Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 89 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1262 3
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By: Joint Budget Committee 5
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION FOR PERSONAL SERVICES 9
AND OPERATING EXPENSES FOR THE ARKANSAS STATE 10
UNIVERSITY - ARKANSAS BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE FOR THE 11
FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2026; AND FOR OTHER 12
PURPOSES. 13
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Subtitle 16
AN ACT FOR THE ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY 17
- ARKANSAS BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE 18
APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025 -2026 FISCAL 19
YEAR. 20
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 23
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SECTION 1. REGULAR SALARIES - ARKANSAS BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE . There is 25
hereby established for the Arkansas State University - Arkansas Biosciences 26
Institute for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the following maximum number of 27
regular employees. 28
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Maximum Annual 30
Maximum Salary Rate 31
Item No. of Fiscal Year 32
No. Title Employees 2025-2026 33
ARKANSAS BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE 34
TWELVE MONTH EDUCATIONAL AND GENERAL 35
ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS 36 HB1262
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(1) Exec. Dir. of Biosciences Institute 1 $258,983 1
(2) Project/Program Administrator 8 2
Executive Project/Program Director $207,294 3
Exec. Project/Program Manager $181,097 4
Sr. Project/Program Director $167,382 5
Project/Program Director $135,750 6
Project/Program Manager $123,020 7
Executive Assistant $115,000 8
Project/Program Specialist $106,139 9
(3) Asst. Director, Biosciences Institute 1 $136,651 10
(4) Research Assistant 3 $88,060 11
(5) Skilled Trades Pool 1 12
Skilled Trades Foreman $74,157 13
Skilled Trades Supervisor $71,305 14
Skilled Tradesman $68,562 15
Skilled Trades Helper $52,101 16
Apprentice Tradesman $46,319 17
(6) Administrative Support Pool 1 18
Administrative Assistant $67,284 19
Administrative Analyst $67,284 20
Administrative Support Supervisor $62,208 21
Administrative Specialist III $59,815 22
Administration Support Specialist $59,815 23
Administrative Specialist II $53,175 24
Administrative Support Specialist $53,175 25
Administrative Specialist I $47,272 26
Extra Help Assistant $38,855 27
(7) Institutional Svcs. Assistant 3 $42,025 28
TWELVE MONTH EDUCATIONAL AND GENERAL 29
ACADEMIC POSITIONS 30
(8) Research Associate 3 $147,091 31
(9) Research Graduate Assistant 15 $57,379 32
NINE MONTH EDUCATIONAL AND GENERAL 33
ACADEMIC POSITIONS 34
(10) Faculty 7 35
Research Professor $237,829 36 HB1262
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Research Associate Professor $224,718 1
Research Assistant Professor $212,176 2
Research Instructor $145,990 3
MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 43 4
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SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION - ARKANSAS BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE . There is 6
hereby appropriated, to the Arkansas State University , to be payable from the 7
Arkansas Biosciences Institute Program Account of the Tobacco Settlement 8
Program Fund, for personal services and operating expenses of the Arkansas 9
State University - Arkansas Biosciences Institute for the fiscal year ending 10
June 30, 2026, the following: 11
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ITEM FISCAL YEAR 13
NO. 2025-2026 14
(01) REGULAR SALARIES $2,149,024 15
(02) EXTRA HELP 15,914 16
(03) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 551,206 17
(04) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 18
(A) OPER. EXPENSE 2,527,694 19
(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 20
(C) PROF. FEES 0 21
(D) CAP. OUTLAY 400,000 22
(E) DATA PROC. 0 23
TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $5,643,838 24
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SECTION 3. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 26
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. TRANSFER 27
RESTRICTIONS. The appropriations provided in this act shall not be 28
transferred under the provisions of Arkansas Code 19 -4-522, but only as 29
provided by this act. 30
The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 2024 31
2025 through June 30, 2025 2026. 32
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SECTION 4. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 34
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. TRANSFER 35
PROVISIONS. The state -supported institution of higher education in this act 36 HB1262
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may transfer appropriations between the various line items within each 1
appropriation contained in this appropriation act. Such transfers shall be 2
made only after the approval of the D ivision of Higher Education and the 3
Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, and the approval of the Legislative 4
Council or Joint Budget Committee. 5
The General Assembly has determined that the institution in this act could 6
be operated more efficiently if some flexibility is given to that institution 7
and that flexibility is being accomplished by providing authority to transfer 8
between items of appropriation made by this act. Since the General Assembly 9
has granted the institution broad powers under the transfer of 10
appropriations, it is both necessary and appropriate that the General 11
Assembly maintain oversight of the utilization of the transfers by requiring 12
prior approval of the Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee in the 13
utilization of the transfer authority. Therefore, the requirement of 14
approval by the Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee is not a 15
severable part of this section. If the requirement of approval by the 16
Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee is ruled unconstitutional by a 17
court of competent jurisdiction, this entire section is void. 18
The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 2024 19
2025 through June 30, 2025 2026. 20
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SECTION 5. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 22
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. POSITIONS. 23
(a) Nothing in this act shall be construed as a commitment of the State of 24
Arkansas or any of its agencies or institutions to continue funding any 25
position paid from the proceeds of the Tobacco Settlement in the event that 26
Tobacco Settlement funds are not sufficient to finance the position. 27
(b) State funds will not be used to replace Tobacco Settlement funds when 28
such funds expire, unless appropriated by the General Assembly and authorized 29
by the Governor. 30
(c) A disclosure of the language contained in (a) and (b) of this Section 31
shall be made available to all new hire and current positions paid from the 32
proceeds of the Tobacco Settlement by the Tobacco Settlement Commission. 33
(d) Whenever applicable the information contained in (a) and (b) of this 34
Section shall be included in the employee handbook and/or Professional 35
Services Contract paid from the proceeds of the Tobacco Settlement. 36 HB1262
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The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 2024 1
2025 through June 30, 2025 2026. 2
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SECTION 6. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 4
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. 5
COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS. Disbursement of funds authorized by this act 6
shall be limited to the appropriation for such agency and funds made 7
available by law for the support of such appropriations; and the restrictions 8
of the State Purchasing Law, the General Accounting and Budgetary Procedures 9
Law, the Regular Salary Procedures and Restrictions Act, or their successors, 10
and other fiscal control laws of this State, where applicable, and 11
regulations promulgated by the Department of Finance and Administration, as 12
authorized by law, shall be strictly complied with in disbursement of said 13
funds. 14
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SECTION 7. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 16
CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. 17
LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General Assembly that any funds 18
disbursed under the authority of the appropriations contained in this act 19
shall be in compliance with the stated reasons for which this act was 20
adopted, as evidenced by Initiated Act 1 of 2000, the Agency Requests, 21
Executive Recommendations and Legislative Recommendations contained in the 22
budget manuals prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration, 23
letters, or summarized oral testimony in the official minutes of the Arkansas 24
Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee which relate to its passage and 25
adoption. 26
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SECTION 8. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the General 28
Assembly, that the Constitution of the State of Arkansas prohibits the 29
appropriation of funds for more than a one (1) year period; that the 30
effectiveness of this Act on July 1, 2025 is essential to the operation of 31
the agency for which the appropriations in this Act are provided, and that in 32
the event of an extension of the legislative session, the delay in the 33
effective date of this Act beyond July 1, 2025 could work irreparable harm 34
upon the proper administration and provision of essential governmental 35
programs. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this Act 36 HB1262
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being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health 1
and safety shall be in full force and effect from and after July 1, 2025. 2
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APPROVED: 2/13/25 5
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