Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB218 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 440 of the Regular Session
3	2		JLL188 02/11/2025 4:43:03 PM JLL188
4	3		State of Arkansas 1
5	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
6	5		Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 218 3
7	6		4
8	7		By: Senator Irvin 5
9	8		By: Representative Steimel 6
10	9		7
11	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
12	11		AN ACT TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS SMALL BUSINESS 9
13	12		INNOVATION RESEARCH MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM; AND FOR 10
14	13		OTHER PURPOSES. 11
15	14		12
16	15		13
17	16		Subtitle 14
18	17		TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS SMALL BUSINESS 15
19	18		INNOVATION RESEARCH MATCHING GRANT 16
20	19		PROGRAM. 17
21	20		18
22	21		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
23	22		20
24	23		SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 15-3-703(2), concerning the definitions to 21
25	24		be used in relation to the Arkansas Small Business Innovation Research 22
26	25		Matching Grant Program, is amended to read as follows: 23
27	26		(2) “Matching grant” means a discretionary grant of up to fifty 24
28	27		percent (50%) of the amount of a federal Small Business Innovation Research 25
29	28		grant or Small Business Technology Transfer grant for each approved matching 26
30	29		grant application; 27
31	30		28
32	31		SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 15 -3-703(4), concerning the definitions to 29
33	32		be used in relation to the Arkansas Small Business Innovation Research 30
34	33		Matching Grant Program, is amended to read as follows: 31
35	34		(4) “Small Business Innovation Research Program” means the 32
36	35		federal program administered by the United States Small Business 33
37	36		Administration according to regulations adopted pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 638, 34
38	37		as it existed on October 1, 2016, which provides funds for Phase I and Phase 35
39	38		II Small Business Innovation Research grants and Small Business Technology 36 SB218
40	39
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42	41		Transfer grants through participating federal agencies. 1
43	42		2
44	43		SECTION 3. Arkansas Code §§ 15 -3-704 — 15-3-707 are amended to read as 3
45	44		follows: 4
46	45		15-3-704. Administration. 5
47	46		(a)(1) The Arkansas Small Business Innovation Research Matching Grant 6
48	47		Program is created. 7
49	48		(2) The Division of Science and Technology of the Arkansas 8
50	49		Economic Development Commission shall administer the program. 9
51	50		(b) The division commission shall: 10
52	51		(1) Create application forms to be submitted by eligible 11
53	52		businesses seeking a matching grant from the program; 12
54	53		(2) Devise an application process that: 13
55	54		(A) Defines the eligibility criteria for a matching grant; 14
56	55		and 15
57	56		(B) Establishes application submittal and review 16
58	57		processes; 17
59	58		(3) Define a process by which matching grants may be awarded; 18
60	59		and 19
61	60		(4) Execute standard legal grant agreements and other 20
62	61		documentation governing the disbursement and use of matching grants. 21
63	62		22
64	63		15-3-705. Eligibility. 23
65	64		(a) To be eligible for a matching grant under this subchapter, an 24
66	65		applicant shall: 25
67	66		(1) Be an eligible business; and 26
68	67		(2) Certify that: 27
69	68		(A) The eligible business: 28
70	69		(i) For Phase I applications, has received a Small 29
71	70		Business Innovation Research grant or a Small Business Technology Transfer 30
72	71		grant from a sponsoring agency in response to a specific federal 31
73	72		solicitation; or 32
74	73		(ii) For Phase II applications, has: 33
75	74		(a) Submitted a final Phase I report to the 34
76	75		sponsoring agency; 35
77	76		(b) Demonstrated that the sponsoring agency 36 SB218
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80	79		has interest in the Phase II proposal; and 1
81	80		(c) Submitted a Phase II proposal to the 2
82	81		sponsoring agency; and 3
83	82		(B) All cognizant federal Small Business Innovation 4
84	83		Research grant requirements will be met. 5
85	84		(b) An eligible business awarded a matching grant under this 6
86	85		subchapter shall: 7
87	86		(1) Remain in Arkansas for the duration of the matching grant 8
88	87		project award period; 9
89	88		(2) Designate an Arkansas resident or employee as the principal 10
90	89		investigator/project manager during the duration of the matching grant award 11
91	90		period; and 12
92	91		(3) Be principally engaged in one (1) or more of the following 13
93	92		targeted business activities: 14
94	93		(A) Advanced materials and manufacturing systems; 15
95	94		(B) Agriculture, food, and environmental sciences; 16
96	95		(C) Biotechnology, bioengineering, and life sciences; 17
97	96		(D) Information technology; 18
98	97		(E) Transportation logistics; and 19
99	98		(F) Bio-based products. 20
100	99		21
101	100		15-3-706. Application requirements. 22
102	101		(a) To request a matching grant under this subchapter, an applicant 23
103	102		shall complete and submit the application forms prescribed by the Division of 24
104	103		Science and Technology of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission under 25
105	104		§ 15-3-704. 26
106	105		(b) An applicant shall submit an application for each federal Phase I 27
107	106		and federal Phase II grant proposal for which the applicant is requesting a 28
108	107		matching grant. 29
109	108		(c) The division commission shall: 30
110	109		(1) Review applications: 31
111	110		(A) In order of receipt, as determined by the date and 32
112	111		time stamp of receipt; and 33
113	112		(B) In accordance with rules promulgated by the division 34
114	113		commission under § 15-3-709; and 35
115	114		(2) Not consider an incomplete or noncompliant application and 36 SB218
116	115
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118	117		shall return an incomplete or a noncompliant application without further 1
119	118		review; 2
120	119		(3) Review each application with the advice and recommendation 3
121	120		of the Commercialization Committee of the Board of Directors of the Division 4
122	121		of Science and Technology of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission; 5
123	122		and 6
124	123		(4) Provide advice to the Director of the Arkansas Economic 7
125	124		Development Commission concerning the applications for matching grants 8
126	125		reviewed by the division . 9
127	126		(d)(1) Applications submitted to the division commission are subject 10
128	127		to the Freedom of Information Act of 1967, § 25 -19-101 et seq. 11
129	128		(2) To the extent an applicant believes that information in an 12
130	129		application is confidential or otherwise exempt under the Freedom of 13
131	130		Information Act of 1967, § 25 -19-101 et seq., the applicant shall 14
132	131		specifically designate in writing the information the applicant believes to 15
133	132		be confidential or exempt and the basis for the confidentiality or exemption 16
134	133		on that portion of the application in which the information appears. 17
135	134		18
136	135		15-3-707. Matching grant awards. 19
137	136		(a) A matching grant awarded under this subchapter: 20
138	137		(1) Shall not: 21
139	138		(A) Be awarded under this subchapter unless offered in 22
140	139		writing by the Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission; and 23
141	140		(B) Exceed fifty percent (50%) of the federal Small 24
142	141		Business Innovation Research award or the Small Business Technology Transfer 25
143	142		award, up to: 26
144	143		(i) Fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for a matching 27
145	144		grant awarded to match a federal Phase I award; and 28
146	145		(ii) One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for a 29
147	146		matching grant awarded to match a federal Phase II award; and 30
148	147		(2) Subject to funding and the discretion of the director, may 31
149	148		be offered to an eligible applicant that successfully completes the 32
150	149		application process. 33
151	150		(b) The matching grant agreement between the Division of Science and 34
152	151		Technology of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the eligible 35
153	152		applicant shall delineate all requirements of the matching grant. 36 SB218
154	153
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156	155		(c) At least fifty-one percent (51%) of the amount awarded for the 1
157	156		matching grant shall be spent in Arkansas. 2
158	157		(d) Disbursements for matching grants shall be made on a reimbursable 3
159	158		basis, payable when invoices and financial reports are submitted to and 4
160	159		approved by the division commission. 5
161	160		(e) An eligible business shall not receive more than three (3) 6
162	161		matching grants under this subchapter. 7
163	162		8
164	163		SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 15 -3-709 is amended to read as follows: 9
165	164		15-3-709. Rules. 10
166	165		The Division of Science and Technology of the Arkansas Economic 11
167	166		Development Commission shall promulgate rules to carry out the purposes of 12
168	167		this subchapter. 13
169	168		14
170	169		15
171		-	~~APPROVED: 4/3/25~~ 16
	170	+	16
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