Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1344 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 598 of the Regular Session
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4		-
5		-	State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/31/25 1
	2	+	LJH122 01/30/2025 4:25:56 PM LJH122
	3	+	State of Arkansas 1
6	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
7	5		Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1344 3
8	6		4
9	7		By: Representative Warren 5
10	8		By: Senator J. Dotson 6
11	9		7
12	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
13	11		AN ACT CONCERNING ADMINISTRATION OF THE ARKANSAS 9
14		-	TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM; TO CORRECT THE NAME OF THE 10
15		-	ARKANSAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND THE ARKANSAS SCHOOL 11
16		-	FOR THE DEAF UNDER TITLE 24 OF THE ARKANSAS CODE; AND 12
17		-	FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 13
18		-	14
19		-	15
20		-	Subtitle 16
21		-	CONCERNING ADMINISTRATION OF THE 17
22		-	ARKANSAS TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM; AND 18
23		-	TO CORRECT THE NAME OF THE ARKANSAS 19
24		-	SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND THE ARKANSAS 20
25		-	SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF UNDER TITLE 24 OF 21
26		-	THE ARKANSAS CODE. 22
27		-	23
28		-	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24
29		-	25
30		-	SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 24 -4-507(a)(2)-(3), concerning credited 26
31		-	service for an employee of the Arkansas School for the Blind or the Arkansas 27
32		-	School for the Deaf, is amended to read as follows: 28
33		-	(2)(A) For periods of time prior to July 1, 1991, in no case 29
34		-	shall less than ten (10) days of service rendered by a member in any calendar 30
35		-	month be credited as a month of service, nor shall less than eleven (11) 31
36		-	months of service rendered by a member in any fiscal year be credited as a 32
37		-	year of service unless the member is was employed by the former Arkansas 33
38		-	School for the Blind , or the former Arkansas School for the Deaf, the state 34
39		-	colleges and universities, or the public schools of the state, in which case 35
40		-	nine (9) months would constitute a year of credited service. 36 As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
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45		-	(B) For periods of time prior to July 1, 1991, in no case 1
46		-	can less than nine (9) months of service rendered in any fiscal year be 2
47		-	credited as a full year of service, nor shall more than one (1) year of 3
48		-	service be credited any member for all service rendered by him or her in a 4
49		-	fiscal year. 5
50		-	(3)(A) Beginning July 1, 1992, and thereafter, service rendered 6
51		-	by a member in any calendar month shall be credited as service based upon the 7
52		-	member's number of hours of service in that month and in accordance with the 8
53		-	following schedule: 9
54		-	Eighty (80) or more hours of service ............. One (1) month 10
55		-	Sixty (60) hours up to less than eighty 11
56		-	(80) hours ............. Three -fourths (¾) month 12
57		-	Forty (40) hours up to less than sixty 13
58		-	(60) hours ............. One -half (½) month 14
59		-	Twenty (20) hours up to less than forty 15
60		-	(40) hours ............. One -fourth (¼) month 16
61		-	Less than twenty (20) hours ............. No credit. 17
62		-	(B) Beginning July 1, 1991, in no case shall less than 18
63		-	eleven (11) months of service rendered by a member in any fiscal year be 19
64		-	credited as a full year of service, except that the minimum shall be lowered 20
65		-	to nine (9) months for a member whose covered employment is employment with 21
66		-	the former Arkansas School for the Blind , or the former Arkansas School for 22
67		-	the Deaf, the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind , the state colleges and 23
68		-	universities, or the public schools. 24
69		-	(C) Any member who retires on or after July 1, 1999, shall 25
70		-	receive six (6) months of service credit for each full semester of service 26
71		-	rendered in any fiscal year for covered employment with the former Arkansas 27
72		-	School for the Blind , or the former Arkansas School for the Deaf , the 28
73		-	Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind , the state colleges and universities, 29
74		-	or the public schools of the state. 30
75		-	31
76		-	SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 24 -7-202(21)(A), concerning the definition 32
77		-	of "employment with a school" under the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, 33
78		-	is amended to read as follows: 34
79		-	(21) “Employment with a school” means, beginning July 1, 1993: 35
80		-	(A) Employment with any of the following institutions or 36 As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
81		-
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84		-
85		-	agencies: 1
86		-	(i) Former Arkansas School for the Blind; 2
87		-	(ii) Former Arkansas School for the Deaf; 3
88		-	(iii) Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind; 4
89		-	(iii)(iv) Arkansas Activities Association; 5
90		-	(iv)(v) State Board of Education; 6
91		-	(v)(vi) Regional education service cooperatives; and 7
92		-	(vi)(vii) Arkansas Teacher Retirement System; 8
93		-	9
94		-	SECTION 3. DO NOT CODIFY. CONTINGENT EFFECTIVENESS. 10
95		-	Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall become effective only if HB1810 of 11
96		-	the Ninety-Fifth General Assembly is enacted by the General Assembly and 12
97		-	becomes an act. 13
98		-	14
99		-	SECTION 4. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 15
100		-	General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that the merger of the Arkansas 16
101		-	School for the Blind and Arkansas School for the Deaf under HB1810 of the 17
102		-	Ninety-Fifth General Assembly cannot occur during the middle of a school 18
103		-	year; that if HB1810 of the Ninety -Fifth General Assembly did go into effect 19
104		-	during the middle of a school year, there would be significant disruptions in 20
105		-	funding and confusion among administration, staff, students, and parents of 21
106		-	students; and that this act is immediately necessary to ensure that the 22
107		-	necessary changes in implementing the merger of the Arkansas School for the 23
108		-	Blind and Arkansas School for the Deaf under HB1810 of the Ninety -Fifth 24
109		-	General Assembly are made consistent throughout the Arkansas Code and at the 25
110		-	same time that HB1810 of the Ninety -Fifth General Assembly goes into effect 26
111		-	before the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. Therefore, an emergency is declared to 27
112		-	exist, and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the 28
113		-	public peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: 29
114		-	(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 30
115		-	(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 31
116		-	the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 32
117		-	bill; or 33
118		-	(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 34
119		-	overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 35
120		-	36 As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
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123		-
124		-
125		-	/s/Warren 1
126		-	2
127		-	3
128		-	APPROVED: 4/14/25 4
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134		-	10
	12	+	TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 10
135	13		11
136	14		12
137		-	13
138		-	14
139		-	15
	15	+	Subtitle 13
	16	+	CONCERNING ADMINISTRATION OF THE 14
	17	+	ARKANSAS TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM. 15
140	18		16
141		-	17
	19	+	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 17
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	21	+	SECTION 1. The purpose of this act is to amend the law concerning 19
	22	+	administration of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System. 20
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