| 3 | 2 | | *CEB105* 02/05/2025 8:32:24 AM CEB105 |
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| 4 | 3 | | State of Arkansas 1 |
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| 5 | 4 | | 95th General Assembly A Bill 2 |
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| 6 | 5 | | Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1407 3 |
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| 7 | 6 | | 4 |
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| 8 | 7 | | By: Representative Dalby 5 |
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| 9 | 8 | | By: Senator A. Clark 6 |
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| 10 | 9 | | 7 |
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| 11 | 10 | | For An Act To Be Entitled 8 |
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| 12 | 11 | | AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE STATE 9 |
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| 13 | 12 | | ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE FUND; AND FOR OTHER 10 |
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| 14 | 13 | | PURPOSES. 11 |
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| 15 | 14 | | 12 |
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| 16 | 15 | | 13 |
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| 17 | 16 | | Subtitle 14 |
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| 18 | 17 | | TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE STATE 15 |
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| 19 | 18 | | ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE FUND. 16 |
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| 20 | 19 | | 17 |
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| 21 | 20 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 18 |
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| 22 | 21 | | 19 |
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| 23 | 22 | | SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Legislative findings and intent. 20 |
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| 24 | 23 | | (a) The General Assembly finds that: 21 |
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| 25 | 24 | | (1) Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 80, vested the judicial 22 |
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| 26 | 25 | | power of the State of Arkansas in the judicial department; 23 |
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| 27 | 26 | | (2) Over the past twenty -five (25) years, the state has 24 |
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| 28 | 27 | | transitioned from hundreds of part -time local municipal court, city court, 25 |
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| 29 | 28 | | and district court judges to seventy (70) full -time state district court 26 |
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| 30 | 29 | | judges resulting from a consolidation of these courts into a unified state 27 |
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| 31 | 30 | | system of district courts; 28 |
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| 32 | 31 | | (3) The Supreme Court in In re Amendment 80, 2025 Ark. 5, 29 |
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| 33 | 32 | | directed the Administrative Office of the Courts to: 30 |
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| 34 | 33 | | (A) Assist the district judges in forming the Arkansas 31 |
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| 35 | 34 | | District Judges Judicial Council similar to that of the circuit court; and 32 |
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| 36 | 35 | | (B) Support the new judicial council for district judges 33 |
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| 37 | 36 | | as it has supported the Arkansas Judicial Council for decades. 34 |
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| 38 | 37 | | (4) Distributions from the State Administration of Justice Fund 35 |
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| 39 | 38 | | are currently made to the Arkansas District Judges Council, Inc., for the 36 HB1407 |
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| 40 | 39 | | |
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| 41 | 40 | | 2 02/05/2025 8:32:24 AM CEB105 |
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| 42 | 41 | | Executive Director of the Arkansas District Judges Council, Inc.; and 1 |
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| 43 | 42 | | (5) It is no longer necessary for the state to support the 2 |
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| 44 | 43 | | Arkansas District Judges Council, Inc., in this manner. 3 |
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| 45 | 44 | | (b) The General Assembly intends this act to ensure the efficient use 4 |
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| 46 | 45 | | of the State Administration of Justice Fund. 5 |
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| 47 | 46 | | 6 |
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| 48 | 47 | | SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 16 -10-310(b), concerning the distribution 7 |
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| 49 | 48 | | of revenue credited to the State Administration of Justice Fund, is amended 8 |
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| 50 | 49 | | to read as follows: 9 |
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| 51 | 50 | | (b) The revenue described in subsection (a) of this section shall be 10 |
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| 52 | 51 | | distributed to the following state programs and state agencies in monthly 11 |
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| 53 | 52 | | installments of at least one -twelfth (1/12) of the annual allocation provided 12 |
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| 54 | 53 | | for each state program or state agency from the State Administration of 13 |
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| 55 | 54 | | Justice Fund subject to the limitations stated in this section: 14 |
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| 56 | 55 | | (1) The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas for the 15 |
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| 57 | 56 | | purpose of and as regulated by §§ 6 -64-604 — 6-64-606; 16 |
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| 58 | 57 | | (2) The Public Health Fund and the Drug Abuse Prevention and 17 |
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| 59 | 58 | | Treatment Fund for use in the drug abuse prevention and treatment program of 18 |
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| 60 | 59 | | the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services of the 19 |
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| 61 | 60 | | Department of Human Services; 20 |
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| 62 | 61 | | (3) The Division of Arkansas State Police for the State Police 21 |
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| 63 | 62 | | Retirement Fund; 22 |
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| 64 | 63 | | (4) The Crime Victims Reparations Revolving Fund for the purpose 23 |
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| 65 | 64 | | of and as regulated by the Arkansas Crime Victims Reparations Act, § 16 -90-24 |
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| 66 | 65 | | 701 et seq.; 25 |
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| 67 | 66 | | (5) The Prosecutor Coordinator's office for deposit into the Law 26 |
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| 68 | 67 | | Enforcement and Prosecutor Drug Enforcement Training Fund; 27 |
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| 69 | 68 | | (6) The Crime Information System Fund; 28 |
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| 70 | 69 | | (7) The Justice Building Construction Fund; 29 |
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| 71 | 70 | | (8) The District Court Judge and District Court Clerk Education 30 |
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| 72 | 71 | | Fund; 31 |
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| 73 | 72 | | (9) The Judges Retirement Fund; 32 |
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| 74 | 73 | | (10) The State Central Services Fund for the benefit of the 33 |
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| 75 | 74 | | Arkansas Public Defender Commission; 34 |
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| 76 | 75 | | (11) The Court Reporter's Fund; 35 |
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| 77 | 76 | | (12) The Justice Building Fund; 36 HB1407 |
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| 78 | 77 | | |
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| 80 | 79 | | (13) The Arkansas Counties Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Crime 1 |
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| 81 | 80 | | Prevention Program Fund; 2 |
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| 82 | 81 | | (14) The Administrative Office of the Courts to fund the Trial 3 |
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| 83 | 82 | | Court Administrator Fund; 4 |
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| 84 | 83 | | (15) The Division of Arkansas State Police Fund; 5 |
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| 85 | 84 | | (16) The State Central Services Fund for the benefit of the 6 |
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| 86 | 85 | | Division of Dependency -Neglect Representation of the Administrative Office of 7 |
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| 87 | 86 | | the Courts; 8 |
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| 88 | 87 | | (17) The Miscellaneous Agencies Fund Account for the benefit of 9 |
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| 89 | 88 | | the State Crime Laboratory; 10 |
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| 90 | 89 | | (18) The Arkansas District Judges Council, Inc., for the 11 |
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| 91 | 90 | | Executive Director of the Arkansas District Judges Council, Inc.; 12 |
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| 92 | 91 | | (19)(18) The Public Legal Aid Fund; 13 |
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| 93 | 92 | | (20)(19) The Administrative Office of the Courts for county 14 |
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| 94 | 93 | | reimbursements for jurors; and 15 |
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| 95 | 94 | | (21)(20) The Administrative Office of the Courts to reimburse 16 |
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| 96 | 95 | | the State Central Services Fund for the Drug Court Coordinator. 17 |
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| 97 | 96 | | 18 |
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| 98 | 97 | | SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 16 -10-310(c)(1)(A), concerning the priority 19 |
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| 99 | 98 | | of allocations if the State Administration of Justice Fund balance is 20 |
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| 100 | 99 | | inadequate to fully fund all authorized monthly allocations, is amended to 21 |
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| 101 | 100 | | read as follows: 22 |
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| 102 | 101 | | (1)(A) The available revenue and remaining State Administration 23 |
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| 103 | 102 | | of Justice Fund balance shall be distributed first to fully fund the monthly 24 |
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| 104 | 103 | | allocation for: 25 |
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| 105 | 104 | | (i) The Court Reporter's Fund; 26 |
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| 106 | 105 | | (ii) The Arkansas District Judges Council, Inc., for 27 |
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| 107 | 106 | | the Executive Director of the Arkansas District Judges Council, Inc.; and 28 |
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| 108 | 107 | | (iii)(ii) The Administrative Office of the Courts to 29 |
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| 109 | 108 | | fund the Trial Court Administrator Fund. 30 |
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| 110 | 109 | | 31 |
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| 111 | 110 | | 32 |
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