| 3 | 2 | | *SSS240* 03/18/2025 8:47:53 AM SSS240 |
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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 1855 3 |
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| 7 | 6 | | 4 |
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| 8 | 7 | | By: Representative Ennett 5 |
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| 9 | 8 | | By: Senators K. Hammer, J. Scott 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 LAWS CONCERNING THE POWERS AND 9 |
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| 13 | 12 | | DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND THE 10 |
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| 14 | 13 | | ARKANSAS FORESTRY COMMISSION; TO AMEND THE LAWS 11 |
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| 15 | 14 | | RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICTS; TO AMEND THE 12 |
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| 16 | 15 | | AUTHORITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO ADJUST 13 |
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| 17 | 16 | | FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT BOUNDARIES HAVING 14 |
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| 18 | 17 | | OVERLAPPING BOUNDARIES; TO AMEND THE AUTHORITY OF THE 15 |
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| 19 | 18 | | DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO RECOMMEND CHANGES TO 16 |
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| 20 | 19 | | OTHER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT BOUNDARIES; AND FOR 17 |
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| 21 | 20 | | OTHER PURPOSES. 18 |
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| 22 | 21 | | 19 |
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| 23 | 22 | | 20 |
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| 24 | 23 | | Subtitle 21 |
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| 25 | 24 | | TO AMEND THE LAWS CONCERNING THE POWERS 22 |
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| 26 | 25 | | AND DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 23 |
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| 27 | 26 | | AGRICULTURE AND THE ARKANSAS FORESTRY 24 |
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| 28 | 27 | | COMMISSION; AND TO AMEND THE LAWS 25 |
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| 29 | 28 | | RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT 26 |
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| 30 | 29 | | BOUNDARIES. 27 |
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| 31 | 30 | | 28 |
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| 32 | 31 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 29 |
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| 33 | 32 | | 30 |
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| 34 | 33 | | SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 14 -284-125 is amended to read as follows: 31 |
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| 35 | 34 | | 14-284-125. Boundaries of overlapping , abutting, or contiguous 32 |
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| 36 | 35 | | districts —— Definition. 33 |
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| 37 | 36 | | (a)(1) The State Forestry Commission Department of Agriculture shall 34 |
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| 38 | 37 | | have authority may make recommendations to the county court to adjust the 35 |
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| 39 | 38 | | boundaries of fire protection districts : 36 HB1855 |
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| 40 | 39 | | |
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| 41 | 40 | | 2 03/18/2025 8:47:53 AM SSS240 |
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| 42 | 41 | | (A) Districts having overlapping boundaries .; 1 |
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| 43 | 42 | | (B) Districts abutting an area for which there is no fire 2 |
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| 44 | 43 | | protection service; or 3 |
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| 45 | 44 | | (C) Contiguous districts. 4 |
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| 46 | 45 | | The commission shall adjust the boundaries of overlapping fire districts upon 5 |
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| 47 | 46 | | the request of either district. The commission shall adjust the boundaries so 6 |
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| 48 | 47 | | that each district receives approximately fifty percent (50%) of the area 7 |
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| 49 | 48 | | that is within the boundaries of both districts. 8 |
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| 50 | 49 | | (2)(A) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2)(B) of this 9 |
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| 51 | 50 | | section, a district may request in writing a recommendation for an adjustment 10 |
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| 52 | 51 | | from the Department of Agriculture under this section. 11 |
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| 53 | 52 | | (B) A contiguous district may make a request under 12 |
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| 54 | 53 | | subdivision (a)(2)(A) of this section: 13 |
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| 55 | 54 | | (i) If an agreement exists among the affected 14 |
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| 56 | 55 | | districts; or 15 |
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| 57 | 56 | | (ii) Upon a showing of good cause for the alteration 16 |
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| 58 | 57 | | of the boundaries of the districts. 17 |
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| 59 | 58 | | (3) The Department of Agriculture shall notify the district that 18 |
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| 60 | 59 | | requested the recommendation under subdivision (a)(2) of this section if the 19 |
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| 61 | 60 | | Department of Agriculture will make a recommendation to adjust the boundaries 20 |
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| 62 | 61 | | under this section. 21 |
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| 63 | 62 | | (b) If the Department of Agriculture makes a recommendation under this 22 |
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| 64 | 63 | | section to adjust the boundaries of a district: 23 |
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| 65 | 64 | | (1) Within thirty (30) days of the recommendation, the district 24 |
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| 66 | 65 | | that requested a recommendation under subdivision (a)(2) of this section 25 |
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| 67 | 66 | | shall file a petition to adjust the boundary with the county court of the 26 |
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| 68 | 67 | | county in which the area of adjustment exists and shall attach the 27 |
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| 69 | 68 | | recommendation to the petition; 28 |
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| 70 | 69 | | (2) Upon the setting of a hearing by the county court, the 29 |
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| 71 | 70 | | district that requested a recommendation under subdivision (a)(2) of this 30 |
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| 72 | 71 | | section shall provide public notice of the county court hearing by 31 |
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| 73 | 72 | | publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at least one 32 |
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| 74 | 73 | | (1) time, one (1) week in advance of the county court hearing; and 33 |
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| 75 | 74 | | (3) The county court shall: 34 |
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| 76 | 75 | | (A)(i) Consider the recommended adjustment of boundaries 35 |
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| 77 | 76 | | filed under subdivision (b)(1) of this section and shall enter an order: 36 HB1855 |
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| 78 | 77 | | |
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| 79 | 78 | | 3 03/18/2025 8:47:53 AM SSS240 |
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| 80 | 79 | | (a) Accepting the recommended adjustment of 1 |
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| 81 | 80 | | the boundaries; 2 |
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| 82 | 81 | | (b) Rejecting the recommended adjustment of 3 |
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| 83 | 82 | | the boundaries and maintaining the existing boundaries; or 4 |
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| 84 | 83 | | (c) Rejecting the recommended adjustment of 5 |
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| 85 | 84 | | the boundaries and adjusting the boundaries as determined by the county court 6 |
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| 86 | 85 | | to be just and proper. 7 |
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| 87 | 86 | | (ii) If the boundaries are altered under subdivision 8 |
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| 88 | 87 | | (b)(3)(A)(i) of this section, the order of the county court shall contain a 9 |
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| 89 | 88 | | legal description and a map depicting the adjusted boundary or boundaries; 10 |
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| 90 | 89 | | and 11 |
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| 91 | 90 | | (B) Create a new fire protection district map under § 12 -12 |
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| 92 | 91 | | 10-329 if the boundaries are altered under subdivision (b)(3)(A)(i) of this 13 |
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| 93 | 92 | | section. 14 |
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| 94 | 93 | | (c) This section is supplemental to other provisions of law regarding 15 |
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| 95 | 94 | | the establishment of district boundaries, including without limitation § 14 -16 |
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| 96 | 95 | | 20-108. 17 |
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| 97 | 96 | | (d)(1) As used in this section, "district" means a district that 18 |
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| 98 | 97 | | provides fire protection services. 19 |
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| 99 | 98 | | (2) As used in this section, "district" includes without 20 |
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| 100 | 99 | | limitation a: 21 |
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| 101 | 100 | | (A) Nonprofit fire protection corporation or association; 22 |
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| 102 | 101 | | (B) Nonprofit corporation organized as a volunteer fire 23 |
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| 103 | 102 | | department or a rural fire department; 24 |
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| 104 | 103 | | (C) Fire protection district organized under § 14 -284-101 25 |
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| 105 | 104 | | et seq. or § 14-284-201 et seq.; 26 |
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| 106 | 105 | | (D) Suburban fire improvement district organized under § 27 |
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| 107 | 106 | | 14-92-201 et seq.; and 28 |
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| 108 | 107 | | (E) County-created subordinate service district that 29 |
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| 109 | 108 | | provides fire protection services under §§ 14 -14-708 and 14-14-709. 30 |
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| 110 | 109 | | 31 |
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| 111 | 110 | | 32 |
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