Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 598 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/31/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1344 3
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By: Representative Warren 5
By: Senator J. Dotson 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT CONCERNING ADMINISTRATION OF THE ARKANSAS 9
TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM; TO CORRECT THE NAME OF THE 10
ARKANSAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND THE ARKANSAS SCHOOL 11
FOR THE DEAF UNDER TITLE 24 OF THE ARKANSAS CODE; AND 12
FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 13
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Subtitle 16
CONCERNING ADMINISTRATION OF THE 17
ARKANSAS TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM; AND 18
TO CORRECT THE NAME OF THE ARKANSAS 19
SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND THE ARKANSAS 20
SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF UNDER TITLE 24 OF 21
THE ARKANSAS CODE. 22
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 24 -4-507(a)(2)-(3), concerning credited 26
service for an employee of the Arkansas School for the Blind or the Arkansas 27
School for the Deaf, is amended to read as follows: 28
(2)(A) For periods of time prior to July 1, 1991, in no case 29
shall less than ten (10) days of service rendered by a member in any calendar 30
month be credited as a month of service, nor shall less than eleven (11) 31
months of service rendered by a member in any fiscal year be credited as a 32
year of service unless the member is was employed by the former Arkansas 33
School for the Blind , or the former Arkansas School for the Deaf, the state 34
colleges and universities, or the public schools of the state, in which case 35
nine (9) months would constitute a year of credited service. 36 As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
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(B) For periods of time prior to July 1, 1991, in no case 1
can less than nine (9) months of service rendered in any fiscal year be 2
credited as a full year of service, nor shall more than one (1) year of 3
service be credited any member for all service rendered by him or her in a 4
fiscal year. 5
(3)(A) Beginning July 1, 1992, and thereafter, service rendered 6
by a member in any calendar month shall be credited as service based upon the 7
member's number of hours of service in that month and in accordance with the 8
following schedule: 9
Eighty (80) or more hours of service ............. One (1) month 10
Sixty (60) hours up to less than eighty 11
(80) hours ............. Three -fourths (¾) month 12
Forty (40) hours up to less than sixty 13
(60) hours ............. One -half (½) month 14
Twenty (20) hours up to less than forty 15
(40) hours ............. One -fourth (¼) month 16
Less than twenty (20) hours ............. No credit. 17
(B) Beginning July 1, 1991, in no case shall less than 18
eleven (11) months of service rendered by a member in any fiscal year be 19
credited as a full year of service, except that the minimum shall be lowered 20
to nine (9) months for a member whose covered employment is employment with 21
the former Arkansas School for the Blind , or the former Arkansas School for 22
the Deaf, the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind , the state colleges and 23
universities, or the public schools. 24
(C) Any member who retires on or after July 1, 1999, shall 25
receive six (6) months of service credit for each full semester of service 26
rendered in any fiscal year for covered employment with the former Arkansas 27
School for the Blind , or the former Arkansas School for the Deaf , the 28
Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind , the state colleges and universities, 29
or the public schools of the state. 30
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 24 -7-202(21)(A), concerning the definition 32
of "employment with a school" under the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, 33
is amended to read as follows: 34
(21) “Employment with a school” means, beginning July 1, 1993: 35
(A) Employment with any of the following institutions or 36 As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
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agencies: 1
(i) Former Arkansas School for the Blind; 2
(ii) Former Arkansas School for the Deaf; 3
(iii) Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind; 4
(iii)(iv) Arkansas Activities Association; 5
(iv)(v) State Board of Education; 6
(v)(vi) Regional education service cooperatives; and 7
(vi)(vii) Arkansas Teacher Retirement System; 8
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SECTION 3. DO NOT CODIFY. CONTINGENT EFFECTIVENESS. 10
Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall become effective only if HB1810 of 11
the Ninety-Fifth General Assembly is enacted by the General Assembly and 12
becomes an act. 13
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SECTION 4. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 15
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that the merger of the Arkansas 16
School for the Blind and Arkansas School for the Deaf under HB1810 of the 17
Ninety-Fifth General Assembly cannot occur during the middle of a school 18
year; that if HB1810 of the Ninety -Fifth General Assembly did go into effect 19
during the middle of a school year, there would be significant disruptions in 20
funding and confusion among administration, staff, students, and parents of 21
students; and that this act is immediately necessary to ensure that the 22
necessary changes in implementing the merger of the Arkansas School for the 23
Blind and Arkansas School for the Deaf under HB1810 of the Ninety -Fifth 24
General Assembly are made consistent throughout the Arkansas Code and at the 25
same time that HB1810 of the Ninety -Fifth General Assembly goes into effect 26
before the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. Therefore, an emergency is declared to 27
exist, and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the 28
public peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: 29
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 30
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 31
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 32
bill; or 33
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 34
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 35
36 As Engrossed: H3/31/25 HB1344
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/s/Warren 1
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APPROVED: 4/14/25 4
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