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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Fiscal Session, 2026 SENATE BILL 72 3
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By: Joint Budget Committee 5
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO REAPPROPRIATE THE BALANCES OF CAPITAL 9
IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF 10
COMMERCE - ARKANSAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION; 11
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 12
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Subtitle 15
AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE - 16
ARKANSAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 17
REAPPROPRIATION. 18
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 21
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SECTION 1. REAPPROPRIATION - MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS LOAN 23
MOBILIZATION. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Commerce, 24
to be payable from the Minority and Women-Owned Business Loan Mobilization 25
Revolving Fund, for the Department of Commerce - Arkansas Economic 26
Development Commission the following: 27
(A) Effective July 1, 2026, the balance of the appropriation provided 28
in Item (A) of Section 2 of Act 78 of 2025, for promoting the development of 29
minority business enterprises in the State, increasing the ability of 30
minority business enterprises to compete for state contracts, and sustaining 31
the economic growth of minority business enterprises in the State, in a sum 32
not to exceed ......................................................$129,082. 33
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SECTION 2. REAPPROPRIATION - CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, GRANTS AND 35
PROGRAMS. There is hereby appropriated, to the Department of Commerce, to be 36
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payable from the Development and Enhancement Fund, for the Department of 1
Commerce - Arkansas Economic Development Commission the following: 2
(A) Effective July 1, 2026, the balance of the appropriation provided 3
in Item (A) of Section 3 of Act 78 of 2025, for the purpose of providing 4
grants and/or loans to state agencies, cities, counties, community-based non-5
profit organizations and other entities determined by the Department of 6
Commerce - Arkansas Economic Development Commission to be eligible to: (1) 7
undertake public works projects and/or job training efforts which support 8
private sector job creation opportunities; (2) alleviate conditions which 9
constitute a threat to public health and wellbeing; (3) partially defray the 10
cost of providing access to publicly owned industrial parks, and/or 11
technology parks; (4) provide for the expansion of the aircraft and aerospace 12
industry; (5) provide for port, rail and waterway economic development 13
projects; (6) provide for technology based economic development projects; (7) 14
provide for industrial site development costs (including, but not limited to 15
land acquisition, construction, renovation, and equipment acquisition); (8) 16
provide for development of intermodal facilities (including, but not limited 17
to port and/or waterway projects, rail spur construction and/or road and 18
highway improvement); (9) pay the costs of environmental mitigation projects; 19
(10) provide for construction and/or improvement of water and sewer systems, 20
in a sum not to exceed ...........................................$3,000,000. 21
(B) Effective July 1, 2026, the balance of the appropriation provided 22
in Item (C) of Section 3 of Act 78 of 2025, for grant matching funds and/or 23
loans to state agencies, cities, counties, community-based non-profit 24
organizations and other eligible entities applying for consideration with a 25
granting organization that requires matching funds for projects, to maximize 26
contributions, provide cash assistance, or match contributions to ensure 27
grant funding or contract, in a sum not to exceed .................$189,757. 28
(C) Effective July 1, 2026, the balance of the appropriation provided 29
in Item (D) of Section 3 of Act 78 of 2025, for the purpose of providing 30
grants and/or loans to state agencies, cities, counties, community-based non-31
profit organizations and other entities determined by the Arkansas Economic 32
Development Commission to be eligible to: (1) undertake public works projects 33
and/or job training efforts which support private sector job creation 34
opportunities; (2) alleviate conditions which constitute a threat to public 35
health and wellbeing; (3) partially defray the cost of providing access to 36
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publicly owned industrial parks, and/or technology parks; (4) provide for the 1
expansion of the aircraft and aerospace industry; (5) provide for port, rail 2
and waterway economic development projects; (6) provide for technology based 3
economic development projects; (7) provide for industrial site development 4
costs (including, but not limited to land acquisition, construction, 5
renovation, and equipment acquisition); (8) provide for development of 6
intermodal facilities (including, but not limited to port and/or waterway 7
projects, rail spur construction and/or road and highway improvement); (9) 8
pay the costs of environmental mitigation projects; (10) provide for 9
construction and/or improvement of water and sewer systems, in a sum not to 10
exceed .............................................................$375,000. 11
(D) Effective July 1, 2026, the balance of the appropriation provided 12
in Item (E) of Section 3 of Act 78 of 2025, for allocation by the Executive 13
Director of the Economic Development Commission for activities associated 14
with the implementation of the State's strategic plan for economic 15
development, in a sum not to exceed ................................$80,100. 16
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SECTION 3. DISBURSEMENT CONTROLS. (A) No contract may be awarded nor 18
obligations otherwise incurred in relation to the project or projects 19
described herein in excess of the State Treasury funds actually available 20
therefor as provided by law. Provided, however, that institutions and 21
agencies listed herein shall have the authority to accept and use grants and 22
donations including Federal funds, and to use its unobligated cash income or 23
funds, or both available to it, for the purpose of supplementing the State 24
Treasury funds for financing the entire costs of the project or projects 25
enumerated herein. Provided further, that the appropriations and funds 26
otherwise provided by the General Assembly for Maintenance and General 27
Operations of the agency or institutions receiving appropriation herein shall 28
not be used for any of the purposes as appropriated in this act. 29
(B) The restrictions of any applicable provisions of the State 30
Purchasing Law, the General Accounting and Budgetary Procedures Law, the 31
Revenue Stabilization Law and any other applicable fiscal control laws of 32
this State and regulations promulgated by the Department of Finance and 33
Administration, as authorized by law, shall be strictly complied with in 34
disbursement of any funds provided by this act unless specifically provided 35
otherwise by law. 36
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SECTION 4. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General 2
Assembly that any funds disbursed under the authority of the appropriations 3
contained in this act shall be in compliance with the stated reasons for 4
which this act was adopted, as evidenced by the Agency Requests, Executive 5
Recommendations and Legislative Recommendations contained in the budget 6
manuals prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration, letters, or 7
summarized oral testimony in the official minutes of the Arkansas Legislative 8
Council or Joint Budget Committee which relate to its passage and adoption. 9
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SECTION 5. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the General 11
Assembly, that the Constitution of the State of Arkansas prohibits the 12
appropriation of funds for more than a one (1) year period; that the 13
effectiveness of this Act on July 1, 2026 is essential to the operation of 14
the agency for which the appropriations in this Act are provided, and that in 15
the event of an extension of the legislative session, the delay in the 16
effective date of this Act beyond July 1, 2026 could work irreparable harm 17
upon the proper administration and provision of essential governmental 18
programs. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this Act 19
being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health 20
and safety shall be in full force and effect from and after July 1, 2026. 21
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