Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 34 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S1/30/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1056 3
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By: Representative Evans 5
By: Senator Hester 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO CREATE THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND 9
VETERANS AFFAIRS; TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY; AND FOR 10
OTHER PURPOSES. 11
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Subtitle 14
TO CREATE THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON 15
MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS; AND TO 16
DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 17
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 10, Chapter 3, is amended to add an 21
additional subchapter to read as follows: 22
Subchapter 33 – 23
Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs 24
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10-3-3301. Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs – Creation 26
– Members. 27
(a) There is established a joint committee of the House of 28
Representatives and the Senate to be known as the “Joint Committee on 29
Military and Veterans Affairs”. 30
(b)(1) The Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs shall be a 31
select committee of the House of Representatives and a joint committee of the 32
Senate whose members shall be selected as follows: 33
(A)(i) Twelve (12) members of the House of Representatives 34
to be selected as prescribed by the Rules of the House of Representatives. 35
(ii) One (1) alternate member for each of the House 36 As Engrossed: S1/30/25 HB1056
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members of the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs shall be 1
selected as prescribed by the Rules of the House of Representatives. 2
(iii) A vacancy shall be filled in the same manner 3
as the original selection; and 4
(B)(i) Eight (8) members of the Senate to consist of the 5
members of the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs. 6
(ii) A vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as 7
a vacancy is filled on the Senate Committee on State Agencies and 8
Governmental Affairs. 9
(2) Members appointed to the Joint Committee on Military and 10
Veterans Affairs shall serve on the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans 11
Affairs in addition to their service on the regular standing, joint, and 12
select committees of the General Assembly. 13
(3) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate 14
one (1) of the House members of the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans 15
Affairs as the House Cochair of the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans 16
Affairs and one (1) of the House members of the Joint Committee on Military 17
and Veterans Affairs as the House Co -Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on 18
Military and Veterans Affairs. 19
(4) The Chair of the Senate Committee on State Agencies and 20
Governmental Affairs shall serve as the Senate Cochair of the Joint Committee 21
on Military and Veterans Affairs and the Vice Chair of the Senate Committee 22
on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs shall serve as the Senate Co -Vice 23
Chair of the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs. 24
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10-3-3302. Powers and Duties of Joint Committee on Military and 26
Veterans Affairs. 27
(a) The Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs may meet 28
during: 29
(1) A regular session, fiscal session, or extraordinary session 30
of the General Assembly; 31
(2) An extended recess of the General Assembly; and 32
(3) The interim between legislative sessions of the General 33
Assembly. 34
(b) A bill or resolution introduced during a legislative session in 35
either house of the General Assembly pertaining to military or veterans 36 As Engrossed: S1/30/25 HB1056
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affairs may be referred to the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans 1
Affairs. 2
(c)(1) The Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs shall make 3
continuing studies concerning issues related to military and veterans 4
affairs, either initiated by the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans 5
Affairs or referred to it by either house of the General Assembly for study. 6
(2) Interim study proposals and resolutions filed with the 7
Legislative Council under § 10 -3-214 for review and referral to the 8
appropriate interim committee of the General Assembly, relating to military 9
and veterans affairs, shall be referred to the Joint Committee on Military 10
and Veterans Affairs. 11
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10-3-3303. Interim committee meetings – Expenses – Staff. 13
(a)(1) Members are entitled to per diem and mileage for attendance at 14
meetings of the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs at the rate 15
provided by law to be paid from funds appropriated for payment of per diem 16
and mileage for attendance at meetings of interim committees of the House of 17
Representatives and the Senate. 18
(2) The per diem and mileage, including reimbursement for 19
expenses for attending out -of-state meetings as provided by law, shall be 20
paid from funds appropriated for per diem, mileage, and expenses of members 21
of the General Assembly for attending interim committee meetings or from 22
other funds provided by law for that purpose. 23
(b) The Bureau of Legislative Research shall furnish such staff 24
assistance as may be requested by the Joint Committee on Military and 25
Veterans Affairs. 26
(c) All other appropriate state agencies, including without limitation 27
the Department of the Military and the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall 28
be available to assist the Joint Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs 29
on matters before it, as may be requested by the Joint Committee on Military 30
and Veterans Affairs. 31
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SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 33
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that the State of Arkansas faces 34
increased and ongoing issues due to the growth of the military presence in 35
the state, that the state must face and address these issues to better 36 As Engrossed: S1/30/25 HB1056
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protect our veterans and their families, that protection of our veterans and 1
their families is paramount to the safety of our state and nation, and that 2
this act is immediately necessary as veterans’ issues are crucial and vital 3
to the State of Arkansas. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, and 4
this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public 5
peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: 6
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 7
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 8
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 9
bill; or 10
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 11
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 12
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/s/Evans 14
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APPROVED: 2/11/25 17
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