Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 196 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H2/10/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1384 3
4
By: Representative L. Johnson 5
By: Senator J. Dismang 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE GRADUATE 9
MEDICAL EDUCATION RESIDENCY EXPANSION BOARD; TO 10
DECLARE AN EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
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13
Subtitle 14
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE GRADUATE 15
MEDICAL EDUCATION RESIDENCY EXPANSION 16
BOARD; AND TO 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 §§ 6 -82-2002 through 6-82-2005 are amended to 21
read as follows: 22
6-82-2002. Planning Implementation grants — Definition. 23
(a) As used in this subchapter, a “planning grant” is a grant awarded 24
by the Graduate Medical Education Residency Expansion Board to eligible 25
entities and individuals under this subchapter. 26
(b) The board Graduate Medical Education Residency Expansion Board 27
shall: 28
(1) Allocate funds appropriated for purposes of this subchapter; 29
(2) Award a one-time planning implementation grant under this 30
section to an in-state based entity in this state that: 31
(A) Is in the process of creating a new graduate medical 32
education program; or 33
(B) Is expanding an existing graduate medical education 34
program; 35
(3) Award planning implementation grants on a competitive basis 36 As Engrossed: H2/10/25 HB1384
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according to the criteria adopted by the board under its rules to include 1
without limitation consideration of the following: 2
(A) Development of a new or expanded program with a 3
specialty defined in the rules; 4
(B) Increasing positions for medical specialties having a 5
shortage within the state; and 6
(C) Increasing graduate medical education positions in 7
medically underserved areas in the state ; and 8
(4) Determine the number of planning implementation grants 9
awarded and the amount of each planning implementation grant; and 10
(5) Determine the annual amount of grant award and the total 11
amount of grant award to be provided over the implementation period of the 12
new or expanding program . 13
(c)(1) An application for a planning grant under this section shall be 14
submitted by an entity to the board no later than July 15 of the year 15
preceding the year for which the planning grant will be used. 16
(2) The board shall award a planning grant to an eligible entity 17
under this section no later than August 15 of the year in which the eligible 18
entity's application was submitted. 19
(d) An entity that is awarded a planning grant under this section and 20
establishes additional first -year residency positions after the receipt of a 21
planning grant is eligible for additional funds for each position 22
established. 23
24
6-82-2003. Planning Implementation grants for program expansion or new 25
programs. 26
(a) The Graduate Medical Education Residency Expansion Board shall 27
award planning implementation grants to enable entities with existing 28
graduate medical education programs to: 29
(1) Increase the number of first -year residency or fellowship 30
positions in existing graduate medical education programs ; and 31
(2) Provide for the establishment of new graduate medical 32
education programs with first -year residency positions. 33
(b) The board shall determine the number of planning grants awarded 34
under this section and the amount of each planning grant awarded under this 35
section. 36 As Engrossed: H2/10/25 HB1384
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(c) A planning An implementation grant under this section shall be 1
used to support the direct resident start-up costs to the graduate medical 2
education program, including without limitation stipends and benefits at the 3
board's discretion. 4
(d)(c) An entity applying for a planning an implementation grant under 5
this section shall: 6
(1) Include submit a plan for receiving accreditation for the 7
increased number of residency positions or for the new graduate medical 8
education program, as applicable , that shall include without limitation: 9
(1) A timeline; 10
(2) A budget; 11
(3) A proposed program; 12
(4) The number of existing slots within a proposed program 13
expansion; 14
(5) Letters of support from both the sponsoring institution and 15
clinical site; 16
(6) The number of current residency slots available; and 17
(7) The number of new residency slots that will be established 18
in a new program.; and 19
(2) Be submitted to the board no later than October 1 preceding 20
the academic year for which the planning grant is made. 21
(e)(d) The board shall: 22
(1) Award a planning grant award an implementation grant under 23
this section no later than January 1 of the year in which the planning grant 24
will be used in the fourth calendar quarter on an annual basis as funding is 25
available; and 26
(2) Distribute a planning grant amount for a residency position 27
under this section only upon receiving verification that the applicable 28
residency position has been filled . 29
(f)(1)(e) A planning An implementation grant awarded under this 30
section shall be in effect for no more than three (3) consecutive fiscal 31
years the number of years of the program plus two (2) years for 32
implementation and accreditation before enrolling a resident or fellow . 33
(2) For each first-year residency position for which an entity 34
with a graduate medical education program receives an initial planning grant 35
under this section, the board shall award the entity with the graduate 36 As Engrossed: H2/10/25 HB1384
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medical education program an equal planning grant amount for the following 1
fiscal year, not to exceed three (3) fiscal years. 2
(f) An entity awarded an implementation grant under this section shall 3
provide a progress report to the board before the distribution of grant funds 4
for the following year. 5
6
6-82-2004. Priority of planning implementation grants — Adjustment of 7
amounts. 8
(a) If the Graduate Medical Education Residency Expansion Board 9
determines that the number of first -year residency positions proposed by 10
eligible applicants under § 6 -82-2003 exceeds the amount of funding 11
appropriated for the planning implementation grants under this subchapter, 12
the board: 13
(1) May give priority for up to fifty percent (50%) of the 14
funded first-year residency positions implementation grant awards to be in: 15
(A) Primary care; or 16
(B) A field in which this state has less than eighty 17
percent (80%) of the national average of physicians per one hundred thousand 18
(100,000) people, as determined by the board based on the Association of 19
American Medical Colleges State Physician Workforce Data Report there is a 20
shortage in the state as determined by the board; or 21
(C) A new program or a program expansion that: 22
(i) Has the earliest start date; or 23
(ii) Will expand the cap of an Arkansas hospital ; 24
and 25
(2) Shall not reduce planning grant amounts awarded for each 26
resident position, but may proportionately reduce the number of positions 27
funded for each graduate medical education program . 28
(b) If the board determines that, based on the applications it has 29
received for planning grants under § 6 -82-2003, the entire appropriation for 30
planning grants under this subchapter shall not be awarded for a particular 31
year, the board may transfer and use the funds appropriated to award planning 32
grants under § 6-82-2002. 33
34
6-82-2005. Planning grants for additional years of residency. 35
(a) If the Graduate Medical Education Residency Expansion Board 36 As Engrossed: H2/10/25 HB1384
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determines that funds appropriated under this subchapter are available after 1
all eligible planning grant applications under §§ 6 -82-2002 and 6-82-2003 2
have been funded, the board shall award planning grants from excess funds to 3
support medical residents who: 4
(1) Have completed at least three (3) years of residency; and 5
(2) Are enrolled in a residency program in a field in which this 6
state has less than eighty percent (80%) of the national average of 7
physicians per one hundred thousand (100,000) people, as determined by the 8
board. 9
(b) The board shall determine the following with respect to planning 10
grants under this section: 11
(1) The amount of a planning grant awarded under this section; 12
(2) The number of planning grants awarded under this section; 13
and 14
(3) The residency fields in which recipients of planning grants 15
under this section work. 16
(c) A planning grant under this section shall be used to support the 17
direct resident costs to the graduate medical education program, including 18
without limitation stipends and benefits. 19
(d) The board shall distribute a planning grant amount for a residency 20
position under this section only upon receiving verification that the 21
applicable residency position has been filled. 22
23
SECTION 2. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 82, Subchapter 20, is 24
amended to add an additional section to read as follows: 25
6-82-2006. Definitions. 26
As used in this subchapter: 27
(1) “Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education” means 28
the private, not-for-profit organization that oversees the accreditation of 29
residency and fellowship programs for physicians in the United States; 30
(2) “Entity” means an: 31
(A) Arkansas hospital or medical facility that seeks to 32
provide medical residency opportunities; and 33
(B) Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 34
sponsoring institution; 35
(3) “First-year residency position” means a position during the 36 As Engrossed: H2/10/25 HB1384
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first year of residency occurring after medical school graduation; 1
(4) “Fiscal year” means the fiscal year of the state for the 2
conduct of its financial affairs commencing on July 1
and ending on June 30
of 3
the following year; 4
(5) “Graduate medical education program” means the period of 5
education in a particular specialty or residency or subspecialty or 6
fellowship following medical school; 7
(6) “Implementation grant” means a grant awarded by the Graduate 8
Medical Education Residency Expansion Board to eligible entities and 9
individuals under this subchapter; 10
(7)(A) "Implementation period" means the amount of time in years 11
to establish a new program or expanded slots for a program. 12
(B) "Implementation period" includes the number of years 13
required for a resident or fellow to complete the program plus up to two (2) 14
years of start-up costs before enrolling the first resident or fellow. 15
(8)(A) “Primary care” includes without limitation the following: 16
(i) Internal medicine; 17
(ii) Pediatrics; 18
(iii) Family medicine; 19
(iv) Obstetrics and gynecology; 20
(v) General Surgery; and 21
(vi) Psychiatry. 22
(B) "Primary care" also includes without limitation the 23
transitional year; 24
(9) “Resident” means an individual enrolled in an Accreditation 25
Council for Graduate Medical Education -accredited residency program; 26
(10)(A) “Residency program" means a structured educational 27
activity comprising a series of clinical or other learning experiences in 28
graduate medical education designed to prepare a physician to enter the 29
unsupervised practice of medicine in a primary specialty. 30
(B) "Residency program" includes a program available for 31
physician admission: 32
(i) Immediately upon graduation from a medical 33
school or a college of osteopathic medicine as described in the institutional 34
requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; and 35
(ii) After completion of prerequisite clinical 36 As Engrossed: H2/10/25 HB1384
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education and training as described in the relevant specialty -specific 1
program requirements; 2
(11) “Specialty” means a field of medical practice that focuses 3
on a specific set of patient care skills; 4
(12) “Sponsoring institution” means an entity that oversees, 5
supports, and administers one (1) or more Accreditation Council for Graduate 6
Medical Education-accredited residency or fellowship programs; and 7
(13) "Start-up costs" means a cost associated with program 8
planning, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education application 9
preparation and submission, and other preliminary activities before a 10
resident is present in the program. 11
12
SECTION 3. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 13
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that there is a great need for 14
medical professionals throughout the state to serve residents; that summer 15
deadlines are quickly approaching for programs that train new medical 16
professionals and funding needs to be distributed as soon as possible to 17
prepare these programs to begin training in the fall; and that this act is 18
immediately necessary because having trained medical professionals to fill 19
worker shortages throughout the state is vital to ensuring the health and 20
safety of Arkansans. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 21
act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, 22
health, and safety shall become effective on: 23
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 24
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 25
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 26
bill; or 27
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 28
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 29
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/s/L. Johnson 31
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APPROVED: 2/27/25 34
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