fiscal year ending June 30, 34
2027, the following: 35
36
As Engrossed: S4/21/26 S4/27/26 SB4

23 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

ITEM FISCAL YEAR 1
NO. 2026-2027 2
(01) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 3
(A) OPER. EXPENSE $40,000 4
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 5
(C) PROF. FEES 10,000 6
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 7
(E) DATA PROC. 0 8
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $50,000 9
10
SECTION 50. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 11
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. ARKANSAS 12
STATE BOARD OF CHIROPRACTIC EXAMINERS - INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES FOR CONSUMER 13
COMPLAINTS. Ten thousand dollars ($10,000) of the available appropriation in 14
the Professional Fees Line item of this act shall be made available to the 15
board for the purpose of contracting an independent or private investigator 16
for investigative services regarding complaints submitted by consumers. 17
(a)(1) The Arkansas State Board of Chiropractic Examiners shall contract 18
with an outside investigator as needed to perform investigations and conduct 19
inspections of alleged wrongdoing. 20
(2) An outside investigator contracted under subdivision (a)(1) of 21
this section shall have expertise or background in the subject matter in 22
which he or she is being contracted to investigate. 23
(b) The duties of an investigator hired under this section shall 24
include without limitation investigation and inspection of all complaints, as 25
determined by the board, to determine whether a person has: 26
(1) Practiced his or her profession in such a way as to endanger the general 27
health and welfare of the public; or 28
(2) Otherwise violated this chapter or rules of the board. 29
(c)(1) The board shall file a report annually on or before December 1 30
with the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs and the 31
House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs for the 32
committees' review. 33
(2) The report shall include: 34
(A) The number of complaints that have been filed; 35
(B) A list of who has been investigated and the purported 36
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24 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

violation; and 1
(C) A summary of the findings of each investigation. 2
The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 3
2025 2026 through June 30, 2026 2027. 4
5
SECTION 51. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 6
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. ARKANSAS 7
STATE BOARD OF DENTAL EXAMINERS - EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. The Arkansas State 8
Board of Dental Examiners is hereby authorized to expend from monies 9
authorized herein, $15 from each licensed dentist licensed by the State Board 10
of Dental Examiners each year to be paid by the Arkansas State Board of 11
Dental Examiners to 501(c)(3) Arkansas foundations that have healthcare 12
professionals on their board and provide for identification, treatment and 13
monitoring of healthcare professionals who suffer from alcohol or drug abuse 14
problems, in order to promote the public health and safety and to insure the 15
continued availability of skilled and highly trained dental professionals for 16
the benefit of the public. 17
The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 2025 18
2026 through June 30, 2026 2027. 19
20
SECTION 52. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 21
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. ARKANSAS 22
STATE MEDICAL BOARD - EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. The State Medical Board is hereby 23
authorized to expend from monies authorized herein, $30 from each licensed 24
physician licensed by the State Medical Board each year to be paid by the 25
State Medical Board to 501(c)(3) Arkansas foundations that have healthcare 26
professionals on their board and provide for identification, treatment and 27
monitoring of healthcare professionals who suffer from alcohol or drug abuse 28
problems, in order to promote the public health and safety and to insure the 29
continued availability of skilled and highly trained medical professionals 30
for the benefit of the public. 31
The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 2025 32
2026 through June 30, 2026 2027. 33
34
SECTION 53. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 35
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. ARKANSAS 36
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25 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

STATE BOARD OF NURSING - FUNDING TRANSFER. The Arkansas State Board of 1
Nursing may request a fund transfer in an amount not to exceed one hundred 2
thousand dollars ($100,000) each fiscal year from the State Board of Nursing 3
Fund to the cash in State Treasury fund as determined by the Chief Fiscal 4
Officer of the State to provide funds for the Student Loan Program 5
appropriation provided herein. Upon approval of the Chief Fiscal Officer of 6
the State, the amount requested shall be transferred on his or her books and 7
those of the State Treasurer and the Auditor of State. 8
The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 30, 9
2025 2026 through June 30, 2026 2027. 10
11
SECTION 54. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 12
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. ARKANSAS 13
BOARD OF PODIATRIC MEDICINE - EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. The Arkansas Board of 14
Podiatric Medicine is hereby authorized to expend from monies authorized 15
herein, $10 from each licensed podiatrist licensed by the Arkansas Board of 16
Podiatric Medicine each year to be paid by the Arkansas Board of Podiatric 17
Medicine to 501(c)(3) Arkansas foundations that have healthcare professionals 18
on their board and provide for identification, treatment and monitoring of 19
healthcare professionals who suffer from alcohol or drug abuse problems, in 20
order to promote the public health and safety and to insure the continued 21
availability of skilled and highly trained podiatric professionals for the 22
benefit of the public. 23
The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 2025 24
2026 through June 30, 2026 2027. 25
26
SECTION 55. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 27
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. 28
ARKANSAS SPINAL CORD COMMISSION - LINE ITEM TRANSFER. Any savings made in the 29
State Appropriation may, after receiving advice and approval of the 30
Department of Finance and Administration, be transferred to the Spinal 31
Treatment Program. 32
The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 2025 33
2026 through June 30, 2026 2027. 34
35
SECTION 56. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 36
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26 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. TRANSFER 1
OF FUNDS. Immediately upon the effective date of this act, the Arkansas State 2
Medical Board shall transfer annually the sum of five hundred thousand 3
dollars ($500,000), or so much as is available, from the unobligated and 4
unallocated monies remaining in the Arkansas State Medical Board's cash 5
funds, to the Department of Education - Division of Higher Education's 6
Graduate Medical Education Fund to be used exclusively for the Graduate 7
Medical Education Residency Expansion Board appropriation. 8
9
SECTION 57. SPECIAL LANGUAGE - CODE AMENDMENT. Arkansas Code § 17-95-10
403(b)(3)(A)(iii)(c), concerning the qualifications for a license to practice 11
medicine in this state, is amended to read as follows: 12
(c) If he or she has been offered full-time 13
employment as a physician from a healthcare provider that operates in a 14
medically underserved population or a federally designated area that is a 15
medically underserved area, medically partially underserved area, or a 16
primary care health professional shortage area in this state, he or she 17
shall: 18
(1) Hold an active, unencumbered license 19
to practice medicine in a foreign country; 20
(2) Have actively practiced medicine 21
during the four-year period preceding the date of an application under this 22
section; 23
(3) Have the Educational Commission for 24
Foreign Medical Graduates evaluate his or her medical credentials; 25
(4) Hold an active, valid certificate 26
issued by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates; and 27
(5) Pass the examination used by the 28
Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. 29
30
SECTION 58. COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS. Disbursement of funds 31
authorized by this act shall be limited to the appropriation for such agency 32
and funds made available by law for the support of such appropriations; and 33
the restrictions of the State Procurement Law, the General Accounting and 34
Budgetary Procedures Law, the Revenue Stabilization Law, the Regular Salary 35
Procedures and Restrictions Act, or their successors, and other fiscal 36
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27 04-27-2026 15:19:29 CJW019

control laws of this State, where applicable, and regulations promulgated by 1
the Department of Finance and Administration, as authorized by law, shall be 2
strictly complied with in disbursement of said funds. 3
4
SECTION 59. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General 5
Assembly that any funds disbursed under the authority of the appropriations 6
contained in this act shall be in compliance with the stated reasons for 7
which this act was adopted, as evidenced by the Agency Requests, Executive 8
Recommendations and Legislative Recommendations contained in the budget 9
manuals prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration, letters, or 10
summarized oral testimony in the official minutes of the Arkansas Legislative 11
Council or Joint Budget Committee which relate to its passage and adoption. 12
13
SECTION 60. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 14
General Assembly, that the Constitution of the State of Arkansas prohibits 15
the appropriation of funds for more than a one (1) year period; that the 16
effectiveness of this Act on July 1, 2026 is essential to the operation of 17
the agency for which the appropriations in this Act are provided, and that in 18
the event of an extension of the legislative session, the delay in the 19
effective date of this Act beyond July 1, 2026 could work irreparable harm 20
upon the proper administration and provision of essential governmental 21
programs. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this Act 22
being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health 23
and safety shall be in full force and effect from and after July 1, 2026. 24
25
/s/Joint Budget Committee 26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36