Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB350 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2	2	JAR051 02/27/2025 2:43:51 PM JAR051
3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly A Bill 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 350 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Senators Gilmore, B. Davis 5
8	8	6
9	9	7
10	10	For An Act To Be Entitled 8
11	11	AN ACT TO CREATE FUNDING FOR STATE -SUPPORTED MULTI-9
12	12	JURISDICTIONAL DRUG TASK FORCES; TO CREATE 10
13	13	ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR MULTI -JURISDICTIONAL 11
14	14	DRUG TASK FORCES; TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION FOR 12
15	15	PERSONAL SERVICES AND OPERATING EXPENSES OF DRUG TASK 13
16	16	FORCE EMPLOYEES, THE DRUG TASK FORCE COORDINATOR, AND 14
17	17	DRUG TASK FORCE COORDINATOR EMPLOYEES FOR THE FISCAL 15
18	18	YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2026; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 16
19	19	17
20	20	18
21	21	Subtitle 19
22	22	AN ACT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR 20
23	23	COORDINATOR - MULTI-JURISDICITIONAL DRUG 21
24	24	TASK FORCES APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2025 -22
25	25	2026 FISCAL YEAR. 23
26	26	24
27	27	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25
28	28	26
29	29	SECTION 1. REGULAR SALARIES - DRUG TASK FORCE COORDINATOR . There is 27
30	30	hereby established for the Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator for the 2025-28
31	31	2026 fiscal year, the following maximum number of regular employees. 29
32	32	30
33	33	Maximum Annual 31
34	34	Maximum Salary Rate 32
35	35	Item No. of Fiscal Year 33
36	36	No. Title Employees 2025-2026 34
37	37	(1) DRUG TASK FORCE COORDINATOR 1 GRADE GS12 35
38	38	MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 1 36 SB350
39	39
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41	41	1
42	42	SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION - DRUG TASK FORCE COORDINATOR . There is 2
43	43	hereby appropriated, to the Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator , to be 3
44	44	payable from the State Central Services Fund , for personal services and 4
45	45	operating expenses of the Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator - Drug Task 5
46	46	Force Coordinator for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the following: 6
47	47	7
48	48	ITEM FISCAL YEAR 8
49	49	NO. 2025-2026 9
50	50	(01) REGULAR SALARIES $180,000 10
51	51	(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 72,000 11
52	52	(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 12
53	53	(A) OPER. EXPENSE 75,000 13
54	54	(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 2,000 14
55	55	(C) PROF. FEES 0 15
56	56	(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 16
57	57	(E) DATA PROC. 0 17
58	58	TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $329,000 18
59	59	19
60	60	SECTION 3. REGULAR SALARIES - MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL DRUG TASK FORCE . 20
61	61	There is hereby established for the Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator for 21
62	62	the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the following maximum number of regular employees. 22
63	63	23
64	64	Maximum Annual 24
65	65	Maximum Salary Rate 25
66	66	Item No. of Fiscal Year 26
67	67	No. Title Employees 2025-2026 27
68	68	(1) DRUG TASK FORCE COMMANDER 20 GRADE GS11 28
69	69	(2) DRUG TASK FORCE SUPERVISING AGENT 20 GRADE GS09 29
70	70	(3) DRUG TASK FORCE AGENT 60 GRADE GS09 30
71	71	(4) DRUG TASK FORCE ADMIN. ASST. 20 GRADE GS06 31
72	72	MAX. NO. OF EMPLOYEES 120 32
73	73	33
74	74	SECTION 4. APPROPRIATION - MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL DRUG TASK FORCE . There 34
75	75	is hereby appropriated, to the Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator , to be 35
76	76	payable from the State Central Services Fund , for personal services and 36 SB350
77	77
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79	79	operating expenses of the Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator - Multi-1
80	80	Jurisdictional Drug Task Force for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, the 2
81	81	following: 3
82	82	4
83	83	ITEM FISCAL YEAR 5
84	84	NO. 2025-2026 6
85	85	(01) REGULAR SALARIES $8,032,400 7
86	86	(02) PERSONAL SERVICES MATCHING 3,212,960 8
87	87	(03) MAINT. & GEN. OPERATION 9
88	88	(A) OPER. EXPENSE 2,821,000 10
89	89	(B) CONF. & TRAVEL 0 11
90	90	(C) PROF. FEES 0 12
91	91	(D) CAP. OUTLAY 0 13
92	92	(E) DATA PROC. 0 14
93	93	TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED $14,066,360 15
94	94	16
95	95	SECTION 5. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 17
96	96	CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. SALARIES. 18
97	97	The salaries of the Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force agents and employees 19
98	98	shall be consistent with that es tablished by the state pay plan for the 20
99	99	appropriate grade of each position. 21
100	100	The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 22
101	101	2025 to June 30, 2026. 23
102	102	24
103	103	SECTION 6. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 25
104	104	CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. LEAVE 26
105	105	BENEFITS. Drug Task Force agents and employees who convert from county or 27
106	106	grant funded employment to state employ ment and are employed prior to the 28
107	107	effective date of this legislation shall have their length of service with 29
108	108	the county recognized for purpo ses of accrual rates for sick leave and annual 30
109	109	leave. 31
110	110	The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 32
111	111	2025 to June 30, 2026. 33
112	112	34
113	113	SECTION 7. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 35
114	114	CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. FUNDING OF 36 SB350
115	115
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117	117	EXPENSES AND ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES OF THE MULTI -JURISDICTIONAL DRUG TASK 1
118	118	FORCE. Each Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force shall continue to bear the 2
119	119	responsibility and expense of providing, at the Multi -Jurisdictional Drug 3
120	120	Task Force expense the following at sufficient levels for operation: 4
121	121	(1) The cost of facilities, equipment supplies, and other office expenses 5
122	122	for the Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force. 6
123	123	(2) The Drug Task F orce shall provide compensation of additional person nel 7
124	124	and expenses within the Drug Task Force which are not covered by this Act. 8
125	125	The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 9
126	126	2025 to June 30, 2026. 10
127	127	11
128	128	SECTION 8. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 12
129	129	CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. FUNDS. 13
130	130	The funds designated by this Act shall not be subject to the provisions of 14
131	131	Ark. Code Ann. §12-17-102 (b)(2). 15
132	132	The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 16
133	133	2025 to June 30, 2026. 17
134	134	18
135	135	SECTION 9. SPECIAL LANGUAGE. NOT TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ARKANSAS 19
136	136	CODE NOR PUBLISHED SEPARATELY AS SPECIAL, LOCAL AND TEMPORARY LAW. 20
137	137	LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General Ass embly, in the 21
138	138	transition to a state -funded Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force system, to 22
139	139	provide an appropriate and adequate level of Drug Enforcement Activity 23
140	140	through Multi-Jurisdictional Task Forces in all areas of the state. It is 24
141	141	recognized by the General Assembly that in ma ny areas of the state resources 25
142	142	have not been available to suppor t Drug Enforcement at the necessary level. 26
143	143	With the transition of funding of Multi -Jurisdictional Drug Task Forces to 27
144	144	state funding; it is not the intent of the General Assembly to adversely 28
145	145	affect those districts whose system has been working well or to implement a 29
146	146	system which is too inflexible to respond to the needs of each judicial 30
147	147	district or task force area. Therefore, the Prosecut ion Coordination 31
148	148	Commission is charged with the responsibility of assisting in the maintenance 32
149	149	of a system which equitably serves all areas of the state by providing 33
150	150	statewide coordination of drug enfor cement with law enforcement agencies 34
151	151	statewide. 35
152	152	The provisions of this section shall be in effect only from July 1, 36 SB350
153	153
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155	155	2025 to June 30, 2026. 1
156	156	2
157	157	SECTION 10. COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS. Disbursement of funds 3
158	158	authorized by this act shall be limited to the appropriation for such agency 4
159	159	and funds made available by law for the support of such appropriations; and 5
160	160	the restrictions of the State Procurement Law, the General Accounting and 6
161	161	Budgetary Procedures Law, the Revenue Stabilization Law, the Regular Salary 7
162	162	Procedures and Restrictions Act, or their successors, and other fiscal 8
163	163	control laws of this State, where applicable, and regulations promulgated by 9
164	164	the Department of Finance and Administration, as authorized by law, shall be 10
165	165	strictly complied with in disbursement of said funds. 11
166	166	12
167	167	SECTION 11. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the General 13
168	168	Assembly that any funds disbursed under the authority of the appropriations 14
169	169	contained in this act shall be in compliance with the stated reasons for 15
170	170	which this act was adopted, as evidenced by the Agency Requests, Executive 16
171	171	Recommendations and Legislative Recommendations contained in the budget 17
172	172	manuals prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration, letters, or 18
173	173	summarized oral testimony in the official minutes of the Arkansas Legislative 19
174	174	Council or Joint Budget Committee which relate to its passage and adoption. 20
175	175	21
176	176	SECTION 12. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 22
177	177	General Assembly, that the Constitution of the State of Arkansas prohibits 23
178	178	the appropriation of funds for more than a one (1) year period; that the 24
179	179	effectiveness of this Act on July 1, 2025 is essential to the operation of 25
180	180	the agency for which the appropriations in this Act are provided, and that in 26
181	181	the event of an extension of the legislative session, the delay in the 27
182	182	effective date of this Act beyond July 1, 2025 could work irreparable harm 28
183	183	upon the proper administration and provision of essential governmental 29
184	184	programs. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this Act 30
185	185	being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health 31
186	186	and safety shall be in full force and effect from and after July 1, 2025. 32
187	187	33
188	188	34
189	189	35
190	190	36